by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes some persons excel to the point where they need to be fired. You have outgrown what we do here. You are much more capable than we need. You are fired. Those words don’t make sense. If someone has improved and improved, we want them to stay with us, right? Perhaps not. […]
Entries from October 2023
You Are Too Good, You Are Fired
October 30th, 2023 · No Comments
Tags: Adapting · Growth · Jobs · Learning · Technology · Tools
50% of 50%
October 26th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Let’s pay attention to some basic math. We don’t like that, but we are adults, so let’s behave accordingly. In some respects, asking, “What is 50% of 50%?” is silly. Ask a mathematician that question. I did recently and the response was a laugh. The answer is 2,500%%. Huh? Everyone knows that […]
Tags: Adults · Approximation · Clarity · Communication · Data Science · Knowledge · Science
A Word Multiplier
October 23rd, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips These new chattering bots like ChatGPT are great word multipliers. Do we need word multipliers? That is the question. Try this at home: I am now up to 2,500 words in ten minutes. In another ten minutes I will have 5,000 words. In an hour I will have 50,000 words. 50,000 words […]
Tags: Artificial Intelligence · Questions · Software · Technology · Tools · Writing
Accelerate the Learning
October 19th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Learning is good as it leads to better performance and other beneficial things. There are tools available that accelerate learning. Let’s use those. I try to learn. Sometimes I forget to learn. Yes, fatigue clobbers my mind and I simply forget to notice things, store them, and use them. There are tools […]
Tags: Competence · Energy · Fatigue · Growth · Humility · Improvement · Learning · Thinking · Tools
No Fun
October 16th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes, the better way to do something isn’t as much fun. A few years ago, I wrote a book on software project management. I began the book with the words, “I like to write software.” I did and still do like to write software. I am simulating a machine that does wonderful […]
Tags: Accountability · Adults · Employment · Fun · Integrity · Software
The Meeting Is Over, Now
October 12th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Once a meeting ends, the after meeting begins and the real work is done. Can we do this better? I’ve seen it a thousand times—literally a thousand times. I’ve attended that many meetings. The meeting has its agenda and participants. The meeting is conducted. We are finished. People stay in the room […]
Tags: Adapting · Change · Learning · Management · Meetings · Thinking · Work
A Sense of Urgency
October 9th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips We have tools that multiply our productivity. Every age seems to have such tools. Will we have the sense of urgency to use these tools this time around? From what I can find, the screwdriver was invented in the late 1400s. It was created to, of course, turn screws. The screws were […]
Tags: History · Improvement · Jobs · Purpose · Technology · Urgent · Work
Engineers and Philosophers
October 5th, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips It is often best to leave the conversations of another profession to those other professionals. I am an engineer. There, got that out of the way. And I have a Doctor of Philosophy or PhD in engineering. I have not idea why they call the degree by that name. Oh well, got […]
Tags: Communication · Engineering · Expertise · Humility · Language
Ask the Next Question
October 2nd, 2023 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips One basic way to think through to the end is to ask the next question. “And then what happens,” a four-year-old child’s question that is asked repeatedly. Yes, some four-year-old children have endless curiosity. That is wonderful. That is learning. Let it flourish. Adults? Sometimes we just want the meeting to end […]