Use Concrete Language

Oct 14, 14 8:15 AM

Did you know that concrete floats? Maybe you did, which if so, then you may already know where I’m headed with this. But, I didn’t, at least not until I was halfway through university. My brother, who is a civil engineer, was in the American Society of Civil Engineers Concrete Canoe Competition, and yes, they did build a canoe, and yes, it was made of concrete, and yes–

It did float.

But what does that have to do with us, specifically, what does concrete floating have to do with using concrete language? And, to make sure we’re covering all bases, what do I mean by concrete language? 

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Storm chasing

Sep 8, 14 8:00 AM

“Do meaningful work.” “Live a good life.” “Don’t be evil.” Most of us are familiar with those phrases, they’re popular, catchy, and short. And, at first glance, they could even seem a little too pithy, a little…surface.

They are not, not at all, and while I have no intention of dissecting them or “minutely mining” them for depth, I do want to talk about the bigger picture. And by bigger picture, while it is about work, it is not about strategy or the playing field, et al. I mean bigger than that.

Real big. 

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Due diligence – what’s that all about?

Sep 3, 14 8:00 AM

Believe it or not, if you’re a mid-career change professional, especially if you’re at either a large firm or at a small firm with a lot of cash and an appetite for “acquisitions” and “partnerships”, you will be pulled into the due diligence process, with or without your knowledge. It’s always better when you explicitly know that you are being asked to gather information and provide insights, all under the ‘cloak of darkness’, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes you have been asked and you have answered and not even known you’ve done so. Therefore, let’s try to find ways to avoid that. 

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PM Tools: Managing the Golden Triangle

Aug 28, 14 8:00 AM

If you’re involved in managing projects or even just working on project team, you will almost certainly come across the statement (or overhear mention of) “the triangle.” I think every profession has fundamental or foundational elements which both the understanding and usage of define your ability to be successful at it.

The triangle, or as I like to think of it as, the Golden Triangle is one of those fundamental things about project management. And what is the Golden Triangle (capitals are necessary)? Time. Cost. Scope. 

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Consultant, Contractor, Temp – All the Same, Right? – Part II

Aug 26, 14 8:00 AM

In the last posting we got into the nitty-gritty about what made a consultant a consultant. Today, we’re going to talk about their often confused counterparts: the contractor and temps, but also about why this matters and how it all fits together.

If you look at the previous posting, I listed three specific things which helped you determine whether or not you had a management consultant on your hand or something else. Lists and bullets are nice, but you know what’s better? Tables and grids! 

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Consultant, Contractor, Temp – All the Same, Right? – Part I

Aug 19, 14 7:30 AM

Someone once told me that I’m a person obsessed with definitions and it’s true: I am. I think defining what is, or isn’t, is always the first step. Even if a definition is unclear or incomplete, it’s a starting point. Why? Because if you don’t know what you’re working with, in some shape, form, or fashion, how are going to even divine what to do with it or what to do next?

Today, I specifically want to talk about definitions as it comes to three resource types: consultant, contractor, and temp.

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Practicing Thought Leadership

Aug 13, 14 8:00 AM

Therapists will often make a distinction between the statements “you are a bad person” and “you are a person who did a bad thing.” That dovetails very nicely with this article up on Brainpickings called “Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives” [Definite recommend!]

I think similarly when it comes to “being a thought leader” versus “practicing thought leadership”. One is a point in time and it doesn’t allow room for ‘freshman stances’, i.e., being a novice. The other is an active thing, akin to another tool to keep in your workshop; it’s a skill that can be taught, can be mastered, and will always have room for growth. It’s something anyone can do given time, some effort, and a bit of attention. 

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A Company of One

Aug 8, 14 8:00 AM

Do you remember that ‘slightly’ ill-advised recruitment campaign by the United States Army, called “Army of One”? It became an easy thing to spoof, to make mockery of this idea that a single person can do everything, but you must admit that it had a good ring to it.

Which is why I’m cribbing the spin and calling this posting: A Company of One. By that, I mean that every person, no matter their ‘external status’ (i.e. employee, consultant, contractor, temp, et al.) has what I call an ‘internal status’ of being an employee to their own company.

But, let me explain myself a better by telling you were it started: with a brief conversation. 

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Game Theory: Rubik’s Cube

Aug 6, 14 7:00 AM

At a previous job I used to keep a Rubik’s Cube on my desk and whenever I got on a long (read: probably deeply boring) conference call, I would jumble and solve that puzzle again and again. It became something akin to bouncing a ball off the wall – and I think I annoyed some of my coworkers because they could hear the click-click-whirring constantly.

I had a lot of calls.

Similar to Minesweeper and Civilization, while playing for the sake of playing, there are other things that can be gotten out of it. Sometimes a toy is not just a toy.

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Are you communicating or just making noise?

Jul 23, 14 8:00 AM

How many work e-mails a day do you get on average? 10? 50? Maybe 100 or more?

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