The Pride and Joy of Pounding Sand
“The achievement of goal is important. But the real juice of life, whether it is sweet or bitter, is to be found not nearly so much in the products of our efforts as in the […]
Business
The Intrapreneur Within
“Imagine an organization with an employee who can accurately see the truth, understand the situation, and understand the potential outcomes of various decisions. And now imagine that this person is also able to make something […]
The Delayed ‘Me Too’
In a recent post, Culinary Conversations, I urged for everyone to make a sincere attempt at listening and asking questions during conversation rather than defaulting to talking and giving opinions. Now, in this post, […]
Want Trap Manure (Message to a Wantrepreneur)
I remember the time and place when I decided that I would someday be an entrepreneur. I was sitting alone in my college apartment, a senior at the University of Minnesota with a heart full […]
You Can’t Lead Through Email
Over the last few years, I’ve had various opportunities to lead. My employers, my church, and a few non-profit organizations, each bold and brave in their own way, have entrusted me with some form of […]
Thoughts on the Future of Information Technology: A Staffing Professional’s Perspective
At dinner parties and family get-togethers, I am often asked about my job in IT Staffing Services. My mom and dad and aunts and uncles mostly refer to me as a “Head Hunter,” never fully […]
“Because That’s How It’s Always Been Done”
Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.— James Belasco and Ralph Stayer Flight of the Buffalo 1994 […]
Giving Feedback Even When It’s Hard
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” –Martin Luther King Jr. Feed Them Remember, for a moment, a specific time when a colleague at work acted in a […]
Improve Your Writing by Killing Your Darlings
Many Americans credit Thomas Jefferson with the brilliant writing of the Declaration of Independence. What those people fail to mention, however, is that Jefferson’s first draft was a rough one and greatly in need of […]
Complaint City
A couple of weeks ago, a Monday to be specific, I had a bad day. A very bad day. Making a long story short, I lost one of my most prized possessions, a watch, somewhere between […]
Behavioral Osmosis
Yawns and accents are two things that are easily passed to others through behavioral osmosis. What else is passed on?
The Satellite Strategy
In my last post, Being in Two Places at Once, I discussed the almost supernatural ability that our devices give us, the ability to be co-located, to sit in one place while teleporting to another, […]
How to Be a More Interesting Person
Think of the most interesting person you know. Now, answer this question: why is this person interesting? Pause for a second to answer before you read on. This question is a tough one for me, not […]
The Best Books I Have Read So Far This Year
If you have spent even one hour with me then you have probably heard me talk about the book I that am currently reading at that time and how it applies to something in our […]
The Balance of Pleasure and Pain
“Happiness existed only as a contrast to unhappiness, and one could not exist without the other. Therefore, they balanced out: ‘Since pain naturally and infalliably produces a pleasure in proportion to it, every individual creature […]
The Internet of [Buying] Things
“What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention…” — Herbert Simon, Nobel Prize Winner and Economist Basic Economics of […]
Make it Take it
The only sport I was ever half-way decent at while growing up was basketball. My skill developed mostly by shooting hoops in the driveway with my older brother, Andrew, or playing at the local YMCA […]
When the Thrill is Gone
What do you do when the thrill is gone? When the honeymoon phase is over? When the new job is now mundane? When the task that once excited you is now obligatory? What do you […]
Don’t Think of an Elephant (A Way to Improve Your Speaking)
This post is about how the words we use shape our voice and dictate the results we achieve, or don’t achieve. I write this as an essay to myself, as I have for so many […]
Process Makes Perfect
A couple of months ago I was fortunate enough to see Jerry Seinfeld's comedy show in Minneapolis at the beautiful Orpheum Theater. If you haven't seen Jerry do stand-up live, I would urge you to […]
On Money and Spending
This is not a post on how to get rich. If I knew that, I wouldn’t tell you anyway, I would be too busy swimming in my coins like Scrooge McDuck. It is, however a post […]
The History and Future of Traffic
“The number of automobiles and trucks on American roads now exceeds the number of people living here.” Imagining Cities Without Highways Article There I was, coasting down the interstate and in full-song, singing loudly Adele’s “Rolling in […]
Stay Comfortable on a Long Flight
“Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.” — Francis Bacon Traveling on a plane can exhaust even the most energetic of people. Somewhere between […]
Humans Malfunction Too
Today at work I watched my coworker tap her computer mouse on her desk. “Hmm,” she said to herself, “it keeps freezing up.” How often does this type of unexpected malfunction happen with technology? Often! […]
Book Recommendation #3: Linchpin
“Stop settling for what’s good enough and start creating art that matters. Stop asking what’s in it for you and start giving gifts that change people. Then, and only then, will you achieve your potential.” […]
Have a Plan for Your Life… And Sometimes Even Stick to It
Looking Back and Looking Forward One year has come to an end and another has begun. As I summarize 2016 I can quite easily look back at this blog and see the thoughts, hobbies, and […]
Stop Saying the Word “Busy”
“Labour not as one who is wretched, nor yet as one who would be pitied or admired; but direct thy will to one thing only, to put thyself in motion and to check thyself, as […]
Leave it Better
We have all been in this scenario… You are exiting a public restroom with a crumpled paper towel in hand, rushing out the door to resume your busy life. As you toss the paper towel […]
8 Leadership Lessons from a Marine Officer and Business Leader
I was twenty-one years old and like most college kids, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. This concept infuriated me: the one that tells teenagers to pick a college major […]
Stop Wasting Your Life (Quadrant 2)
“I’m too busy to exercise.” “I don’t have enough money to save.” “I don’t have time to read.” “There’s never enough time in the day.” “I don’t have enough energy to go for a run.” […]
Get the Most Out of Your To Do List
If you have been around me enough, you know that I am a list maker. If a topic or agenda has more than two items, I will start a list. I do this partially because […]
Be Uncomfortable if You Want to Grow
I am comfortable in the uncomfortable. — Conor McGregor, Current UFC Featherweight Title Holder Many of the most rewarding moments in life are when we are either: A. Extremely comfortable B. Extremely uncomfortable Here are some […]
Fire in the Belly
In such a highly developed humanity as the present one, each man by nature has access to many talents. Each has inborn talent, but only a few have inherited and cultivated such a degree of […]
The Best Earbuds I Have Ever Owned: BOSE SoundSport
I am currently seated at the very noisy Chicago O’Hare Airport. The sounds around me are borderline overwhelming… A businessman at the gate yells about being bumped from his flight. The intercom blasts “last call […]
