It’s a shame to go through life thinking that life is simply what happens to you. There are many pressures and influences that might make you think that life is out of your control. But it’s not. Life is either what you let happen to yourself, or what you make happen to yourself.
Month: July 2015
IBM Reveals Lack Of Confidence In Their Own Management
You can’t make this stuff up, IBM Researchers Try to Measure Employee Well-Being Using Technology. This is why it’s so important to think about what you’re doing before you start doing it. You don’t need to wait to see what will happen. You already have countless humans that are adept at detecting nuisances in their environment, they’re called employees. Perhaps,…
Customer service and sales stupidity at Staples
I was just at Staples tonight shopping for a few things to add to my office. I found a small filing cabinet/drawer combo that would work really well next to my desk. But they were out of stock, and of course the person working went into some spiel about how I could have it ordered, that it might only take…
Fruitless perfection
Here’s a way to visualize why perfection is a fruitless pursuit.
“Good enough is good enough.”
“Success, not perfection”
Alan Weiss
Do no harm: when initiator is not authorizer
When a customer comes through the door, especially if you’re a consultant, it’s a good idea to know why they came in the door. When a customer comes through my door, I like to know why and then I like to know who initiated that person coming through my door. For example, if someone asks me to present a two…
You’ve done something worthless
I’m constantly amazed at people that tell me they wouldn’t ask someone why they want something done. I’m amazed because doing something that’s not necessary, no matter who asks us to do it, is the definition of doing something that’s not worthwhile. Something worthless. If we don’t analyze the value of our contributions, occasionally we’re going to do something that’s…
Expertise is developed one step at a time
As I’ve said before experience is not a sign of expertise. The difference between someone with 10 years of experience and someone with expertise is a matter of repetition versus gradual refinement. There’s no secret to expertise. It’s not an innate characteristic. It’s something that is developed. The easiest way to develop expertise is to improve a little bit each…