Why Can’t I Make a Decision?
June 26th, 2012 // 10:18 am @ Jim // No Comments
. . . when we grow up with limits, we expect them. We feel we need them or we will get ourselves in trouble. We are uncomfortable with freedom. We are constantly either doing what is expected or resisting doing what is expected. In both cases, “what is expected” is determining what we do. [...]
Self Discipline Doesn’t Work? Really?
June 5th, 2012 // 5:14 pm @ Jim // No Comments
Really. Self discipline does not work. Not for the long run. Not even for the short run. People turn to self discipline when they they think they should do something they really don’t want to do. It’s like having a boss, parent or spouse on your case about something you should do but have not. It’s no [...]
What’s It Like To Be Totally Free?
February 13th, 2012 // 3:31 pm @ Jim // No Comments
See the image below! In February 1984, astronaut Bruce McCandless stepped outside the “safety” of his Challenger spacecraft. Once outside the ship, weightless, he entered Earth’s orbit totally untethered to his “mothership.” Now many people including my daughter, have jumped out of airplanes. They fully understand that, gravity being what it is, they are destined [...]
Multitasking and Other Counterproductive Ideas
February 10th, 2012 // 9:00 am @ Jim // No Comments
Tony Schwartz is CEO of The Energy Project and the author of Be Excellent at Anything. In this short Harvard Business Review article, Tony debunks four popular myths that companies small and large continue to follow. Among them is that multitasking is the prized skill of this century. I have addressed this phenomenon previously and [...]
Category : Blog
Are You Insanely Productive?
February 8th, 2012 // 9:00 am @ Jim // No Comments
Insanely Productive is the name of the book I am writing at the moment. It’s not your usual time management or how to be organized type book. As we strive to be more effective, more streamlined, more more, could it be that our usual, auto-pilot approach (let’s get organized, prioritizing everything) is actually counter productive? For [...]
Category : Blog
Stop Setting Goals?
February 6th, 2012 // 9:00 am @ Jim // No Comments
In this second decade of our new century, with all our emphasis on start-ups, entrepreneuring and growth, growth, growth, it comes as a surprise to see people recommending that the best path to being successful may be to forget goals and instead look at what you do daily and learn what your habits are. After [...]
Ask Yourself This Question
February 3rd, 2012 // 1:39 pm @ Jim // One Comment
How do you define success? No matter what stage of growth your business is in, this is an extremely valuable question. When you answer it, you’ll have a much better chance of developing a successful, sustainable business. Tim Berry in this article from Entrepreneur, suggests three questions for people to ask themselves prior to writing [...]
Category : Blog
The Army Pays Attention! Do you?
February 2nd, 2012 // 9:00 am @ Jim // No Comments
Although much has been made about the group of Iowa National Guardsmen who came up with a simple idea to make it easier for them to carry more rounds of ammunition while on patrol in Afghanistan, perhaps the most salient point of this story in TechCrunch is how fast the Army responded to the suggestion. Many [...]
Category : Blog
Steve Jobs vs Email?
October 31st, 2011 // 8:13 pm @ Jim // No Comments
Does email Subvert Creativity? Steve Jobs thought so. In this quote from his biography by Walter Isascson, Steve expresses his concern for company cultures and physical spaces that discourage face-to-face meetings: ‘”There’s a temptation in our networked age to think ideas can be developed by email and iChat” he said. “That’s crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous [...]
Category : Blog
When Companies Fail – Look at the Leaders
September 13th, 2011 // 9:52 pm @ Jim // No Comments
As bitter a pill as this may be to swallow, companies fail when their leaders fail to lead. In order to lead we must be conscious of our decision but experts estimate that we make 95% of our decisions unconsciously, on auto-pilot. We’re not speaking here of the major strategic decisions but rather of the [...]
Category : Blog
