Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips The number of people on a project influences the management practices that will succeed. An easy-to-remember heuristic is the breakpoints at 3 to the n power. Yes, that is mutters with a “u.” As the size of a team on a project increases, so does the muttering. This implies that what works […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Some people in my life have been very discouraging. Some people in my life have been very encouraging. It is not difficult for me to choose which type of person I want to be. I can remember it like it happened yesterday. I was a graduate student working on my PhD. My […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Of all the things I have done recently, the one that is garnering the most interest online is Pinterst. Go figure. I don’t understand this, but people are paying attention to my “pins” (I think that is the right term) on Pinterest. (I just realized that Pinterest is a combination of “pin” […]

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by Dwayne Phillips It is often better to replace a piece of troubled writing than to fix or revise it. Once again, I was talking to a person who had written a large item. The item wasn’t good. It had little focus, and most people walked away from it wondering, “what was that about?” The […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Football players are not weapons. Please stop being so lazy as to call them such. The National Football League playoffs are in full stride. I like to watch, but I hate to listen to the ladies and gentlemen who talk during the games and on the sports shows during the week. One […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I finally realize why I can’t watch the news on television: the information flow is relatively slow. I haven’t watched news on television in years. I stay abreast of the issues of the day via reading from the Internet. I scan probably a dozen major news sites as well as about a […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes events don’t occur as I planned. They do, however, lead to what I want. To discover the result, I have to listen to unwelcome messages. I often receive unwelcome messages. I plan something; I invite people who I believe will benefit from the something, and none of them come. There are […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Some thoughts on Seth Godin’s idea of “pre digital” and how some places can become “formerly pre digital.” Seth Godin recently posted thoughts on what he calls “pre digital.” I liked his thoughts. I can punch a few security holes in the example he uses of a hospital emergency room, but that […]

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by Dwayne Phillips As a manager, when an employee provides short, pleasing answers sound all the alarms you have. Ask more questions until you pull usable information from the employee. Manager: How are things going? Employee: Fine, okay. Manager: (thinks to herself) Great! I’ve communicated with the employee, and we are good. Gosh. How many […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Take care when you have opposite types of people in the room for a meeting. Be sure to have someone in the room with the primary interest of ensuring communication among the groups. A few months ago, I sat in a meeting. On one side of the table were customers; on the […]

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