The trouble with email is that it is flat. Important and unimportant emails alike are marked in the same binary way (read or unread), occupy the same rectangular screen space, and are usually sorted together in a chronological jumble. Of course, assiduous tagging of spam, the occasional admonishment of a chronic CCer, and prudent folder … Continue reading Figure and Ground and Focus
Author: Steven A Nichols
The 2 by 2 Quadrant
As exposure to consultant jargon increases and the distance to the nearest whiteboard decreases, the probability of someone drawing a 2 by 2 quadrant chart (Gartner style) approaches 1.
Fixed / Growth Mindsets and beer
People enjoy unhappiness. It’s interesting. That’s why even comedies are about problems that need to be resolved. So when coworkers get together outside of work, they complain. Focusing on mutual frustrations is more interesting than going on about successes. Everyone needs to blow off steam. The candor that is possible outside of work is useful. … Continue reading Fixed / Growth Mindsets and beer
Hard Soft Goals
Some goals should be SMART. (Google it) Success should be obvious and measurable, black and white. Long term goals are different. They should be Hard/Soft. The hard part is broad- I want to build and sell a company for over ten million dollars by January of 2027. The execution is soft. Is it a software … Continue reading Hard Soft Goals
I just want to do my job
"I just want to do my job," is phrase used to withdraw from the team and disengage from the context that makes "your job" meaningful.
