Work schism: too many leaders think at the macro level

Align vision and strategy

On Friday, which was my 34th birthday, I was trying to write a post called “Leadership Is Dead.” Admittedly it was a major click-bait headline in a lot of respects, and I was having trouble writing it. The trouble came… Continue Reading

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Headcount may be destroying business innovation

Headcount

My own journey to find a job, from about September 2013 until about June 2014, was a painful one. I wrote about it a bunch of times: here, here, and here are some examples. It was miserable, honestly, and often… Continue Reading

Start viewing work as a neighborhood

View work as a neighborhood

There are essentially four models for human social interaction, according to some: communal sharing, authority ranking, equality matching, and market pricing. That seems a little bit like academic speak, so let’s break it down into more manageable categories. In terms… Continue Reading

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The actual problem: No one really knows how long things take at work

How Long Do Things Take At Work?

I was thinking about this a little yesterday as I drove home (in sheeting rain), so I wanted to write something about it. It’s not very scientific or anything — it’s more anecdotal — but I still find it interesting.… Continue Reading

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We should talk about failure more openly at work

Failure

In my first year of graduate school, I tried to set up a series of events with business leaders from the Minneapolis area. The basic idea would be: at a bar, appetizers and drinks, a business leader speaks for five… Continue Reading

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Everyone needs to learn how to give presentations

Giving Presentations

Couple of stories before we get going on this post. 1. I went to graduate school (for business/organizational development) from 2012 to 2014. It was a little bit off-task, to be sure. In the first semester of the first year, we had… Continue Reading

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The worst f’n thing you can call yourself is a “marketing expert”

Marketing Experts Are The Worst

I had been thinking about this for a couple of days/weeks now, so I decided to write down some thoughts about it. Doesn’t it sometimes seem like everyone on Twitter and in the general content/blogging community is trying to upsell… Continue Reading

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The paradox of the brilliant jerk

Brilliant Jerks

Once, in probably about late 2010, I was referred to by a co-worker as a “brilliant jerk.” (The actual word may have been asshole.) Let’s break this down for a second: I’m not brilliant, so already we’re off to a bad start here from… Continue Reading