If a woman works in a forest, and no one sees her work, is she really working? Okay, silly question, but it gets at why many of us hesitate to take or approve offsite work. To understand whether that woman in the forest is really working, it helps to have common understanding of the word “working.” How can there even... Continue Reading →
Procrastination is blamed for all manner of work woes. It’s true that putting something off until you don’t have time to do it well is not the best way to work. On the other hand, I think we lump a number of sins (and virtues) under the heading procrastination and castigate them all. If we... Continue Reading →
Ever since writing that post on quality last week I have felt uneasy, knowing that perfectionists might understand it as an exhortation to be even more perfect. It isn’t. Good work is a worthy goal. Perfect work isn’t. In fact, aiming for perfection can stand in the way of moving important, useful, even life-changing work... Continue Reading →
Two years ago I spent spring break building a deck in my backyard with my son. I thought it would be a good way to spend time together while playing with power tools. We had fun for a day before my son decided he’d rather watch TV than do manual labor with his mom and... Continue Reading →
The things I don’t know every day could fill volumes. Just today, looking at my calendar, I can see I don’t know enough to do half the things I should do. That country budget that was slashed? No idea what the reduction means in real dollars and people and projects. I haven’t read it carefully... Continue Reading →
Open Door Policy 