Innate strategist with a passion for change, communication and alphabetizing my spices. Prosci and PMI certified.
I grew up in a small town. Zero need for buses, huge need for a personal car. And those who did need to take a bus from neighboring city to neighboring city—not exactly a life goal, in our small little minds. Fast forward a few decades, I am grateful for public transit. Why would you … Continue reading Flex Your Muscles
Dear AI,It's our fault—we showed you its beauty, after all. Our beloved em dash has been in print since the 15th Century. We felt its emotions in Dickinson's works. You are going to have to learn to share. We are not letting go.Signed,Em Dash Lovers Do I use AI as my assistant at work and … Continue reading Resistance Isn’t Futile
I love it when a good plan comes together. Heck, I love it when a mediocre plan sorta comes together. And a bad plan? Well, that's pretty much the story of my life. But I digress. As a planner, disaster response operations and organizational change management have been perfect careers for me. In fact, I … Continue reading What’s Your Plan?
I recently landed a big fish of a project in a small pond. A small business suddenly lost their sole source of institutional knowledge - passwords, processes, everything. So, being the only one in the boat, I grabbed the line and began dragging it in. Dragged resources for passwords. Dragged business processes into the cloud. … Continue reading Catch and Release Fishing
We all know the saying - to assume is to make an ass out of you and me. And try as we may to avoid it, we all take our turn as the donkey. And we'll all be the donkey again before we die. Many times. Se la vie. Mea culpa. So why do we … Continue reading Assume Everything
You know the story. The Scarecrow had a brain. The Lion had courage. The Tin Man had a heart. Dorothy had a home. Sure, they had to battle some witches and flying monkeys before they realized it, but hey, who hasn't? Classic tale of navigating life. My Wizard appeared in 2015 as a recruiter for … Continue reading No Place Like Home
Picture this: It's a hot summer day. You're on the beach and it's your turn to order ice cream. Finally. "Oh, yum, I'll have the butter pecan. Two scoops. Wait, no, the moose tracks. Single. In a waffle cone. Say, is that strawberry cheesecake? Yeah, that sounds better. Hold on—you have gelato?! Lemon, please!" There's … Continue reading Teaching Helplessness
An AAR is a great tool when used effectively. Used ineffectively, it becomes another blame game that corrodes morale and true collaboration.
Why do change efforts fail? Misalignment with vision? Lack of leadership? Poor planning? Weak WIIFM? (That's, What's in it for me?) Let's see...<opens textbook>...yep. All of the above. That's okay, you know the methodology. How to be an Influencer and Change Anything. How to overcome the Five Dysfunctions of a Team. So you create a … Continue reading Ready…Aim…Fire!
Where do we pick up our bad habits? Parents? Older siblings? Influential friends? Maybe, but I'll offer another—teachers. Yes, I said it—teachers. "Ok, class, your assignment is to write a 5,000-word essay." <collective groan> Well, esteemed teachers, it is my opinion, therefore, that you are, solely, though perhaps unjustly, insomuch as responsible for one of … Continue reading Breaking Bad (Habits)