Original Thinking

Are You a Process Change Agent?

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:07:47 GMT

If you were a change agent, and brought change to your environment/workplace, how would you do it? What would you change? Where would you start?

Change Agent of Product - Part 1 of 4

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 02:40:32 GMT

Not all change agents are alike. They bring different kinds of change in different ways. It's important because if you think of yourself as a change agent, you shouldn't be trying to force yourself into a particular mold. Rather look at the skills you have already and find a way to use them to drive the kind of change you want to see. This begins with product innovation as a foundational part of change.

YouTube Shows Dancing in Crowds is Better than Dancing Alone

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:40:02 GMT

But do you leverage this innate human power in what you do?

3 Steps to getting started with your strategy

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:01:34 GMT

Doing strategy work always sounds easy and glamorous. It's not. In fact, it can be very difficult to do. Let me back up a bit... it can be very difficult to do if you have to do it from a position that is broader than the vi...

The unnatural side of creating a management team

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:36:15 GMT

Yesterday I talked about how just because you're a manager and you are on a management team, it doesn't really mean much. In my experience I've seen a lot of management teams that really weren't teams. And consequently, they don't really ...

Teamwork is more than a Warm Fuzzy feeling

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:40:27 GMT

Twice in my career I've been a part of management or leadership teams that haven't really worked together as teams. Don't get me wrong, both teams were loaded with talented and smart people. In both cases the team was committed to the s...

I didn't want to be a Project Manager but...

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:49:34 GMT

... that seems to be the way it is turning out. Last year I made a career move. I left a very large Fortune 100 company to move to a very small company. And along the way I improved my job title from "Director of Customer &am...

4 Vacation Guidelines for Work Adrenaline Junkies

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 02:35:17 GMT

I'm a deadline driven kind of guy. I love the rush of adrenaline that comes when a project comes down to the wire. It's how I deliver most of my personal (and professional) projects. Commit to a deadline and then work like mad to me...

Getting Business Buy-in on your Technology Project

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:24:03 GMT

Building consensus around a technology is a tricky business. It's much more difficult than it might seem on the surface. Despite the apparent simplicity of communicating a vision, this process can fall a foul of many issues. I ran into t...

2 different types of Organizations that impact performance

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:31:42 GMT

Today I had a flash of insight. There are 2 types of organizations. Which type you are says a lot about what you can expect in terms of output and execution. One is certainly easier and more pleasant to live with. One really g...

The Value of Expertise

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:16:07 GMT

Over the weekend I decided to undertake a home improvement. I would say a "small improvement" but for the way it ultimately played out. (That's a hint that you're about to get a lesson at my expense.) The task was to move a the...

Can Training help your Career?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:02:12 GMT

If you find yourself in a pinch in your career, you might end up looking for things to do to improve your situation. One of those actions may be to sign up for a training class or two. But, you might ask yourself, does that really h...

How to accept career criticism with poor grace

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:07:18 GMT

Episode 3 in the story about Pat's Career Journey. Episode 2 found Pat wrestling with the consequences of being assigned to attend "career training" to improve his performance. The journey continues... The park across the stree...

Dealing with Career Generated Grief

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:12:30 GMT

Face it, bumps along the career cycle can be really stressful. If I am accustomed to good reviews and breezing through my evaluations and suddenly I get word that I am not well. It's a real shock! I think the first taste of "fa...

Responding to a threatened career

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:14:36 GMT

Episode 2 in the story about Pat's Career Journey. Episode 1 saw Pat confronted with the realty that his performance was suffering to the point that management had to step in. The journey continues... My bad day had taken a turn for the ...