Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips Many problems are solved; many others are not solved. And then there are problems that are not solved, but they just go away with time. The United States Postal Service, otherwise known by the often disdainful name of “the post office,” had a big problem. They had millions of envelopes a day […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Do you want to reduce the anger that people feel coming from you. Don’t stop shaking your fist; stop pointing your finger. Each culture seems to have its own form of an angry gesture. The one that comes to mind in my own culture is the fist. Shake a fist at someone […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Cook a meal, invite someone to eat it with you, and listen. I wrote about this topic earlier. I had forgotten about that earlier post until I started writing this one. I guess some ideas are harder to get out of my head than others. They keep bouncing about in my brain […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I have met a few people who I describe as competent, straightforward, and candid. I like them. I also find that most people are off balance around them. I describe my current boss as competent straightforward candid I have worked for a few people in my life who had these same characteristics. […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Advice is welcome and often heeded in one circumstance: when it is requested. Freely giving advice to the non-requesting tends only to waste energy, time, and emotions. Consultant, author, and friend Jerry Weinberg has written (something like) Most people interpret attempts help as attempts to interfere. This is true for 98.6% of […]

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by Dwayne Phillips The personal computer, the laptop computer, the home computer, the netbook – whatever title we use, they have all become the personal Google machine, i.e., the window into the knowledge of mankind. I live in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington D.C. Tony Kornheiser, one of those guys on ESPN’s “PTI,”  has […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Sometimes no one will talk to me. There is a big message in the silence. All I have to do is find it. I asked for input, but no one said anything. I’ve heard that a few thousand times. The person is open for advice, criticism, anything from anyone. They are met […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Introduce yourself by name. I was sitting in a meeting that had started five minutes earlier. The person to my right was presiding over the meeting and was talking without pause. I recognized enough of what he was saying to know that I was in the right meeting, but I didn’t know […]

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by Dwayne Phillips This post begins a new series (of undetermined length) about changing the world. Sometimes, all it takes is three people in a crowded room who say, “let’s tell the truth.” The scene is a familiar one, especially if you work in government as people in government sit in more meetings than anyone […]

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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 […]

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