Only three things happen naturally in organizations: friction, confusion, and underperformance. Everything else requires leadership. Read more

Ran across this post and had to share especially given the alignment with “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” (a book I’d rank in my top 5 of all time) Screw Finding Your Passion A few things that stood out: The problem isn’t passion. It’s never passion. It’s priorities. This is so true - we make... Read more

Here’s a couple of interesting quotes I’ve run across recently: “Trust is a peculiar resource; it is built rather than depleted by use.” – Unknown This makes me think of working out. Just like building muscle, we build trust as we exercise it. Doing it more creates more - it’s a generative action. We’ve seen this... Read more

Life is a story. It’s not a set of facts or a compilation of data but a complicated interplay of the small and the large. Sure, those the facts and stuff are in there but the true value is in the way they create the larger whole. As I was cooking the other day I was... Read more

Managers are limited by cognitive load. Because stuff can’t think, they must and their capacity to do so for the multitude of things is the bottleneck to what can get done. When we try to manage people, we imply that they are incapable of the thinking and, thus, only things. Being a leader provides us with... Read more

I’m very excited to be participating in the upcoming panel on “The War for Talent” on Thursday, March 30th, 2017 and will be discussing how we, at Improving, compete in this market to find and growth top talent. My co-panelists, Amy Ross and Royalyn Reid will be sharing their experience and perspectives as well so it... Read more

They say that the best way to inspire others is to model it and I have to agree. Modeling something is like magic; while people may be amazed or wonder how you do it, they will attempt (although sometimes only in their minds) to imitate. (Yes, I know Penn & Teller do a great job of... Read more

Have you ever heard of having an “open door” policy? More than likely. Have you ever found that to be a lie? Sadly, more than likely. Often times companies, or individuals, like to claim that they have this policy but aren’t truly interested in being accessible. They believe that given sufficient access, folks would consume all... Read more

Emotion is always a reaction and, therefore, cannot be intentional. Mindsets can be either reactionary or intentional but intentional is typically better. I say typically because if you were to see a snake in the woods, being reactionary can be a life saver. But that’s not what we’re discussing here… This reactionary bias causes the feelings... Read more

** What is something you should do less efficiently so that you can do it more thoroughly? ** We are always working to be more efficient - we attempt to multi-task (yes, I know it’s a myth that we truly can but that doesn’t seem to stop folks from trying), we optimize our schedules, we plan... Read more

“Capitalism” is typically a word that evokes images of a fat business man on a pile of other people’s hard work and money. It’s not a pretty image and certainly not one that most folks want to be associated with. No one wants to think the profits of their efforts feed some singluarly greedy entity, personal... Read more

Disclaimer ** This is a perspective I’m currently exploring and so I’m arguing both sides. You’ve been warned. ** Family When we need time for something it must be taken. It cannot be replaced or given back or returned, we consume it and it’s gone. Often times when you need that extra time to get something... Read more

In my recent transition, I’ve had to become even more intimate with Excel as a tool of my job. Previously I’ve used Excel in crazy ways, as a data source for an ODBC connection or a pass thru between disconnected services, but now it’s something to run the business on. That’s a knife that cuts both... Read more

Sites like Quora are time sinks for the virtual wisdom they provide. They’re like brain candy. Don’t get me wrong, I love candy too, but it’s no substitute for a good meal. People are more interested in collecting knowledge and parading it around as wisdom rather than acting upon it to discover the true nature of... Read more

I’ve used this analogy a couple of times when explaining agile adoption, specifically Scrum, to folks so I wanted to put it here for reference. The Analogy Imagine for a minute that you’ve never baked a cake before but you want to learn how. I give you a recipe to follow, it’s my grandmothers recipe and... Read more

I spend a vast majority of my week positioned squarely on my butt. It’s a sedentary life, which is why I’ve had to start working out again, but it’s one that I love and get paid to live. Not that I’m not phyically capable of working to earn a living, it’s simply that someone values my... Read more

I know it’s been a while since I posted (a typical excuse, right?) but I’ve been pretty busy lately. Let me fill you in… This summer our company decide to create additional positions for the VP of consulting since we had grown to over 90 consultants and I was promoted to one of those positions. It... Read more

Saying “I don’t know” is hard. It’s an admission of a shortcoming, a lack. It says, “I lack knowledge” or “I lack understanding”. Not saying it is worse though. Making up some sort of answer says the same thing, shows the same lack, but it includes a lie; an inability to admit reality or be perceived... Read more

A few weeks back I had multiple client and business needs that required me to dress up a little more than I usually do. After enduring the standard, “You got an interview or something?” wise cracks that are inevitable, I began to notice a change behaviors in a couple of ways. Now I want to be... Read more

We are regularly told that we should “think before we speak”, however, I believe it to be equally important that we think before we act. “ Never be dictated to by expediency.” was a regular saying from my father. And I have to say that, historically in my life at least, he’s been correct. Now I... Read more

I’ve tweeted before about this but felt, as is often the case, that it could be percieved as a bit flippant with regards to how I feel about the startups I encounter. While those who know me will agree that I rarely take myself too seriously, I am serious about new ideas and how they could... Read more

It’s not you…it’s me. I have been meaning to do this for a long time and while I don’t think there is ever a right time for a break up like this, I think the time is now. Calling It There have a been a lot of changes in my life recently and I think that... Read more