Today, I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind for a while. In the mid-1100s, the French Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux first coined the saying, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Well, let me tell you, that saying has rung true in my life more times than I care to admit. But enough about …
The Metaverse Hey there! Have you heard of the term “metaverse”? It’s a hot topic in the tech industry right now, and just like how people were confused about the internet back in the late 70s and early 80s, there’s a lot of confusion about what the metaverse actually is. Some people think the “metaverse” is just a fancy internet …
Think About It: A colleague asked that question in a recent meeting of about 18 business coaches. I wasn’t satisfied with the usual answers I would give to this question. So I started down the rabbit hole of “what is joy”? That was, of course, followed by rethinking a whole new category of personal experiences. What is Joy? Merriam-Webster defines …
Digital Transformation: In the late 70s and early 80s, we had lots of discussions about what the heck the internet was. My colleagues and I were all electronics engineers or software programmers, so we knew about the technology, but what was the real meaning of and use of the internet? What did it mean to society in general? There was …
The Challenge: Well, aging is not for the faint of heart. About a year ago, I started noticing getting a lot of double letter strikes on my keyboard while typing. I do a great deal of typing, so this problem is not acceptable. So I spent time figuring out how to “de-bounce” the keys. Nothing seemed to work. I decided …
Curiosity: One of the attributes of strong leaders is curiosity. But curiosity takes much work. And brain work takes energy—science tells us that the human brain consumes about 20% of our total body energy budget. That’s why another common trait for solid leaders is keeping themselves in good physical condition. They pay attention to their mental and physical health through …
This Is Just a Test: In a panel conversation this week, one of the panelists noted that a lot of companies, who thought they have solid emergency plans, discovered that they did not. That’s the bad news. Of course, the good news is that for many, the pandemic is a reasonably straightforward way to test our systems without real structural …
Good News and Bad News: Recently, I again heard the oft-told story about the Chinese farmer who suffered several setbacks. Each time an adverse event happened, the neighbors complained about how bad the situation was. Each time, the farmer said, “Perhaps. We must wait and see.” I know the story as “The Farmer’s Horse Ran Away.” The link will take …
History: I’m not big on history, usually. However, for reasons I do not now remember, I found myself reading two books about the history around the founding of our country, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution. I started reading before all the present political drama. And I’m glad that happened since it gave me a way to put context …
Surprised: Often, when I’m asked, I might suggest that a decision made by the team was a “reasonable compromise.” I made a similar statement recently but found myself modifying it to be “unfortunately, we reached a compromise.” I was surprised by what I said. It just slipped out that way. The person asking the question nodded her head and moved …