Don't tell people how to do things
It's often hard for managers to resist the temptation to make people do things they way they would have. Unfortunately, even when well-intentioned, micromanagement is suffocating »
Scripting is the new typing
When typewriters were new, typing was a marketable skill that could land you a job. If the main difference between candidates was that one could type, »
What not to measure
When you're unsure how to improve a key performance indicator, it's best not to measure it. While metrics are a great way to focus energy on »
Offering feedback
It's hard to go with the flow when you're confident that your team's plan isn't going work. But, because offering your point of view without being »
Be careful about what you call easy
When asking someone to do something, it's tempting to say, "this should be easy," if you want it to be done quickly. The implication »
Talking through feedback
Because I prefer processing audio information, I have a tendency to assume that others also prefer to talk about ideas instead of reading about them first »
Being transparent about executive decisions
Workplaces aren't democracies nor should they be. But, managers need to be judicious in deciding when to "vote their 51%" or they risk making »
Data products are anti-viral
Unlike social networks that become increasingly valuable when more people use them, data products become inherently less valuable when the underlying information becomes more widely available. »
Pay commissions only after money has been collected
I was surprised to learn that sales reps are often paid monthly commissions based on deals closed instead payments received from deals closed. In these arrangements, »
The power of shadowing people
It's difficult to take direction from people when they don't fully understand what they're asking for. They tend to underestimate what's hard and what's easy, implicitly »