2

What if work had mandatory “Stop And Think” periods?

Take Breaks At Work

I went to Horace Mann for high school, which is in the Bronx. It’s definitely a pretty elitist place, and also considered one of the better private schools in America by some. My junior year, they initiated this thing called “J-Period.”… Continue Reading

2

The approach to meetings needs to change

Meetings Are Stupid

Alright, let’s start off with a couple of basics. Hopefully most people understand that: Meetings aren’t work; they’re a way of talking about work. Meetings are a gigantic time suck. Often the wrong people come to the meetings, the right people don’t,… Continue Reading

7

‘Out-of-office’ is the most bullshit thing in history

Out Of Office

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure/benefit of going to Belgium for work — and when I came back, I had the pleasure/benefit (in a much different way) of meeting a Medtronic sales guy at a bar in… Continue Reading

Outlook should just cut e-mails off at five lines

Cut Off E-Mail At 5 Lines

We know, from some form of research, that human attention span has decreased over time — and we know that the average time someone reads an e-mail is about 30 seconds before they kind of lose the task/focus associated with it. 30… Continue Reading

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

4

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

2

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