Small Talk
I'm waiting in a dentist's office and two other patients, who are both in the construction business, are talking about customers of theirs whom I happen to know, and the comments weren't very positive. I've heard people on trains screaming
Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo® – 12/16/2019
The managers of the restaurant where we are the best customers secretly loaded (so others wouldn't see and expect it) a huge gift basket of Italian goodies into the trunk of my car parked out front last night. A non-profit director
Typo
Let me be very clear about this: When someone unsolicitedly points out a typo in your work (especially a published book, but even a column or an article) without also commenting on the content of the work, it's merely passive/aggressive
Want to Play A Little Game?
It's absolutely depressing to listen to people who bemoan what they can't do any more. They were athletes in school, but can run as fast and jump as high now. Their kids were home and being raised, and now they're
The Holiday Spirit
Generosity and charity can be two different things. Charity consists of "giving" something tangible, usually money. It's often writing a check, which is easy for many of us. Of course, "charity" can also be kindness and tolerance toward others, but
Yeah, Well, Try Doing It Better
Here's the deal: If someone tells me they need help, and I give them advice that I know works and will work for them, and they are still unsuccessful and tell me, "I'm already doing what you told me to do
Is Your Eye on the Ball?
I feel obligated to state this is not a partisan political post. I'm making an observation as a consultant. I've always told my clients that their assets include potentially 100% of their people's talents and energies while on the job. There
Sorry, You Used the Wrong Color Pen and You Must Print
Bureaucracy is the triumph of means over ends. It is not a natural life form, we create it. I've seen huge, non-bureaucratic organizations, and one-person practices which are highly bureaucratic. It's a choice, and it's based on confidence in judgment,
Episode 114: Vietnam
Being a description of a place I once tried to avoid and have no need to return to. We tend to lose proportion without experiencing other ways of life.