Roombas are robotic vacuum cleaners. The roll around the floor vacuuming your room while you're away. They are successful because they keep moving after they encounter an obstacle. They If they didn't do this, they'd just suck. They are successful because they succeed. Most ladders have many rungs. We succeed from rung to rung to make to the top of the ladder. The word "Succeed" is derived from the latin, succedere: to go up or follow after. I usually think about … [Read more...]
This, I believe.
June 22, 2012 by
His wife said, "This is going to be hugely successful." "How do you know?" he asked. "With every other business there's been a hesitation. You'd always ask the question, "what do you think I should do? Now, you have no doubt." Confident = With Faith He believes. In his idea. In his team. In his capability. He's a convert. A true believer. It changes how you see, speak and hear. It changes how you're seen, heard and spoken to. Belief changes everything. True … [Read more...]
Is it about time?
June 21, 2012 by
I left the house this morning at 6:30am. 2 hours earlier than usual. I usually help with feeding, changing, playing with the girls. This morning, I had a 7 am meeting. I didn't even get to say good morning to the girls. And Jen had to manage the juggling act of caring and feeding on her own. At 6pm the phone rang. I answered. It didn't sound good. I heard Jen talking. Screaming babies drowned what she was saying. Neither girl would eat. Both were crying. Jen was … [Read more...]
Easy to please. Easier to displease.
June 14, 2012 by
My wife, Jen, was exasperated with me. I don't remember what the back and forth was about. There are too many times to choose from. "You're so hard to please!" she said. "No, I'm not. I'm easy to please ... I'm just easier to displease." This is not the best thing to think about myself. I give power to factors out my control. Then I feel a reduced sense of power and control in my life. This leaves me displeased. There are a lot words for this. I'll call it … [Read more...]
Who are you to decide?
June 13, 2012 by
"She's not interested," is what I thought to myself. I use my calendar for a to do list. If something doesn't get done, I just drag it to another day. I looked over calls I didn't make yesterday, dragging them to new time slots. I picked this idea up from Peter Bregman. I was setting up my calendar for the day. I didn't want to move this call to another day. I wanted to leave it behind. I made the decision for her. My stomach sank the moment the thought, "She's not … [Read more...]
Ask, Don’t Tell?
June 12, 2012 by
My friend's team was filled with some ridiculously smart people. They were smart with technology. They just weren't people smart. He was telling me about the challenges they had working together. I had lunch with another friend a couple of months ago. He told me how he had learned to make people be part of the plan. The people make the plan happen. They might be inconvenient to work with. But nothing happens with out them. The team with the smart people struggle mightily … [Read more...]
How much is pain worth?
June 11, 2012 by
He said, "You know how we have to protect the foundation. Sometime we have to be aggressive." I was talking to a friend I used to work with. He worked on a team that had an us vs. them mentality. It created issues sometimes. They didn't always ask the questions they needed answered when they're customers approached them with a project. Then their customer would surprise them with a last minute requirement ... one that might have been revealed with the questions that didn't get … [Read more...]
How to have your cake and eat it, too.
June 8, 2012 by
I watched the 4 year old boy try to get entire cake from mom. Like a good mother, she does not allow the 4 year old to have the whole cake. She offers a bite. He refuses it. He wants the entire thing. Think big. Push boundaries. Be bold. Be unreasonable about what you want and what you're willing to do get it. Start by taking a step. Take the first bite that's there for you. Then work to get the next one. You'll get your whole cake if you push hard enough. It will just take … [Read more...]
How are you making it easier?
June 7, 2012 by
I'm beating this horse this week. The girls stopped eating. We found out their bottles flow rating was too low. Babies won't work too hard to eat. They'd rather not eat ... then drive their parent crazy as the scream because they're hungry. We bought them new nipples. They make it much easier for the girls to eat. They started eating more than before and 3 times faster. It's easy to get caught up in make the tool or the process 'perfect.' If it makes people work too hard, they … [Read more...]
What why are you giving?
June 6, 2012 by
I learned recently that babies won't work too hard to eat. They'll stop eating if their nipple makes them work to get the milk. We learned this because our girls stopped eating a few weeks ago. We bought new nipples with higher flow. They ate faster than ever. Babies don't know that food is worth something. So they won't work too hard for it. Show your team why it's worth doing what you're asking to do. Give them a big why. Or they might just act like babies. … [Read more...]
