I was working with a manager who was unfamiliar with making personal commitments. He had a gift for “management” and “leadership.” He has a host of imaginings about what can go wrong. He hasn’t been much on results. Finally, I got him to list each potential problem that concerned him on a failing project andRead… Read more »

Ever wonder why “Big Data” is referred to in terms of somebody’s solution, tool, application, utility? And why that doesn’t offer much value to you? You know there must be some value…otherwise why all the noise? The best way to define Big Data is in terms of how you are currently using it. You aren’t?Read… Read more »

Monday July 1, I gave an hour plus talk about how I use Google Plus to 40PlusDC. Best thing I learned at the meeting was about the baggage we make up about being unemployed. If you’re not interesting a potential partner, lack of employment is an easy a way out of a boring meeting. IfRead… Read more »

I notice that when people get promoted, a story develops about their previous value. It boils down to, “The older I get, the better I was.” That includes old fools standing up in front of a group, reading fifteen year old notes…with vigah! In education, value comes from learning, not teaching. That’s a disappointment forRead… Read more »

Read some interesting posts that less than half of a group of employees think they will be promoted any time soon. Hunh? Their idea is that if they do wunnerful work, they should be promoted? That’s not how it works. A promotion occurs when the organization has a need, not when an employee does workRead… Read more »

I was working with a board faced with a major problem…with no workable solution. These are good people, who understand their business, have been at it for a long time. They completely understood their situation, and for the last six months no optimal, hell, no viable solution was available. This particular problem had colored allRead… Read more »

One of the best communicators I know is my podiatrist. Any time I see him, he’s quick, precise, and I’m immediately better. Here’s some of the things he does. Years ago I met him, he noticed my book. “Tocqueville? Democracy in America? I haven’t read that since high school.” “TJ?” “Yup.” In ten seconds, heRead… Read more »

I read some advice about how to lead after being assigned or awarded a team. The advice was all about being nice and respectful and mature, and hardworking, brave, clean, loyal, reverent, and… all good, I guess. But people who are assigned or awarded a team aren’t leaders. They are people who have been assignedRead… Read more »

Before you can have a breakthrough, you often need a breakdown. Failure acknowledges an ending, which is also an opportunity to start something new. The prospect of failure concentrates the mind, inspires creativity, focus, fear. Outwitting failure builds confidence, relationships, esprit de corps. Failure can cause you to examine your reality more closely. I oftenRead… Read more »

Reading The Fractalist, Memoir of a Scientific Maverick, Benoit Mandelbrot’s autobiography, he was continually looking for the possibility of a Kepler Moment. If I had a science teacher who understood and communicated the concept, I probably would have ended up as more of a researcher. Mandelbrot’s lifetime search for the Kepler Moment is the gameRead… Read more »