I’m in a sophisticated phase of parenting called bargaining, negotiating and bribery.
I’m not proud, but I’ll do what it takes to ensure that the monkeys not only know that they shouldn’t pull their teacher’s hair in school but that they don’t actually do it.
A couple of weeks ago there was a lot of misbehaving at school. In [...]
Archive for June, 2008
The Ikea incentive
Posted in Managing Talent, tagged Ikea, incentives, negotiation, parenting on June 27, 2008 | 3 Comments »
“We stand in our own shadow and wonder why it’s dark”
Posted in Uncategorized on June 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
This is a zen Buddhist koan shared by Robyn Waters at the Jump@10 mini conference last week.
She’s the former VP of Trend & Design at Target Corp, current rock star at inspiring people and companies to think smartly, inspirationally, and honestly about their growth. I think she’s an excellent example of where combining your work passions [...]
The power of the network
Posted in The Practice of Life, tagged ideas, innovation, learning, parenting on June 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
My company just celebrated it’s 10th Anniversary. To celebrate, we invited some amazing thinkers and doers to talk about whatever they’re thinking about and doing these days. My brain is full of interesting ideas, which I’m sure will spill into the blog over time.
But today I’m thinking about one speaker in particular, Andy Hargadon. His blog [...]
My wake
Posted in Managing Expectations, tagged leadership, parenting on June 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Someone found my blog yesterday by googling “hit new husband with rolling pin.” I am so proud.
The search tracking capability of wordpress is great because it allows you to see the digital wake that your writing leaves. Themes, posts and comments all merge together in this wake in a way that the writer can’t control. [...]
A good reminder: your attitude impacts their ability to do good work
Posted in Managing Talent, tagged empowerment, managing, parenting on June 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Sue Shellenbarger wrote a nice post about how women indirectly influence how their spouses parent a few days ago on The Juggle, the WSJ’s blog on juggling work and parenting. A study written up in Journal of Family Psychology found that the way a new mom reacts to her spouse’s parenting efforts has a huge impact on whether he [...]
When a system’s complexity overwhelms its benefits
Posted in Direct Communication, tagged organizations, systems., Whole Foods on June 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
One of my fantasies – yes, this is my life, and this is a fantasy – is to really organize the monkeys’ toys. We have a bunch of bins, but I want bins with labels. I want the boxes in the bins to have labels. So that everyone involved in putting stuff away knows exactly where to put stuff. [...]
Reasoning by analogy: why a rolling pin is not like a cake pan
Posted in Decision Making, tagged analogies, Backyardigans, birtday parties, HBR, strategy on June 10, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The other day, I was reminded about an article that I read in the Harvard Business Review a few years ago on reasoning by analogy, How Strategists Really Think.
The basic premise of the article is that while reasoning by analogy can be a really great tool for strategic thinking, it’s equally likely to mislead companies. [...]
Fun as part of the work, not separate from it: a rationalization for not making it to the zoo
Posted in The Practice of Life, tagged childcare on June 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I’m always a bit suspicious of company outings. I get that they’re a nice way to connect with co-workers in a different way. I just worry that sometimes they’re the only time people actually have fun together. Meaning, the actual work isn’t together or isn’t fun, and the outings are a compensation for that. I [...]
Will my dreams come true?
Posted in Decision Making, tagged Hillary Clinton, leadership, Obama on June 3, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Amid all of the rumor mongering about the Clinton campaign today, I spotted this. Hillary is reportedly ‘open’ to a veep role. I think an Obama/Clinton team is unbeatable. And I love the idea of a visionary leader backed by a no-nonsense go-getter.
I’ve heard that some ‘feminist’ groups don’t like the idea of Clinton taking [...]
Core competency moms
Posted in The Practice of Life, tagged environmentalism, guilt, household help, working moms on June 3, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I just read Laura Vanderkam’s post on ‘core competency moms’ on the Huffington Post.
It’s an interesting perspective on how working moms compensate for not having enough time to do it all by prioritizing and focusing on the things that really matter, not necessarily the things that keep the house looking pristine. These moms thrive by knowing what they’re [...]
