by Dwayne Phillips Competence evaporates when we are upset. There are some things we can do to work our way back to competence, but they are not easy. I recently watched a group of otherwise competent people behave in a most incompetent manner. They had an excellent excuse as they were under great emotional stress. […]
Watching Competence Evaporate
August 4th, 2014 · No Comments
Tags: Breathe · Competence · Health · Judgment
The Veto in Restuarants and Government Offices
November 11th, 2013 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips A veto is where one person can say NO, and that over rules a multitude of YESs. Look around and notice the prevalence of the veto. I was in a fast food restaurant early on a recent Saturday morning (old people like me tend to do those things). Three teens were sitting […]
Tags: Government · Judgment · Management · People
The Driver’s License and Alcohol
March 4th, 2013 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips It seems odd that to purchase alcohol a person must show they have a license to operate a motor vehicle. There are things in society that seem odd to me. One is the relationship we have established between obtaining alcohol and having a license to operate a motor vehicle. If you want […]
Tags: Culture · General Systems Thinking · Health · Judgment · Logic
The Flip-A-Coin Technique
March 5th, 2012 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Binary decisions – choose either A or B, nothing else – can be difficult. Tossing a coin, but not looking at it, is a useful technique. I learned this technique a few years ago at a conference. You are confronted with a decision with two choices: A or B. You are uncertain […]
Tags: Design · Judgment · Play
Reality Applies to Us, Too
October 27th, 2011 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips As much as we might wish otherwise, reality applies to us, too. I was recently speaking with a group of people age 13 to 60. My question was: How far back can you remember? The near-unanimous answer was, “age three.” Some people could vaguely remember some things that happened when they were […]
Tags: Culture · Judgment · Logic · Magic
Odd (but Frequent) Decision
October 17th, 2011 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips In government acquisition, the government employees make the decisions about projects. They often have to decide whether to continue or cancel a troubled project. The decision they often render is odd. I worked in government acquisition circles for over 25 years. One of the principle tenets of that field is: Contractor employees […]
Tags: Judgment · Management · People
The Most Difficult Thing to Say – “no”
March 24th, 2011 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips It seems that the most difficult thing for a decision maker to say is “no.” Here are a few stories of efforts that were wasted because when given the opportunity, people could not bring themselves to say “no.” There is something difficult about saying “no.” I don’t quite understand it. Perhaps my […]
Tags: Communication · Excuses · Judgment · Management
Failure to Maintain Control of Your Vehicle
March 14th, 2011 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips. There are a lot of standards today guiding our behavior. There seem to be a lot of people today who ignore the standards and yet they succeed. It is illegal in many places to talk on a cell phone while driving. It is illegal in many places to send text messages while […]
Tags: General Systems Thinking · Judgment · Management
Fatigue Wins Again
September 20th, 2010 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Fatigue is natural. Thinking that I can beat fatigue is wishful. Find a test that indicates your level of performance. Adjust your activities to meet your level. Fatigue beats wishes, but rest beats fatigue. I wish that fatigue didn’t always win. I wish I conquered fatigue all the time. I that no […]
Tags: Excuses · Health · Judgment · Thinking
The Dinner Design Review
March 15th, 2010 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Design reviews can be important parts of projects. At design reviews, we attempt to communicate clearly and minimize misunderstandings. There are several design reviews that are important to the success of a project. This essay describes one design review that people want to have but should never be allowed. We have design […]
Tags: Communication · Design · Expectations · Health · Ideas · Judgment · Meetings · Requirements · Systems