I used to think that if only I got the right job, at the right place, working for the right CEO, that all of a sudden, all of the “crazy organization” stuff — if you’ve worked for a large organization, you darn well know what I mean — would go away. Bzzt! Wrong answer. In […]
How To Fix Workplace Cruelty
Workplace cruelty is a central issue of our time. But it’s not for “the company” to fix, it’s for you and me to fix. We get outraged by factory production of puppies, as we should. Puppies are fellow creatures; they do not deserve the fear and pain of being mass-produced. Why, then, do we put […]
Our Work And Why We Do It: Top Posts
My top posts recently were all about our work, why we do it, and how we can do it better. I really appreciate all of the conversations on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter; they have helped me to write better, more relevant posts. Thank you! 1. Run A Sane Team At A Crazy Company: 8 Steps […]
“Soon” Never Comes: Open Source, And Life
“Temporary” doesn’t turn out that way. If you want something to be a certain way, do it from the beginning. “We’re discussing open sourcing the project code,” she said. “When?” I asked. “Oh, we’ll have to discuss that,” she said. “But soon. Soon.” What’s open source and what does it have to do with the […]
Why Nobody Should Collect Mobile Phones At Meetings
Again and again, I hear folks talk about the “cell phone basket” at meetings, where everybody drops their little piece of electronic addiction into a basket so that they can focus on the task at hand. Except, it’s ridiculous to blame technology for the core problem: meetings that aren’t engaging. What’s next, taking away people’s […]
How To Say “I Love You” At Work
Employees don’t stick around because of money. They stick around for love. The need for money is a given. It’s also at every job. That’s why it’s a job. But money is not why people stick around. All jobs have money. People stick around at a job because of connection and meaning. The human need […]
Surrounded By Yes? Get The Feedback You Need.
Leaders hear a lot of “yes.” How can you get the feedback you need? Yes is a lovely word. But you don’t always want to hear it. “Yes” can get in the way of “better.” Every boss finds him on herself surrounded by minions who are going to say “yes,” or “great idea.” But, who […]
Useless Gaming? Not Quite. Lessons From RedBull Battlegrounds.
I attended the Red Bull Battlegrounds with my son yesterday, and will be here in Atlanta throughout the weekend… watching people play Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft II competitively on the big stage. Yeah, a video game. This is e-sports, man, and it’s a thing, complete with wildly famous sportscasters, energy drink sponsors, and international attention. Confession: […]
Do Remarkable Work: Six Steps
Darren Rowse, “the nicest man on the Internet,” and founder of ProBlogger.com, addressed a group of web content producers and marketers today at the Copyblogger Authority 2014 conference. If you substitute “reader” for “customer”, what he said was applicable to anyone trying to do remarkable work, like you. Here’s a summary. “Every time I come […]
The Dis(Honesty) Feature Film Kickstarter
I enjoy Dan Ariely’s work, partially because he writes well, partially because he can be wickedly funny, and partially because his findings are based on ingenious psychology experiments. I was delighted to find that he and Yael Melamede of SALTY Features launched a Kickstarter to produce a film on the subject. I backed it several […]