It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” – W. Edwards Deming This is a useful quote to remember when you catch yourself thinking, “Surely they will see the need to change, if only for self-preservation.” Nope. We all have a choice and some people use theirs to avoid the changes that will […]
When you are implementing something new, chances are good that you’ll get into a conversation about what to call things. Should we use the new word that we’ve found (e.g., kata or buffer or mental model)? Or, should we use a word that we already know? If you use a word you already know, then
The greatest danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” – Michelangelo Buonarroti
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In life there are end points. At those end points you’ll be faced with answering the question, “Now what?” You could say, “I don’t know,” and slip into nothingness. Or, you could start imagining all the things you’ve wanted to do and thought you couldn’t. You could list them, prioritize them, figure out how to
I’ve been at this blog for so long that even I’m forgetting what learning I’ve captured here. It takes conversations during the day to jog a memory into my head, then a night of diligent searching to find what I was looking for. Since I hate to take any journey on my own, I offer
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When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.” – Simon Sinek, Start With Why Driving change is about competing against yourself and pulling in those partners who want to help you make your vision a reality. That’s what makes it
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For those of you who love a great conversation with a good friend with a keen mind, here’s an excerpt from William James’ The Principles of Psychology (1904): When two minds of a high order, interested in kindred subjects, come together, their conversation is chiefly remarkable for the summariness of its allusions and the rapidity
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Back in December 2010, I titled a post How to Not Abuse Your First Responders. In it I rant about leaders who call, “Fire!” or “The sky is falling!” then have no idea what to do with all the loyal first responders that rush forward eager to put out the fire or prop up the
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From tomorrow on I shall be sad From tomorrow on — not today. Today I will be glad, and every day no matter how bitter it may be I shall say From tomorrow on I shall be sad not today. -a poem reportedly written by a young Jewish girl while in a concentration camp We
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I love it when someone says, “I have too many priorities.” Why? Because they’ve revealed themselves to be a person who struggles with decisions. Webster’s gives three definitions for “priority.” All three involve the person deciding how to separate tasks into an ordered list that then instructs the person where to apply their time, i.e.,
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