Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo® – 7/11/16
Long ago, I discovered to my shock that clients were stunned by common sense. No intricate models, no "needs analyses," no six-month projects. ("A consultant is someone who arrives to study a problem and then stays to become part of
Alanisms
Too many people regret yesterday and worry about tomorrow rather than enjoy today.
What We Have Here Is A Failure To Communicate
I had a problem with my Pitney Bowes postage meter at one point, and the repair guy said, "Yeah, this was tooled wrong. It's nothing your doing or even this machine, the part was made wrong." "No one realized?" "Oh, we told
Structuring A Successful Hour Meeting (With An Economic Buyer)
First 10-15 minutes: Pleasantries, build a relationship, determine other person's style, create credibility and trust. Offer some value. Typical question: "What prompted you to see me?" Second 10-15 minutes: Discuss issues of importance which may lend themselves to a project. Provide
Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo® – 7/4/16
Independence Day marks the day (roughly, it was actually July 2) that the Continental Congress declared the thirteen colonies legally separate from Great Britain. It was the vote, not the actuality (independence was formally obtained by the Treaty of Paris
The Hole in the Door
I returned from a trip many years ago, and found a gaping hole in the bedroom door, about two feet from the floor. "What happened here?!" I asked my wife. "Oh, Buck ran into the door." Buck was our 56-pound Siberian
Lawn Maintenance
They dug about 50-yard trench on our property to replace ancient wiring leading to the pool and cabana. When they covered it, they seeded to hide the bare scar. From a distance, everything looks green. But when you get close you
Dumb Ass Stupid Management: UPS, Amazon, Chase
Here are three examples of arrant stupidity: UPS I'm informed someone has hacked my account and I should change my password. But when I go to do so, UPS has already invalidated my current password. When I input my user ID to
Journaling
Many people get a much better handle on their time use and productivity by journaling where they've spent their time over the prior week or more. Here's another view, which I developed for my Productivity Retreat: Journal your next two weeks. Then