According to no less than the Cleveland Clinic, ” Studies (regarding multitasking) show it makes us less efficient and more prone to errors.” Cleveland Clinic goes on to make the case: When tasks are easy and routine such as, “like listening to music while walking, or folding laundry while watching TV,” these are generally not
Organizational Conflict may not be visible. Passive Aggressive executives may not exhibit the classic signs of stress. The stresses of everyday business are well understood by those in that mix. Each individual has an agenda based on his/her personal desires as well as organizational job description and target (goal) requirements. By definition, this puts all
The (credited to) Chinese saying, “May you live in interesting times” was once reframed by a colleague of mine. He suggested, “May we live in less interesting times.” His statement was made years ago in yet another major economic downturn. Today, we are living in the turmoil of economic inflation as well as civil unrest,
How many times have you seen someone do something incredibly stupid, even risking their life? What a turkey! Story goes that Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the American National Bird. Almost 250 years later, this bird often carries a different connotation. Often maligned, this tasty fowl has its day once a year. Even two are
Incredible!! The level of hate as shown on any media today is just that, incredible. Thieving, beating, sexual abusing and murdering seem taken as the “New Normal.” Young people are throwing away future careers as they appear in the omnipresent media shouting hate towards one group. Wearing masks simply make them look like common criminals.
In our forthcoming book, “Navigating the Data Minefields: Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making” we coined the term, Valid, Reliable and Timely (VRT). “This term identifies all data dimensions including its temporal component.” Check Up When we go to the doctor we expect that the information conferred by this professional is Correct, Consistent with the current
Seems we live in a world of FAKE. How do you know what is fake and what is not? A recent article described certain activities in Silicon Valley as the end of fake. The point being that in the recent VC heyday, some have feed the market crap and taken advantage of the Greed is
Why are Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives failing? In previous blogs, we have addressed the challenges of turning organizational initiatives into culture. Moreover, we discussed DEI and the shortcomings of those institutional efforts as well as broached the construct of Teams incorporating DEI. In this edition, we will expand on those subjects and develop
Often attributed to the movie character, Forest Gump the title phrase can be interpreted as an abrupt change in one’s life. The past few years have brought significant changes to many of us. Illness, job change, moving to a new location, kids out of school and so it goes. Disruption can be intimidating, yet it
The current president of the United States is 80 years old. He has indicated that that he will run for a second term. If reelected, at the end of that terminus he will be 86! Is that too old to run a country? The Speaker of the House is 80, and her peers include a number of
Attributed to the late Martha Mitchell, wife of the then Attorney General Oxford defines it as “A misinterpretation of a person’s justified belief as a delusion, often by a psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or general practitioner.” Climate deniers, election deniers, COVID vaccine deniers, The Science deniers and all kind of deniers. Treated as delusional and even
On October 8, 2021, we posted the blog, Welcome to the 70s–Again! The point that the awful economy of that decade could return. It seems that one year later, those comments have come true. Many are now freely comparing out contemporary time to that period before most adults were born. This Baby Boomer graduated from
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, one definition of initiative is. “A new plan or action to improve something or solve a problem.” In corporate parlance this often translates into yet another short-term and often politically correct effort to demonstrate forward motion/social citizenship. Often forgotten faster than the evening news cycle as new searches for performance
Our often called, ‘Best Friend’ has and continues to teach us all manner of life lessons. While the Dog Days of Summer will soon be upon those who live in the northern hemisphere, not all dogs choose to stay on the porch. Most dogs are action oriented. Throw a ball or a stick and some
According to Investopedia, “Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments.” Definitions of the three components are pretty straightforward: Environmental–Generally refers to the stewardship of the planet and how organizations facilitate that responsibility. Social–Facilitating organizational responsibility to the global
We are offered the world at the tip of our fingers, But! There are many prices to pay. Theft by scam simply by clicking on a great opportunity is getting more sophisticated all the time. Recently, this pundit was offered a once in a lifetime possibility if only I would listen to an MS Office
Update: Just after we published this edition, Goldman Sachs released this comprehensive research piece; Stagflation Risk. Recently, one media outlet raised the suggestion of government price controls. Generally, seen as a bad idea, none-the-less in this inflationary environment, some may perceive value from an action of this kind. Additionally, in the current environment some politicians
As of this writing, the situation in Ukraine is fluid at best. Many see the Ukrainian people as heroes winning against all odds. Other pundits predict they will be overwhelmed in the near future. History suggests the later is a premature prognosis. In the 1940’s European resistance played a major role in the defeat of
Readers know that as of this writing there is geopolitical and military tension in eastern Europe. Hopefully, the situation will resolve peacefully. This piece is not about those politics. Rather it is about the potential for accidental engagement and how that risk can be mitigated. President Kennedy is famously cited for the comment that referred
This edition is taken from our forthcoming book tentatively titled, Techniques for Successfully Closing Deals in the 21st Century. New Year’s Resolutions We all make them and in many cases they are short lived, often falling by the wayside before March 31. So as we ponder what the new year will bring, most in
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Team Models There is a tendency to see DEI through the lens of initiatives or often a process semi-outside the daily ‘organizational’ grind. Does this represent reality? Organizations spend countless sums training employees and others they depend on for Operational Excellence performance. They often trust global Teams to add stakeholder
We have all heard the flight attendant say, “Thank you for flying with us and welcome your destination, another on time arrival.” Usually stated with gusto, as if an on time arrival was uncommon! Pundits and politicians are telling us that Santa will be late this year. More salt on the wound, the jolly elf
Almost every day, we hear that “The Science” says . . . We are told Covid-19 and Climate Change are based on The Science and as such we must accept that expert analyses as ‘settled.’ Then something changes and once more the science police demand we accept their new interpretation. The near-term result: confusion and
Not the rock bands of the 1960s–1980s, but the mining required to extract the heavy metals necessary for electric vehicles and other renewable energy solutions. So, what is a heavy metal and why do we care? Typically, “In science, a heavy metal is a metallic element which is toxic and has a high density, specific gravity or atomic weight. However,
This Baby Boomer graduated from college in 1970. Just in time for Saturday Night Fever and Grease, Avocado colored refrigerators and Harvest Gold dinnerware. Plus, the best friend a then bachelor ever had–the microwave oven! Not to forget the Gasoline Lines and Hyper Inflation, Vietnam, Peace/Race Protests/Riots, a Major Recession, Stagflation and other wonderful (not)
Awash with data, how many decisions made actually use it to add value? Too few one suspects and partly because decision-making systems are not designed for this volume. Much is made about Big Data and the value it can add to a business. However, there is little said about the software applications and compute power that
Picture sourced from LinkedIn, author unknown. It seems like there are a lot of answers these days, even to questions that have not been posed. As of this writing, this author understands that masks work for Covid-19 but vaccines not so much although we are advised to get the shots and even a third one
Attributed to former US Senator and Governor Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, “Trust is built with consistency.” Moreover, from statistics we know that Internal Consistency, “measures whether several items that propose to measure the same general construct produce similar scores.” The follow on definition statistical reliability, “is the consistency of a set of measurements or measuring
Originally published as a LinkedIn article on July 6, 2021, this updated version is reprinted here with the permission of the author. Links to relevant sources are added. Lately, many LinkedIn posts bemoan the state of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The seeming slow take up of great ideas. Some argue that DEI initiatives are no
“Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.” — Napoleon Bonaparte Volumes have been written on decision-making and this pundit has offered his share of insight and comment on the subject as well. Some of our comments regard the appropriateness of the human intercession in electronic decision making. Others
