Sand Box Learning
My first grade teacher taught me that I can't just demand to have my way, I had to compromise with others. I soon had that beaten into me, and learned the arts of compromise and influence by the third grade. It
The Phone Went Dead, Call the Cops
I once had a coaching client who took every bump and jostle in life as a personal insult. He took offense at a client of his who was chewing on ice from his drink, and told him it was irritating.
A Post on Posts
Someone was reviewing my textual, audio, video, and electronic output. He was astonished. "You post on your blog every day," he asked, incredulous. "Yeah," I confirmed, "and I have two blogs, a public one and a private one for my community members." He was
Uh, oh…
Business is usually in a huge reactive mode, which is why there is so little innovation in most places. For example, how many major businesses do you suspect right now are doing a hasty forensic audit of their top executives'
Airports
My wife is gambling in the casino, sitting near a man and making casual conversation. He asks about the New England Patriots and Tom Brady, whom my wife loathes. "Well," says the guy, "they did name an airport after him." "What? Where?"
Where Did I Put My Keyboard?
According to a study by Professor Joseph Ferrari (seriously) at DePaul University, cited in Current Psychology, clutter is tied to procrastination. People who create disorderly living spaces are more likely to procrastinate. About 20% of people are "chronic procrastinators."
Postal Intelligence
I'm in the pool yesterday, when Bentley races to the gate and begins barking as if we're being invaded by jackals. I get out, barely dry off and rush over: There's a postal truck, and a woman mail carrier emerges
Modern Contrarianism
One of my original "brands" was as "the contrarian." For example, at the height of the quality movement, I preached that quality could be taken to a dysfunctional extreme, actually costing more money than necessary. I remember at one point
Circumlocutions
Why do people insist on going around the block to get next door? In a restaurant, "Are you still working on that?" (or "Still enjoying that?") when my dish is obviously empty is more than silly. "May I clear?" seems appropriate.
Sweepers
I increasingly deal with people who just want to get the problem off their desk and onto someone else's. They don't want to be bothered with work, and customers just get in the way of trying to be totally unproductive.