He said, "You know how we have to protect the foundation. Sometime we have to be aggressive." I was talking to a friend I used to work with. He worked on a team that had an us vs. them mentality. It created issues sometimes. They didn't always ask the questions they needed answered when they're customers approached them with a project. Then their customer would surprise them with a last minute requirement ... one that might have been revealed with the questions that didn't get … [Read more...]
Just tell the story
June 2, 2012 by
Jen looked at me frustratedly. I sighed deeply, exasperated. We'd been talking for 10 minutes getting nowhere. She cried out, "This is going all over the place. Just tell me what happened!" Another sigh released from me. I went to the beginning of the story. Two months ago, I drove over a ditch left uncovered by a construction crew. It was nighttime. When the car struck the ditch it surprised the shit out of me as felt the front slam thunderously. The rims on … [Read more...]
What will you give?
June 1, 2012 by
Will you give yourself permission to be uncomfortable today? Will you give yourself permission to be more than who you were yesterday? Will you give yourself permission to dig a hole for you to get out of tomorrow? Will you give yourself permission to seek that spark of an idea? Will you give yourself permission put your ideas together? Will you give yourself permission to reveal your ideas to the world? Will you give yourself permission to ignore … [Read more...]
What do you want to leave behind?
May 29, 2012 by
Let's stick with the Lego theme. I've written about building ideas ... ideas are the Lego blocks. Putting the blocks together is the execution. Many of us get caught in the idea trap. Accumulating ideas like a hoarder accumulates newspapers, cats and Elvis plates. The ideas pile up until we're overwhelmed by them. They're everywhere! You can barely walk in your brain because there are so many ideas piled up and laying around. Most of my regrets are about what I haven't done. … [Read more...]
Are you getting caught in the idea trap?
May 25, 2012 by
I remember stepping on the Lego piece with my bare foot. I screamed, cursing. A cubic, sharp pebble cutting into my foot. It hurt! Yesterday, I talked about how building ideas is like playing with Legos. "The ideas are the blocks. Putting them together is the execution." If you're an "idea guy" (or gal), like me, you have a bunch of blocks. They're everywhere! You're tripping on them, stepping on them, staring at them. Are you putting them together? Are you addicted … [Read more...]
Are you playing with Legos or with Jenga?
May 24, 2012 by
Building ideas is like playing with Legos. It's not like playing Jenga. Your ideas are the blocks. Putting them together is the execution. The nice thing about Legos ... You can build one thing, take it apart and build something completely different. You have the flexibility to innovate and pivot. You can go back and then forward again. Put your ideas into action. If it's not right, take them apart and put them together differently. Building ideas is not about keeping … [Read more...]
What if you asked differently?
May 17, 2012 by
What if I fail? One the most common reason we don't take action is the fear of "what if". What if they say no What if it doesnt go well What if they don't like me What if they ask questions and I don't know the answer What if I look dumb Here are some more "what ifs" to ask: What if you look back in 10 years and your in the same place you're in now What if you become irrelevant What if you have nobody to blame but yourself By avoiding the first set of what … [Read more...]
A picture’s worth a thousand words
May 16, 2012 by
We think in pictures. If someone asks you to think of a million dollars, you think of a pile of cash or a filled out check. There might be some language written on the check ... but the language is part of a picture. There's a simple reason for this. Language isn't real. Words are an invention. We use words to represent the pictures we see in our head. People we speak to paint a picture in their head based on the words we use. Many of us don't use words well. They're … [Read more...]
Apples & Oranges
May 3, 2012 by
We were talking about what a great team we would be. I'd be the idea person. She'd be the doer ... making the ideas happen. She is the doer. I need to do a lot more to make my ideas compared to how I thought it'd be. At least more than just speak them. The twins never end. They are well behaved. They sleep well. They eat well. They don't cry for no reason (Thank, God). Yet it seems that at least one needs some attention and any point and time. It seems there's never a … [Read more...]
