Tag: 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…
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…
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…
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…
Why college radio should inspire you to be innovative
Preoccupied with passionate thoughts (about my business, not THAT), I listened to local Boston-area college radio WERS while driving the famous Automile south of Boston. “Only You Know And I Know” by Dave Mason came on, and two things struck me. The first was that I had not heard this song in something like 20…
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…
The glass might as well be empty
My wife and I recently celebrated our anniversary. We bought a new couch and recliner, something we do once every 29 years. The entire user experience at the local furniture store was top-notch. We walked into one store, explained what we wanted, saw what we liked, and we bought it. After pulling ourselves out of the…
The longer you’re here, diverse it gets
It’s an old joke. Someone brings up diversity and you say “We’re very diverse. The longer you’re here, diverse it gets”. Twice this week, my mind wandered to diversity issues. I spoke with someone with whom I’ve developed a good networking relationship and he wants to introduce me to someone at a local company. I…
Same song, different sound
On my way back from a networking coffee this week, “The Man Who Sold The World” by Nirvana played on the radio. Many of you may know that this is a remake of a version by the late David Bowie. With Bowie’s recent death still very fresh in our minds, my thoughts began to wander from…
Does talking about strategy make you strategic?
I participated in a two-day team strategy meeting in California a few years ago. As an icebreaker, a consultant worked with us to determine how we approached business, strategy, and teams. It was similar to a personality test, only geared towards work. During Q&A, one of my teammates asked the consultant “how do you become strategic?”. His…