I ran into a situation that I’m certain happens to so many remote workers. The other day, I was on my 10th straight work call of the day when my 6-year-old daughter, Esme, returned from camp. It was clear from the stomping around that she needed attention, but I had not scheduled any breaks to be with her. At some point, she came into my office and dropped this note “Play with me. Love, Esme” This note was the beginning…
There are many reasons why implementations go wrong, but they all kind of roll up into one central idea: Someone forgot about the end-users. It’s basically the same mistake that allowed every Rob Schneider movie to be made. An Exec greenlit the software purchase to streamline some work processes or get a better time to value. And the tool that was purchased can probably still do what it’s intended to do, but there’s one little problem. No one will use the…
For three years now, I have been participating in Movember. In case you don’t know, Movember – it’s an organization that co-opts the Month of November to promote awareness around Men’s Health issues. For three years, I shave my beard on October 31st and grow just the weakest mustache known to man. Like, seriously weak. There are pencil mustaches that have more man-points than my weak attempt of monthly growth. I support Movember because I come from a family of…
This is a post about nothing…and everything. And all else in between. This is a post about ‘Posturing’ and the gas that fills the air that makes it all possible. The oxygen that feeds it and the carbon molecules that it exudes. It’s a post about life and death and sasquatches. But to really get into the spirit – to dive deep and stay shallow – you need to watch this from Reggie Watts Here is one particular gem from…
Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father. Bruce Willis is dead pretty much the whole time. Dil is a trans-woman. If you haven’t seen any of the movies I’m referencing, then I probably ruined your day. But seriously, if you haven’t seen Star Wars, The Sixth Sense, or The Crying Game yet – that’s on you. That’s totally on you. If you think you know what’s going to happen in the next six months – good luck with that. There are…
I gave a talk about creating a work community last year that started with thirty seconds of me playing “Rooster” by Alice in Chains. If you don’t know Alice in Chains – first, you should. And second, they were a band that was popular during the 90s and were contemporaries of the likes of Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Based out of Seattle, as well, they played (and continue to play) in some of the largest venues. Third and last point…
As president and CEO of this little corner of the internet, it’s essential to acknowledge the world that we are sharing right now. The goal of Tech vs. Humans is to create and build and ideate and to do that in a world we would all want to live in. But we can’t do that unless we stop and face the ugliness woven into the fabric of our daily lives. Given the recent death of George Floyd at the hands…
I originally wrote this post in the midst of Covid lay-offs throughout North America. It still very much applies. The New Yorker recently published this cartoon and I find it to be perfectly appropriate with our BCP (Business Continuity Planning) and COVID-19 Business Response situation. It’s not the time to sit on the sidelines and let your team do the heavy lifting (You may not have a team that values ‘idea firemen’ after this). It’s not the time to delineate…
In my time in software, I’ve learned a few inevitable truths related to the dynamics of the groups within a Software Organization. I’m certain that many would dispute some of these – so I’d love to hear your thoughts, additions, and amendments. Sales sell more than what the software can do Professional Services thinks the Product team has no idea how the Customer uses the product Product and Sales will always believe that PS should be able to deliver in…
I broke my ankle three weeks ago. And of course, it happened at the worst time for me. Two days before I was to speak at my annual Company conference. One week before another scheduled surgery. And, worst of all, at the beginning of summer. As I was stuck on the couch staring longingly out the window. I learned some things. I learned: To Slow down – I think we forget how to slow down when we feel that speed…