I left the house this morning at 6:30am. 2 hours earlier than usual. I usually help with feeding, changing, playing with the girls. This morning, I had a 7 am meeting. I didn't even get to say good morning to the girls. And Jen had to manage the juggling act of caring and feeding on her own. At 6pm the phone rang. I answered. It didn't sound good. I heard Jen talking. Screaming babies drowned what she was saying. Neither girl would eat. Both were crying. Jen was … [Read more...]
Ask, Don’t Tell?
June 12, 2012 by
My friend's team was filled with some ridiculously smart people. They were smart with technology. They just weren't people smart. He was telling me about the challenges they had working together. I had lunch with another friend a couple of months ago. He told me how he had learned to make people be part of the plan. The people make the plan happen. They might be inconvenient to work with. But nothing happens with out them. The team with the smart people struggle mightily … [Read more...]
How much is pain worth?
June 11, 2012 by
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...]
Where’s your resume?
September 21, 2011 by
I work with people to help them manage change. When things go well, they produce results that they weren't able to produce on their own. This is a common outcome. I speak to many clients who want to leave their job. Their obstacle: Their resume isn't ready. They'll wallow in misery rather than write their resume. Meanwhile they deliver "Less than" results for the people they work for. This may last weeks, months or years. Disengagement is contagious. It needs to … [Read more...]
Would you rather be needed or wanted?
July 1, 2011 by
The exercise started. I was getting up to work the room. A thought struck me. "They don't need me." I was hit with a sense of deflation. It was a "What's the point?" moment. I was at Boot Camp. The irony, or hypocrisy, I'm working at a program built to help people find purpose and meaning. And I'm struggling with my purpose and meaning. We're human. It happens. I spent a few moments looking at the situation. The conversation with myself went like this: "You're right. They … [Read more...]
