Reading Time: 1 minPowerPoint (and Keynote and Google Slides) can be a powerful tool, but it’s very often misused. Beyond just presentations, I’ve seen it used to design layouts and even create logos. However, it can be even worse when people use it to avoid having to really think through an issue. In the book “Working Backwards” about […]
Leadership
It’s not a game show
Reading Time: 2 minThe need to have instant answers, particularly in a business setting, is a strange thing. While companies need to move forward, taking a few minutes to find the right solution shouldn’t be a problem. I see similar with political candidates. While I expect them to be well-informed on various aspects of their role, if they […]
Metcalfe’s Law for staff?
Reading Time: < 1 minMetcalfe’s Law, coined by Robert Metcalfe in 1980, says that: “the financial value or influence of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system: In other words, as you add more people to a network (like a phone system or Facebook), the value of that network […]
I haven’t heard anybody complain
Reading Time: < 1 minHearing complaints from your customers can be a good thing. While we ideally don’t want to hear any because we’re doing a great job, complaints can be a great way to improve your systems for the next person. However, a lack of complaints doesn’t mean you’re doing things perfectly — you may just be not […]
2D versus 3D content in meetings
Reading Time: 2 minOne eye-opening insight from Juliet Funt’s book “A Minute to Think” was her concept of 2D versus 3D content when it comes to communication. More specifically, she shared the problems that arise when we mix the two up and use the wrong form of communication for the type of content that we need to share […]
Blameless Postmortems
Reading Time: < 1 minThe idea of a “postmortem” is something we try to do after every major project. We look back at how things went, be glad about what went well, and work on things to improve for the next one. The key to a solid postmortem, and to leading a solid team, is to focus on the […]
You couldn’t tell who the bosses were
Reading Time: < 1 minTom Murphy is one of those guys that not enough people know about it. He ran Capital Cities Communications (which you also likely haven’t heard of) for years back in the 1960’s until it eventually acquired the ABC network in 1985, which was later purchased by Disney in 1986. His story is fascinating, and a […]
Stewardship, not ownership
Reading Time: < 1 minKevin Paul Scott has a fantastic description of the idea of “stewardship” versus that of “ownership”. In his book “Return on Inspiration“, he says: “Stewards take care of things for other people; owners look out for their own interests. When we look at companies through this lens, we see that some owners act more like […]
Train people well enough so they can leave
Reading Time: < 1 minThere’s a maxim I’ve heard a few times over the years that goes something like: “You should invest in your team to make them the best that they can be. This may mean that some leave for better opportunities, but that beats the opposite of just not investing in them at all.“ This came to […]
The “Maker’s Schedule” vs the “Manager’s Schedule”
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen I was reading Josh Kaufman’s “The Personal MBA“, he shared this interesting viewpoint about our calendars from Paul Graham. He said: Paul Graham, a venture capitalist, programmer, and essayist, calls this batching strategy “Maker’s Schedule/Manager’s Schedule.” If you’re trying to create something, the worst thing you can possibly do is to try to fit […]