by Dwayne Phillips Some matters are certain in my mind. Others are a bit fuzzy behind a veil of doubt and cause me to argue with myself. There are times for both situations. Some things are fuzzy in my mind. I am not certain about them. I have to argue with myself. I start a […]
Certainty, Doubt, and Arguing with Myself
July 1st, 2019 · No Comments
Tags: Clarity · Conversation · Questions · Thinking
Weinberg Golf and Bundy Fishing
March 7th, 2019 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Perhaps we can find enjoyment anywhere at any time. It is worth the attempt. Several years ago I had several conversations with the late Jerry Weinberg, one of the best computing consultants we ever had. Jerry told me about how he played golf. Jerry started playing the game most familiar to everyone. […]
Tags: Authentic · Clarity · Conversation · Fun · Ideas
Don’t Try Too Hard
December 13th, 2018 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Some of the best advice I ever heard and heeded is simply, “Don’t try too hard.” Writing. Studying. Researching. Don’t try too hard. Writing: let it come out of you. When you hit a difficult spot, type “this is a difficult spot, come back later.” Done. Now keep banging away on the […]
Tags: Breathe · Clarity · Consulting · General Systems Thinking
Brevity and Clarity
August 27th, 2018 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Brevity and clarity are apt companions. The trouble is, they aren’t frequent companions.
Tags: Brevity · Clarity · Communication · Writing
Brevity, Clarity, and Explanations
August 6th, 2018 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips If I cannot explain something with brevity and clarity, I am not ready to explain it. Gosh, that summary is a killer. I am ready to explain something. I have this earth-changing wonderful great super-duper (note the lack of brevity and clarity) idea that the world needs to hear and implement just […]
Tags: Brevity · Clarity · Communication · Ideas · Learning · Patience · Thinking
Sloth
March 15th, 2018 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips A tough one to define, but we usually know it when we see it. And then we ask, “Why?” Look to the eyes. I spent a few days in airports recently. I found myself discouraged. The word “sloth” kept coming to mind. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away […]
Tags: Clarity
What have You Seen or Heard…
March 1st, 2018 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Often, perceptions and other ghosts cause us to believe things. Go back to a fundamental question. The world is coming to an end. Nothing is right. Everyone is against this. What else have I told myself? What else did I “know?” All were hunches, perceptions, gut feel, and such. Sigh. All is […]
Tags: Analysis · Breathe · Clarity · Knowledge
The Play (Project) Isn’t Over
October 23rd, 2017 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips The most important decision about a project may be when we say, “It is over.” Watching college (semi- or mostly-professional) football this weekend. Several times today I see a 19 to 21-year old score a touchdown and in great glee make enough of the wrong motions to be flagged for excessive celebration […]
Tags: Clarity · Decide · Management
The Plan versus the Idea
June 1st, 2017 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Often “plans” are merely “ideas.” Ideas suffice if they are small enough. We have a lot of plans where I work and recreate. The trouble is, I can’t ever seem to find them. No one can produce an artifact that records the plan. Truth is, the plan is in the mind of […]
Tags: Analysis · Clarity · Communication · Ideas · Planning
We are Requesting…
May 29th, 2017 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Yet another group of needless words and the search for the actual verb. I recently read something and felt my skin crawl at the same time. Something was amiss. Sigh, go back, read it again. We are requesting that you give blah blah blah. Okay, what’s wrong? This is another version of […]