“What we need is — we need more meetings,” Said no one. Ever. Meetings are often seen as a “necessary evil.” A productive meeting can create and reinforce connections, inertia, and actionable next steps. However, most meetings seem to be more “evil” than “necessary.” In a post-COVID world, meetings are increasing, but the quality and necessity need a massive reset. Do we have a problem? Note: The above graphic is harsh. For many, this is their first time working from…
I’m in no way shape or form a futurist. I will also admit that I’m not entirely sure what that means. Can I predict the future? Can I read minds? No, I can not — but I can and will be able to share my predictions for the remainder of 2020. What do I think digital work is going to be and feel like after a cure for COVID is found; after the unemployment rates decrease; after the racial work…
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…
NPR recently published a story about Hotel Corona. Hotel Corona, previously known as the Dan Hotel, in Jerusalem, became a hotel for people recovering from the Coronavirus. Over 200 people from all walks of life, ages, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds were forced to live together during their recoveries. Two negative tests for COVID-19 was the only way out. If you have 35 minutes, it’s well worth your time to listen. But, to summarize, these individuals started as you would have…
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 and box in your role (You may not have a role after all of this). It is time to…
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is real. It may not be the plague, but it’s for real. South by Southwest (SXSW) did not cancel its conference attended by 300,000 people from around the world because of fiction. Italy did not quarantine 16 million people because of some fake news stories. Coronavirus as a pandemic may be overblown, but it’s real. I can’t believe I had to say the above but we live in a post-fact world where truth can be hard to decipher….
I know I’m not alone. I feel the comfort of knowing that I’m not alone, but what are we doing about it? There is so much information, so many requests, so many “Quick Questions” coming my way. It’s out of control. There seem to be no rules. But it seems that so many people agree that meetings are bad, email is a horrible way of working, and slack is like that super annoying guy peering over the cubicle wall every…
Iowa. For many in the US, just saying the name of that state causes a visceral reaction. On February 3rd, 2020, Iowa held the Democratic caucus. This was to be the day where the Democratic party would begin the takedown of the Republican Presidential Incumbent, Donald Trump. Instead, it was the Democratic party’s takedown of the Democratic party. I may be jumping to conclusions and exaggerating a fraction here. But for the first time in many years, the candidates left…
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…
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. – Peter Drucker If this is the case, why is Change Management, an effort to address the Cultural underpinnings of Change Initiatives, often seen as wasteful? We think about the technology, battle over price and then completely ignore that the technology being introduced is the “strategy” part of Drucker’s statement. What about the culture? Perhaps one of the reasons we have to re-learn this lesson is because we constantly forget. Remembering the last implementation that…