Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips Hiding from bad news is a common situation. I had to realize, however, that worse than bad news was no news. Yes, I did this. I was managing a project where I would hide in the bathroom. Everything was awful. The only place I could go and not hear terrible news was […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Nothing is so cruel as to learn that the system we built doesn’t do what we thought it would. We are good, smart, caring people. We work diligently to build good systems that serve others. We test. We really test—no kidding, no fooling around. We really test. Then one day, someone walks […]

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by Dwayne Phillips One of the more beneficial techniques I have learned is how to reframe a situation or turn it around backwards or upside down. Is it (1) the donors aren’t giving enough money or (2) the leaders aren’t inspiring the donors. I hate my boss, so I should (1) become my own boss […]

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by Dwayne Phillips When confronted with a difficult situation with a difficult customer, it is often better to step back and ask a few fundamental questions. The setting: I am a developer. I am building a system for a customer. The work is going poorly. We seem to make progress on some days, but most […]

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by Dwayne Phillips A description portrays what is now; a prediction estimate what may come. Sometimes we confuse the two at our peril. Some words are predictions. We use to them to portray our estimate of the future. Few of us are satisfactory as predictors of the future even though most of us think we […]

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by Dwayne Phillips It seems we still do this old time waster – hurry up and wait. Let’s try to reframe it into something more productive and creative. I am writing this blog while waiting. I had been working feverishly on something and completed the task. Now…well, you know… Hurry up and wait Let’s see […]

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by Dwayne Phillips I find that there are three levels of knowing something. (1) understanding (2) using (3) explaining. Take care when assuming more than we know. I know a lot of things (there are many more things that I don’t know, but that is another matter). Over the years, I have been privileged to […]

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by Dwayne Phillips Some people are undependable. Most of the time, I can choose to work with them or not. My choice can tell me much about myself. I know people who fit the title of this post. If they tell me they will be someplace at nine o’clock, I am almost certain they will […]

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by Dwayne Phillips In an earlier post, I discussed difficult people and reframing statements. Once again, I meet a difficult person. Once again, I can choose how frame the situation, and once again I can choose how to live and work. I worked with a different set of people this week. Some of those people […]

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by Dwayne Phillips There is a difference between gifts and contracts. Givers often confuse the two. I just read several blog posts and comments about giving money to “poor” people only to see them half an hour later buying lottery tickets with the money. They givers were incensed as the poor had promised to buy […]

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