Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips What was impossible at one point in the past, often is now possible. What is impossible today will probably possible in the future. Change the conversation by replacing “impossible” with a phrase. What is impossible these days? Curing the common cold Finding politicians who are candid about their proposals An efficient government […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Knowledge comes with age. Older colleagues don’t need to be taught some things that younger ones do. There are, however, times when you want older colleagues to attend events that are not necessary for them. Explaining the reasoning makes attendance easier. I’m in my 50s. I know much more than people in […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I have seen people doing some not-so-good things that I sometimes do. Yikes! I have a lot of incentive to cut down on those things. The past several days I have been around people who are complaining a lot about something. It is really annoying to be around them as they complain. […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Change is not easy. No change is easy. Don’t fool yourself into believing that changes you suggest will be the exception. Prepare for the pain. I am taking a long walk (1,000 miles, almost finished). This past week my logistics changed. All I had to do this week was walk, no backtracking […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I like to work alone. Being alone, however, brings a heightened risk. There is great value in having another person to talk to. Absent others, checklists and other reminders are helpful. I have been taking a walk this past week. I have been all alone in doing this. I won’t describe the […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Quick, read the following and agree or disagree: Smart people are wrong more often than stupid people. I believe the above is true. It seems that smart people read, study, think, and propose ideas more often than stupid people. Stupid people seem to sit around and choose-your-own-stupid-activity (e.g. watch TV, surf the […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I am working a on process improvement this week. I wish I could state a brilliant insight. Alas, all I have is, “let’s try harder.” That reduces to having good people spend the time necessary to do a task well. Blogs don’t always announce breakthroughs in any field of endeavor. Let’s downgrade […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A recent manager wrote his thoughts in the air with his finger. There was some good, some bad, and some annoyances with this habit. But, as with most things people do, there was plenty to learn. I worked on a short project recently where the project manager wrote in the air. To […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I like to be ready. At times I forced myself to be less ready and learn during the moment. Those were quite satisfying. Project managers can take something from this and help their people learn. I like to plan. Well, not to plan, I guess what is really like is to be […]

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by Dwayne Phillips HP printers struggle to work under Linux if SELinux is “enforcing.” It seems that HP and others would have taken care of this foible by now. I have a new computer, actually two new computers. Well, they aren’t new and they aren’t really two, they are one. Now I have confused myself. […]

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