Have you ever received feedback that said you could do so much better? In school, many of my teachers decided I underperformed. I could do more and better. I never quite understood how those people could see inside my head. How could they read my mind? (You might like Secrets to Catch Yourself Mind-Reading.) I …
Many of us make short-term decisions right now. Totally understandable given the chaos around us. However, we have a number of wicked problems. When we only think for the short-term, we make decisions that don’t solve those wicked problems. We need to use long-term thinking to influence our short-term decisions. You might wonder about where …
Where Do You Want to Be Long-Term, Say in 50 Years? Read More »
2020 has challenged all of us. We’ve learned to work at home and live where we work. Some of us have learned to teach and parent and work. All of us have learned the art of social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand-washing. So why am I asking about how we might challenge ourselves in the future? …
I drive a combination gas/hybrid car. Last year, I bought gas 4 times. Maybe. It might have been 3 times. In general, I don’t drive that much. I’ve worked from home for many years. This year, since I drive even less, I decide to use up the old gas. I finally needed gas this past …
Let’s assume you want to learn a new skill. I’ll choose fiction writing because I’m still learning. What do you do to master new skills? Here’s what I’ve done: Found successful people to learn from. Found a support system. Used deliberate practice with feedback to improve. I’ll take each of these. Learn from Successful People …
I chatted with a talented coach a few days ago. He’s between clients. He felt as if he was stagnating, not learning anything. He said, “This is one of those days, where I wonder if I have Imposter Syndrome (where you doubt your value). Do you ever feel that way?” Of course, I do. Not …
With any luck, you’re working from home this week. I bet you’re thinking of creating any number of possibilities: A schedule you can all live with. Food for three meals a day. How to prevent anyone in the house saying, “I’m bored.” Those are the table stakes—the minimum stakes for times like these. (I wrote …
I just returned from a (fiction) writing workshop this week. I learned a ton about craft, selling short stories, and publishing short stories. One of my big learnings: I play it safe too often with my writing. The stakes for the characters aren’t big enough. This is an opportunity for me. I can take this …
We often think of friction as bad. Friction prevents us from doing something we might want to accomplish. On my other blog, I write about frictionless releasing. We often want to avoid friction at work. The less friction we have, the easier it is for us to work together and release products. And, sometimes, friction …
I’ve been working on my 2020 strategy and tactics. I think further out, but I don’t plan for more than one year at a time. And, I break that down into quarterly and monthly planning. Because things happen. (For more details, see How Often Do You Reflect?) My yearly plan is a set of options. …
When Can You Optimize For Resilience Over Anything Else? Read More »