Our Thoughts
Ideas that change businesses, industries, and people
Business Transformation’s Parallel Universe
Early in my career, soon after I switched roles from software development to technology strategy, I worked quite a bit on business cases and strategic plans related to technology investments. I wondered why some of the best ideas, with the best-written business cases,...
The Psychological Pitfalls of Transformational Change
If you want your business to prosper long-term, history (and evolution) have taught us that you must (at critical points in time) transform in order to survive or risk wasting away into the lowly dust that the newer, more adept empires will build themselves upon. In...
PowerPointers Episode 2 – Formatting
Last year, I wrote about why you shouldn't blame PowerPoint for your bad presentations. As part of my continued effort to help you make your presentations better, I've just finished Episode 2 of a ~6ish episode series I created with the intent of helping...
KonMari Your Business Strategy
If you were alive in 2014, then it’s likely you have heard at least some of the mania surrounding one of Time’s “100 most influential people,” Marie Kondo, and her New York Times best-selling book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, a book about decluttering your...
Great Thoughts Come from a Healthy Culture
Before I begin, I must admit some bias in writing this. I am a HUGE Amy Cuddy fan. I love her TED talk, and her book Presence is even better. I believe some of her research and writing on gender differences in body language are game changing. And, they’ve personally...
Could Your Watch Wear You Out?
Woo-woo warning: this may challenge some readers’ belief systems. A couple months ago, I started seeing a holistic doctor to help me recover from a persistent bug and to build up my immunity and strength. Part of what she does is nutritional response testing, which...
How to Remain Diligent with a Less-Than-Stellar Memory
I have never had a great memory. That is, except for a few random and pointless things that I can recall with great clarity for no particular reason. For example, I clearly remember when I was 12 my sister’s boyfriend telling me that smart people pressed “9-0” on the...
Socratic Selling
Socrates, as we all know, was a famous classical Greek philosopher who lived over 2,000 years ago. Primarily through the writings of Plato we have learned about his contributions to how we think about ethics, good vs. bad, and justice. But more specifically, he...
PowerPointers Episode 1 – Making Selections
Back in May I wrote about why you shouldn't blame PowerPoint for your bad presentations, so, in an effort to help you make your presentations better, I'm releasing Episode 1 of a ~6ish episode series I created with the intent of helping you unleash the power of...
Consulting Myths
“Oh, so you’re like the Bobs?” This is typically the first thing you hear from someone once you’ve told them you’re a consultant. Because even 18 years after “Office Space” debuted, that’s still the most culturally relevant image people have of consultants. And it’s a...
How to Make a Merger Work
It seems like every time you turn around companies are consolidating. Whether it’s an outright acquisition or a “merger of equals,” companies believe that they can create more value by joining forces than by moving forward alone. The latest attention-grabbing...
The Challenges With a Tech-Obsessed CEO
I caught up with one of my old friends last week who had taken a new CIO gig about a year ago. At his previous company, his bosses (first the CFO and then the CEO) were primarily focused on managing IT as a cost of doing business, but his new boss is a little...
Conducting Business
I recently enjoyed a concert (the 2017 Honors Junior Performance) at the famous Carnegie hall, and somewhere during one of the pieces I found myself concentrating intently and trying to discern the points at which specific instruments came into and out of the...
Six Factors for Making Change Stick
In today’s ever-changing environment, I think we can all agree that managing change is important. Change management is becoming a key part of most organizations, and we are seeing an increasing number of clients implementing dedicated change management functions...
Working Anywhere, Anytime… But Not ALL the Time
It's 4:30 PM on a balmy Wednesday in July. I'm sitting on a blanket in the grass by the corner of 9th and York Street, listening to the soft whir of traffic and a buzz of happy people lined up in front of and behind me. Those of you Denver people may know exactly what...
Some Thoughts on Doing Fewer Things Better
In my previous blog, I wrote about some of the warning signs that your HR function might need a jump start. One of my points was that as organizations go from a smaller (sometimes start-up) size to becoming more of a “grown up” company, they often experience role...
When Your HR Function Might Need a Jump Start
The Human Resources function has come a long way from the days when they largely focused on payroll, behavioral interviews, and being the people you “logged a complaint” with. In many cases, they are now less of a stand-alone organization and more of an embedded...
My 4 Year Old on Change Management
About a year ago, my company held our monthly Thought Meeting in my basement. In preparation, I enrolled my husband Eric to help me move the couches around to set up the room for the group discussion. My 4-year-old Gus watched this activity and grew quite agitated....
What Is Appendix X3 and Why Does It Matter to Your PMO?
I'm sure your mechanic is fantastic. He has probably repaired dozens of cars, of all makes and models. He knows just how long and how much any given repair will be, and most important of all, he is CERTIFIED! He has gone to some well-respected third party and...
Stop Blaming PowerPoint for Your Crappy Presentation
People hate PowerPoint. A lot. You even say the word “PowerPoint” to any random group of 10 people and at least 6 of them will get triggered while the other 4 will have an expression like they just drank spoiled milk. But not me, I love PowerPoint. That’s right, I...
Does Technology Reduce Our Social Capital?
Are technology and social media reducing our social capital? Is our way of life in peril as our youth and culture become subservient specters to the soul-destroying harbinger of the social and biological apocalypse: the smartphone? Short answer: no. First, what is...
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