by Dwayne Phillips Americans are coming out of isolation from our reaction to the virus. One result is a growing trend to form unions. There is a growing trend in America to form unions for workers in coffee shops, restaurants, warehouses, etc. The obvious explanation is that these places have become rich and have not […]
A Place to Belong (after being isolated)
June 2nd, 2022 · No Comments
Tags: Commitment · Expectations · Expertise · Observation · Reaction · Remote Work · Virus · Work
The Edge and the Center
May 9th, 2022 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips The edge is that area between the center of two places. Things are different at the edge. Try to remember the difference. I recently spent a few of strenuous days cleaning a fence row. A fence row comprises the ground a couple feet each side of a fence. In my case, the […]
Tags: Adapting · Context · Differences · Expectations · Learning · Notice · Observation
Maybe It was a Bad Idea (that survived accidentally)
December 27th, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Just because something survived and thrived doesn’t mean it was a good idea. There are other explanations. Good ideas bubble to the top. Market success shows those good ideas. Bad ideas fizzle. They don’t make it anywhere. Well, maybe these statements are true, but maybe the aren’t. I see things that have […]
Tags: Design · Expectations · General Systems Thinking · Ideas · Reframe · Success · Systems · Technical Debt · Time
People Say That Because…
November 25th, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips We often say things simply because we have heard others say those things. We are an odd lot. People say that because… they heard other people say that. And the other people said it with great confidence and bravado. Hence, it must be true, right? “Half of marriages end in divorce.” That […]
Tags: Appearances · Communication · Error · Expectations · Judgment · Reality
Welcome Back to the Office (?)
August 12th, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Folks long for the good old days. That includes rich and famous CEOs. Tim Cook is ready for Apple’s workforce to return to the office building. Many in Apple’s workforce don’t want to return to the office building. Tim Cook is ready for Apple’s workforce to return to the office building. Did […]
Tags: Apple · Employment · Expectations · Leadership · Remote Work · Work
Telecommuting and Shipping
June 3rd, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Working from home? Ship. End of questions about working from home. Fourteen months into the pandemic, many of us are still working from home. We are about to go back to the office building. I think. I am not sure. There are still questions about this telecommuting, telework, work from home, and […]
Tags: Culture · Employment · Expectations · Goals · Myth · Remote Work · Time · Work
We May Never See 2024
March 22nd, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Three years from now may never come. “I don’t want to be ‘locked into’ company A because company B may have a better offering in three years. We need to be able to shift to company B.”—a well-meaning advisor. In three years, the world may be different. Let’s remain agile. Let’s keep […]
Tags: Agility · Clarity · Expectations · Planning
The Bad Thing about TED Talks
March 11th, 2021 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Every now and then, someone shows how well you can do something. In rare situations, everyone else improves. Most of the time, however, not so much. I like to watch TED talks. They are so goooooood. Twenty minutes. Every sentence full of content. Just enough visuals, but not too many. Relevant topics. […]
Tags: Communication · Expectations · Expertise · Improvement · Leadership
Fiction and Disinformation
December 14th, 2020 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips Fiction, when repeated enough, becomes fact in the minds of many. So why aren’t we trying to stomp out fiction that is far from reality? I have seen many movies on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. 99% of murders in real life are not like that, nothing like that. 99% of murders in […]
Tags: Expectations · Fable · Fairy Tales · Information · Stories · Writing
Just do It! Are You Kidding?
November 19th, 2020 · No Comments
by Dwayne Phillips We “just” … Nothing is easy. We might as well describe the situation as it is. Everything is easy if someone else is supposed to do it. When I have to do it, not so easy. Yet, we describe things as easy. We’ll just do this and that and be done with […]
Tags: Authentic · Competence · Conversation · Expectations · Humility · Word