Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips
What was impossible at one point in the past, often is now possible. What is impossible today will probably possible in the future. Change the conversation by replacing “impossible” with a phrase.
What is impossible these days?

Curing the common cold
Finding politicians who are candid about their proposals
An efficient government
Any efficient group of people with [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips
Knowledge comes with age. Older colleagues don’t need to be taught some things that younger ones do. There are, however, times when you want older colleagues to attend events that are not necessary for them. Explaining the reasoning makes attendance easier.
I’m in my 50s. I know much more than people in their 20s. [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips
People attend meetings. People make decisions in meetings. Two days later, people rarely agree on what they agreed on in the meeting. This doesn’t have to be the norm.
I lived through one agonizing week a few years ago because notes were taken in a meeting, but they were not done visibly and were [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips
To provide a system for users, we need to know the users. How can we know the users without being a user and forgetting about the providers?
I once worked a couple of years in an American Embassy in Africa. A constant concern at the U.S. Department of State was that its employees would [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips
Situations change and people adapt to those changes. Has adapting to chance taken away your  ability to adapt?
Change is constant
Okay, that is neither original nor brilliant. It does, however, describe my experiences.
Groups of people adapt
Another observation that is neither original nor brilliant.
What many people fail to observe is how to have groups of [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips
On Internet coffee shops and my preferences for such.
I frequently visit places that sell coffee and have Internet WiFi service. On a regular weekday, I will usually visit two of these places. There are several personal and professional reasons for this habit, but that is not the subject of this post.
My preferences for [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips
Traveling - living in and out of motels - is different from living in a home. This differences points to lessons that can improve home life.
I recently spent five weeks on the road. Motel after motel, night after night. In the past, I have had jobs where I traveled two and sometimes three [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips
I voted on Tuesday using a paper ballot where I filled an oval with ink to register my vote. This removed one computer from the voting system. I think that was a good thing.
I voted on Tuesday. The voting place near my home in Northern Virginia used paper ballots. This felt a bit [...]

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by Dwayne Phillips
Organizations tend to highlight their differences. The differences set them apart in the marketplace. Concentrating on the differences also can dim thinking. Perhaps it is good enough to merely be good enough.
In my experience, organizations tend to highlight what makes them different from all other organizations. They concentrate on the differences. They talk [...]

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