Category: Strategy
Why you can achieve more with only one goal
Last year, I made a big deal about buying a fancy glass whiteboard to keep all of my 2017 goals directly in front of me in my home office. The picture above shows a nice mind map, some major goals that I circled, and lots of ways to support those goals. I failed miserably. I […]
The 4 things I learned locking myself out of the house
Last week, I was preparing to participate in a webinar, one I paid to attend. Five minutes before the webinar, I decided to let my dog out onto the deck. Usually, we go out through the sliding door in the kitchen. That day, I opened the door from my office to the deck. It has […]
Dog days of winter
Arctic temperatures and 18″ of snow do not invalidate my dog’s need to go for his walks. Both of us bundle up in coats, I’m wearing thermal underwear and wool sweaters (I know, TMI), I open the door, we look at each other, and Copper trudges out with me in tow. He’s my canine customer. I […]
Nobody’s perfect, not even a perfect stranger
“Nobody’s perfect, not even a perfect stranger” My favorite song by The Pretenders played on my music shuffle yesterday during my walk. “Time the Avenger” has several memorable lines in it, including the opening line noted above. I’m not sure if it’s irony, humor, a play on words, or how to describe it. That line […]
No such thing as best practices
I enjoy a nicely grilled steak. There’s something about a well-seasoned, juicy, char-marked piece of meat that activates all five senses (sorry vegetarians, although I also like grilled veggies). There are some basic rules about grilling meat. It should be a certain temperature to ensure safety, but after that, it’s personal taste. I’m good with […]
Can you see the real me?
Teenage wasteland. You might think that is the title of the iconic song by The Who. The real name is “Baba O’Riley”. Pete Townshend combined two names of influential people he followed. The message of “teenage wasteland” possibly refers to the desolation of the teenagers at Woodstock (Wikipedia link). Music is art. I suppose that means […]
One of our container lids is missing
Lids and socks. The bane of every household. Like many families, we have a drawer in the kitchen where we keep the world’s supply of containers and lids. Rubbermaid, Hefty, and Glad figured out the marketing model for lost socks and applied it to their business. They know that, inevitably, your average person will cry […]
Writing as natural as breathing
A friend of mine said he liked my writing. This is not meant to be self-serving (well, anymore than usual). I thanked him, and he told me it reminded him of David Brooks of The New York Times. I don’t read The NY Times, not for any reason other than I live near Boston, I usually […]
What the hack am I doing?
I need a new whiteboard for my office. I do have a small one off to my side. The problem is that it is off to my side. It’s not facing me, where I can see it all of the time. Yes, there are days that I am too lazy to turn my head 90° […]
When making things right can make them worse for your customer
Like many other law-abiding Americans, I’m in the midst of completing my taxes. In the last week, I received a corrected W-2 from a former employer. It took me a minute to figure out what changed. Everything was blank other than one check box for a Retirement plan. Because they were a former employer, I’m thinking “I […]
In pilot we trust
If you’re a consultant, flying comes with the territory. You get to experience different cities, perhaps international cultures, and certainly a lot of waiting around. There’s a saying that if you have never missed a flight, you are spending too much time in the airport. I understand the point, and I’m good being a little early […]
You can never use too many nails
I was fortunate to participate in my first Habitat for Humanity project in our area recently. The other volunteers and I possessed a multitude of experience. If you’re like me, you can hammer a nail without risk of hitting your thumb 95 out of 100 times (those other 5 are painful). I can take apart basic plumbing and […]