Kevin Meyer included my blog in his 2011 review as part of the Curious Cat Annual Management Improvement Blog Carnival. Stop by the Evolving Excellence blog and check it out, along with reviews of blogs by Jame Flinchbaugh, Matthew May, and Dan Markowitz' Timeback.
Mark Zuckerberg was in Boston on Monday, looking to recruit MIT and Harvard students for gainful employment with Facebook. Zuck's appearance prompted commentator Jon Keller to consider the Facebook founder "foolish" and "callow." What Generation Y and the millenials seem to "get" intuitively, and what anyone from the upper reaches of Gen X and beyond seem to struggle with, is that work is not just supposed to be something that allows you to do fulfilling, enjoyable things with your life. Rather, work can and should be something that provides that enjoyment all the time, and that living is...
If you’ve ever been misjudged, underestimated, turned down, told you couldn’t do something or just plain been wronged by someone, you know that you’re first fantasy is to imagine yourself coming back and showing that person just what they were missing. While this song from Toby Keith is about a romance that never was, I’ll focus on a few lines from the lyrics and re-purpose them to any situation where proving yourself to a doubter just plain kicks ass: How do you like me now? How do you like me now, Now that I’m on my way? Do you still...
I’m a new soul I came to this strange world Hoping I could learn a bit ’bout how to give and take But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear Finding myself making every possible mistake I’m certain that we can all relate to the sentiments expressed in those lines. At least, I hope we can. If you’ve ever willingly, or unwillingly, walked into a new situation, there’s no doubt that you’ve felt like the biggest idiot in the world. Perhaps a new job, a new town, a new position, a new relationship, first-time parent, or...
So, you’ve noticed some changes around here…..a new layout, and a lot of guest posts. All great things, right? The guest posts have been AWESOME! Thanks so much to all the contributors. I am excited to see the response, as well as the varying perspectives. To date, most of the guest posts have focused on business-related topics (the “Work Stuff”). I am happy to have guest authors in all walks of life, and am eager to see more authors discussing “Life Stuff.” If you have something you’d like to contribute there, or know someone who would, feel free to...
If you grew up in the 1980′s, or if you just like watching reruns on basic cable, you’ve probably seen the 1989 Patrick Swayze film, Roadhouse, about 3 or 4 thousand times. In this scene, Swayze’s character, Dalton, is introduced as the new “Cooler” of the Roadhouse: Ignoring the big hair for a moment, let’s look at the situation a little differently. First off, what we are witnessing is an exercise in culture change. Going from a blood & guts roadhouse to a decent night club is going to require a different mindset among the staff. The way...
So, it’s the busy summer season and many of us will spend at least one day in the regional theme park(s) for fun-filled day of rides, games, snacks and family fun. Then again, maybe not. When we go to amusement parks, what is it that we want? Well, some of the snacks are fun and those midway games are a bit of fun, too – but for most people the #1 reason to e at the park is to enjoy the rides. To enjoy the rides, they need to be safe and the park needs to be clean. So, that’s...
Thanks to Time Magazine’s Megan Gibson (@MeganGibson) I stumbled across this video of Matt Damon explaining to a reporter just how intrinsic motivation works: Atta boy, Matt. I will now watch the Bourne and Ocean’s 11 reruns on TNT without feeling guilty. I’m going to sidestep the education debate on this one, partly because I’m biased (regualr readers already know that my wife is a teacher) and partly because it’s not the point I want to make. The point is that passionate people, in any profession, do what they do because the want to. Even people who fell into...
For Father’s Day, we took the boys (ages 6 and almost 2!) to see the Cole Bros. Circus. The show was amazing, and really served to highlight one of the many things I’ve come to appreciate since moving to New Hampshire from Washington, just about 9 years ago. Up here in the Granite State, most things are semi-rural, even in the shadows of Manchester, the state’s largest city. We get to experience nearly zero traffic, lots of green trees, large lots and low taxes. Things are busy enough that we have nearly all the major chains available, including a Home...
So, we’re in the next phase of life now – my son is learning the game of baseball via his first-ever T-ball team. The league has many of the usual ups and downs – teams that are somehow concocted of the most athletic 5 and 6 year-olds you’ll ever see, driven coaches with crisp, sharp drills…….and the rest of us. A bunch of Dads trying to help out volunteer coaches teach kids they hardly know how to be part of a team. There’s the short stop who can barely make the throw to 2nd base, much less to first....
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