He was concerned with the direction a decision was leaning, Jon said on his voice mail. Could I meet him for lunch in the cafeteria before Friday\’s meeting to talk it through? As peer managers involved in policy implementation, our departments would be impacted by any direction taken. Friday\’s meeting was with the decision makers; […]
In the Black Hills of South Dakota, carved in granite, the six-story faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt create a grand impression viewed from a distant, or standing on the national monument\’s viewing terrace. Visiting Mount Rushmore on vacation, I found the documentary of its making fascinating. Weeks later, one […]
Poor Pluto. Stripped of its planetary status by the International Astronomical Union and reclassified as a “dwarf planet,” Pluto\’s demotion heralds new rules for planet classification. A week of debate by renowned astronomers from seventy-five countries culminated in the decision to reduce the number of planets to eight “classic” ones. This reclassification got me thinking. […]
It was clear she was having “one of those days.” But to be truthful, I didn\’t care. I was too nervous about my surgery to pay attention to Doris, the nurse grousing about how overworked she was that Thursday. But by the time I was wheeled back to my same-day surgical room, she was even […]
With mounting to-do lists, big projects with short delivery dates, consuming workloads, growing obligations and festering unfinished tasks, it\’s no wonder in this what-have-you-done-for-me-today world we often feel time deprived. Work-life flows to home-life, balance becomes imbalance, and goals and dreams get relegated to a closet shelf. If this sounds familiar, you\’re not alone. In […]
I once had a boss who informed me there was no such thing as company politics. At the time, I decided that depended on whether you were the person wielding power or influenced by it. In my career experience, I\’d categorize self-serving antics, sabotaging behaviors, information hoarding and artful manipulation under the heading of company […]
Ancora imparo, translated as “I am still learning” or “Still, I am learning,” is attributed to Michelangelo in his eighty-seventh year. The man who painted the Sistine Chapel and sculpted the Pieta and David, whose very name evokes mastery of his craft, exemplifies a lifelong learning philosophy. Contrast him with a fifty-two year old executive […]
American Idol judge, Simon Cowell, periodically remarks about the “it” factor when assessing contestants. It seems to be one of those nebulous, undefined and subjective attributes one either has or doesn\’t have. And it falls into the category of you-know-it-when-you-see-it. He\’s right. You do know it when you see it and that\’s true in the […]
Once there was a young woman who didn\’t like her job. Everyday when she came home from work, she told her husband how terrible her day had been, how tiring the work and how unreasonable her boss. “Leave that job,” her husband told her. “Oh I will” she said. “But not yet. I have too […]
Commitments. Commitments. Commitments. They fill our days, our heads and our lives. Most of us are in the commitment business. Of course, that\’s not what we call it. At work, we\’re making commitments to customers, suppliers, bosses, coworkers and staff. At home, we\’re making commitments to family, friends, neighbors, community and organizations. Not to mention […]
