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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
What’s your nature?
June 5, 2012 by
The girls stopped eating most of their bottles a few weeks ago. It was like they were on strike. We asked around and googled for insight. We learned something. We were using the wrong nipples. You can buy baby bottle nipples with different flow rates. You give higher flow rated nipples as the babies grow. Babies would rather not eat than work too hard to eat. They're not consciously choosing. They don't have that capability. It's just in their nature. They'll under … [Read more...]
What will you give?
June 1, 2012 by
Will you give yourself permission to be uncomfortable today? Will you give yourself permission to be more than who you were yesterday? Will you give yourself permission to dig a hole for you to get out of tomorrow? Will you give yourself permission to seek that spark of an idea? Will you give yourself permission put your ideas together? Will you give yourself permission to reveal your ideas to the world? Will you give yourself permission to ignore … [Read more...]
What do you want to leave behind?
May 29, 2012 by
Let's stick with the Lego theme. I've written about building ideas ... ideas are the Lego blocks. Putting the blocks together is the execution. Many of us get caught in the idea trap. Accumulating ideas like a hoarder accumulates newspapers, cats and Elvis plates. The ideas pile up until we're overwhelmed by them. They're everywhere! You can barely walk in your brain because there are so many ideas piled up and laying around. Most of my regrets are about what I haven't done. … [Read more...]
Are you getting caught in the idea trap?
May 25, 2012 by
I remember stepping on the Lego piece with my bare foot. I screamed, cursing. A cubic, sharp pebble cutting into my foot. It hurt! Yesterday, I talked about how building ideas is like playing with Legos. "The ideas are the blocks. Putting them together is the execution." If you're an "idea guy" (or gal), like me, you have a bunch of blocks. They're everywhere! You're tripping on them, stepping on them, staring at them. Are you putting them together? Are you addicted … [Read more...]
Are you playing with Legos or with Jenga?
May 24, 2012 by
Building ideas is like playing with Legos. It's not like playing Jenga. Your ideas are the blocks. Putting them together is the execution. The nice thing about Legos ... You can build one thing, take it apart and build something completely different. You have the flexibility to innovate and pivot. You can go back and then forward again. Put your ideas into action. If it's not right, take them apart and put them together differently. Building ideas is not about keeping … [Read more...]
