Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips Somteimes I miss the analog days. They covered a lot of my mistakes. Handwritten notes let me fudge and smudge and avoid mistakes—like spelling. I could smudge the “i” and the “e” together and put the dot of the “i” somewhere in the middle, and no one could tell that I didn’t […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips Excuses are great. One of the best is “I have so much to do” as it gives me choice as to what I will do today. I have ten jobs I do. If I don’t want to do #3 today, I have an excuse as I am really busy with the other […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips I recommend an organization for the future or work as we know it. This is the new company. It is an agile team that has worked together on many software projects. The Team has learned much on all these past projects. The Team has become high performing (it “jelled” a long time […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips We thank the person. We comment on the product. And we let everyone know that is what we do here. Persons accomplish the work in endeavors. Persons use tools, sometimes they are really cool and expensive ones, but persons ultimately accomplish the work. The outcome of the work is a product (sometimes […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips What is systems engineering? One answer is, “you can do it with only a pencil and piece of paper.” I have been plagued with the question, “What is systems engineering?” for too long. As a job seeker, a common job opening is Systems Engineer. A quick reading of the job description shows […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips About to be replaced by a machine? We must add value. In some cases, employers must allow us to add value. Amazon recently made news with a grocery store that has no cashiers. Wow. How convenient for the shoppers. Wow. There go a bunch of jobs as all the cashiers who weren’t […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips One of the best gifts to give another is that they expect you to be consistent. This holds for managers on the job as well as grandparents at home. ‘Tis the season to give. Consider giving someone the ability to expect you to be consistent. Let’s start with Grandparents: When my (absolutely […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips If your organization is to begin an endeavor that will take time and patience to bear fruit, employ the right type of person. Some endeavors require years to come to fruition. A college degree is one example. It comes after four years, not four hours, of sustained effort.  Some companies sponsor college […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips Companies will often request a writing sample from potential writer hires. Without adequate notice, the companies have a license to steal. I am writing a few posts about copyright. I am compelled to do so by recent interviews with employers who seem ignorant of copyright basics. There is much good information on […]

[Read more →]

by Dwayne Phillips Words written in the employ of a company belong to the company. Still, others will ask for them. Beware as you could be an accomplice to theft. I am writing a few posts about copyright. I am compelled to do so by recent interviews with employers who seem ignorant of copyright basics. […]

[Read more →]