Unless you have an unimpeachable reputation at the top of your field forever and always, you’ll need to do things other people want you to do. So, when you take on a position, try and figure out what’s bothering the person who’s employing you. Sometimes it’s not what you’re hired to do, but if youContinue reading “Solve Problems Often”
Tag Archives: leadership
What Can Project Managers Learn From Consultants?
Consultants charge hefty premiums for their services, and must use strong communication skills to justify their high salaries. They hop between projects lasting about 3 months, and their corporate culture teaches them a set of tactics allowing them to identify areas for improvement. Since they specialize in generic cost-cutting, increasing sales, and supply line numbersContinue reading “What Can Project Managers Learn From Consultants?”
What even is the problem anyway?
When doing project management, you don’t want to be the tail chasing the dog. You’re not trying to be a solution searching for a problem, and if you don’t recognize the relevant stakeholders, you’re unlikely to be successful in bringing value to your stakeholders. The first thing to do when getting into problem solving modeContinue reading “What even is the problem anyway?”
RACI-ng to success on your next project
In almost every situation under the sun, having clearly defined and delineated roles allows people to thrive. In the same way that private property allowed people the ability to focus on their tiny slice of the world and build unparalleled riches, having clearly defined responsibilities and obligations make clear what the keys to success are,Continue reading “RACI-ng to success on your next project”
Self-Efficacy & Fixing Your Car’s Battery
My car has been out of commission for the last week or so. Instead of being able to do much of anything, I’ve been stuck at my place, looking for something fun to do. I called my friend who does a fair amount of auto-repair and he convinced me that I could change my ownContinue reading “Self-Efficacy & Fixing Your Car’s Battery”
Rise & Grind: Why There’s Some Truth Behind Why The Rich Seem Unpleasant
In any world, there will be more and less successful people. It’s probably not going to be the case that the modal person is going to be successful, given that institutions are skewed towards average, with a focus on lower average. As a result, listening to large institutions and going about your life is notContinue reading “Rise & Grind: Why There’s Some Truth Behind Why The Rich Seem Unpleasant”
Suspicious of Kaldor-Hicks as Optimality Conditions
Wikipedia explains that the Kaldor-Hicks improvement criteria is essentially a less stringent version of a Pareto improvement, something where in practice, everyone is made better off. In the Kaldor-Hicks view, merely the ability of the winners to compensate the losers is grounds for claiming something is optimal, regardless of whether such compensation occurs. The basicContinue reading “Suspicious of Kaldor-Hicks as Optimality Conditions”
What can I help you with? I’m building a male friendship course and I want your feedback
I recently learned that 53% of men are dissatisfied in their relationships with their friends and that 1/7 men have no close friends. This number is frightening to me, because a lack of friendships makes it 25% more likely that someone dies in the next four years. And, that’s not even considering the mental anguishContinue reading “What can I help you with? I’m building a male friendship course and I want your feedback”
The Juicy Bits of ‘Influence’ (Ch 5-8)
Chapter 5 Liking Compliance settings include ones with reciprocity, commitment, and social proof. The person most effective at selling is not the demonstrator, but rather the hostess. Buying from a friend makes a big difference. Having the name of a friend to call on makes a difference. People want to help their friends. Most successfulContinue reading “The Juicy Bits of ‘Influence’ (Ch 5-8)”
The Juicy Bits of ‘Influence’ (First 4 Chapters)
Chapter 1: Weapons of Influence There are mechanical processes that affect people called fixed-action patterns. These patterns occur in virtually the same fashion. When situation X, outcome Y. This process is started by something known as a trigger feature. We have trigger features that can be taken advantage of too. One example: When asking forContinue reading “The Juicy Bits of ‘Influence’ (First 4 Chapters)”
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