Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips Disagreements often fall under the cliche, “we are in violent agreement.” Go past the quick decision and converse with the other person. Joe: I disagree with you. Moe: Really? Joe: Yes. Moe: Are you sure? Joe: Yes Moe: Let’s step through this to ensure that we disagree. Joe: ? Moe: Let me […]

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by Dwayne Phillips People used to use the phrase “reverse psychology” more than they do now. I suppose I act out reverse psychology a lot these days. I don’t, however, of it in those terms. I think of my actions in vastly different terms. People used to say the phrase that sits atop this post. […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Stay connected to the people who work with you. It is that simple. There is a phrase that was kicked around a lot a few years back in the software field. The phrase was about going dark. That phrase meant that a programmer would stop talking to everyone else. You didn’t know […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Policy statements can be the most useful things that managers can produce. They help persons make decisions daily. Yes, managers can, and sometimes do, contribute to work. One of the more useful contributions they make is policy. Let’s define terms: Policy statements articulate broad direction for an organization. For example, Write code […]

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By Dwayne Phillips I am unable to say, “You implied such-and-such.” I know it is a small distinction that difference between imply and infer, but it bothers me. I continue to stumble upon these two words: imply and infer. I her people say, “You implied such-and-such.” Since this is my blog, I can rant to […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Should we send our customers to a veterinarian, i.e., someone who is accustomed to working with beings that cannot speak? First, a story: My granddad was a stubborn man. My granddad was ill and went to a doctor, an MD. My granddad was paying the MD a lot of money, so he […]

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by Dwayne Phillips When confronted with non-sensical information, first ask to know what the other person knows. This first happened to me over 20 years ago. I was sitting in a medical office at a government agency. A doctor was reading my file and talking to me about my health. He made a few comments […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Children are easy to read as they haven’t yet perfected how to “act.” Adults are different, and I work with adults, so I have to ask them questions. Children don’t walk normally unless they are thinking about something else. They tend to scamper or duck their head and half run. They think […]

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by Dwayne Phillips When starting an endeavor that seeks the educate and spread information, here is a meager goal – don’t make the people less interested in the topic. Consultant and author Jerry Weinberg taught this one to me. It is his goal when teaching a class or seminar. At the end, he wants to […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Basic advice to managers about correcting the course of an endeavor. Be quick and be easy on everyone. The title of this little management advisory is from author and consultant Jerry Weinberg. He wrote about it in one of his books. I also found mention of this in a blog post by […]

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