It was the usual manager career questions with an unusual answer. “This job should not exist in 3 years. I do everything I can do to make my job go away. I love my job, but we have serious problems if this role looks the same three years from now.” I think, what would have…
Quick, sketch the logos for Toyota, Audi and Tesla. Finished? Did you struggle? Sure, you recognize them when you see them, but can you draw them? There is a difference between recognition/familiarity and knowledge.Recognizing the ingredients in a cake and familiarity with making a cake does not necessarily make you a baker. This week consider…
There is a Zombie Apocalypse. You can become a zombie, you can fight the zombies or you can flee. What do you do? Pause for a moment and consider. What’s your response? Now, think about your actions over the last two weeks. When do you acquiesce, when do you fight and when do you flee?…
I love a good leopard or cheetah print; it’s not for everybody, but it works for me. I feel the same about Rosemary Lemonade; it’s got that extra zing. However, If you’re not a fan of lemonade or detest rosemary, you’re probably making a squinch face even thinking about it. Nothing wrong with the lemonade…
I am directionally challenged. I google and mapquest to figure out what my destination looks like ad how to get there. Once, I noticed my chatty phone had gone unusually silent, I discovered in that 15 minutes of silence, I’d lost my signal. I now print backup directions in addition to leaving extra time and…
It’s Labor day, so let’s talk about jobs. Switchboard operator, hot metal typesetter from the early 80s are jobs that do not exist today. Video rental stores are no longer viable businesses. Today we have instagram influencers who make between $30,000 – $60,000 a year, Social media strategist who makes upwards of $80,000 a year.…
What would you do if you wanted to be bad at your job? Don’t over think it; what would be on the list? You have a sense of what success should look like, but do you know what not to do? You may have a quota or a list of of objectives for a job;…
The trunk release for my car does not open doors. Saturday, I found myself standing in front of Lululemon pointing my keys, pushing the truck unlock and waiting for the door to pop open. When I’m off-balance physically I stumble and call. Mentally, I suppose it’s an inappropriate use of an unrelated item to open a…
I’ve been asked a few times, “why do black women look so mean all of the time.” It’s a good question, but I can’t think of an easy response. See the comments to the right I read this week.¹ I am referred to as an animal. “These are animals.” “Stop hiring these animals.” That was hard…
“Why are you limping, are you hurt?” I get asked monthly. “I have scoliosis. My spine curves laterally to the right instead of going straight down my back throwing off my gait. I can compensate for it most of the time; when I’m tired, I limp.” Would friends and casual acquaintances ask me that so…
You are being watched. It’s not a person looking at you, speaking into a headset, it’s not an overhead motion activated camera tracking with a flashing red recording light. No, it’s none of that cool looking stuff you see in movies. If you use a computer for work, your employee can install or may have…
Facebook showed this photo I posted three years ago today. It reminded me how different some things are. I took the week off to do nothing in particular, except to rest pause and reflect. When was the last time you took a pause? Lessons learned; it’s something I do at work after a big project. It’s…
This is like eating that entire bag of chips. You know you did it, you were there for every moment and yet it still comes as a shock when you reach in and the bag is empty. Yup, that is how I feel about turning 60 today. And, when people ask, what are you doing…
You think, “Yuk, that doesn’t taste right.” Then you remember, certain food combinations (orange juice after brushing your teeth – cringe)¹ destroy flavors. Hence, the value of a palate cleaner to remove food residue, and competing flavors; enabling you to fully experience your food without the yuk. A weekend is a cerebral palate cleanser. It neutralizes…
“Wow, that’s what you really think?” I slapped my laptop shut, stunned by what I’d read. Was I overreacting to a comment made by a connection on LinkedIn? What’s my problem? Is this a teachable moment? I returned to the post three days later. I read the replies and six out of eight expressed the…
I’m stalled. Work is stalled, the blog is stalled, my plans for world domination in some areas is stalled. A car stalls when the engine is overloaded. My stall is not an overloaded engine; it’s a lack of vision, an absence of what’s next? In times like theses, I watch basketball; it’s March Madness and…
Put down the phone, walk away from the tweets and posts and hashtags and let’s talk. Drop the defenses and attitude for a few moments. #MeToo shed light egregious forced assaults, degrading groping and humiliating innuendo in the workplace. Now, Three months post Weinstein, what sound likes “embarrassing choices” and “regrettable sex” have crept into…
The crash and burn of Harvey Weinstein produced shock, rage and a hashtag. But, this is just an event. An event without action remains an event, not a movement and not a change. While many question how Mr. Weinstein’s behavior continued for decades, the better question is, will this continue? History shows it will. The…
I don’t associate vegan restaurants with decadence, but Souley Vegan, Monday through Friday, from 6:00 am – 10:00am, serves beignets and chicory coffee. It takes 11 minutes for me to run across the street, grab my fix and get back to my desk for a sugar and caffeine party. My party was interrupted on Friday.…
A proper handstand is an inversion you can enter, hold and exit with control. I cannot do a handstand. Do not be fooled by this picture which depicts a point in time of one try out of eight. Trust and believe, I wouldn’t try this on the balcony of a confined space because I can’t…
For six years, I traveled weekly. One night, driving home from the airport, I repeatedly pressed a button trying to make a stop light change from red to green and I could not understand why it didn’t work. At least not until I go home and realized I tried to use the garage door opener…
Homeless, Broke and Ugly. It’s one of the panhandler’s signs from the popular spot at the intersection of the freeway, police station, cannabis shop two blocks from the place I now call home. One of the daily reminders I am out of the suburban bubble. There is a Starbucks in the building where I live…
Me, “Wait, you were pumping gas at 5:30 am and someone opened the door and stole your iPad off the passenger seat?” James, “Yes, and I’m in small remote town. David, “The security cameras that caught it, right? The police can see who did it.” James, “Not really, the image on the camera wasn’t good.…
There is that moment when I am barely awake and I want to stay in curled up in bed, but I need to go the bathroom. Need wins and I get up immediately. Today, the need is losing. I want to relax. I want to do nothing all day and sit on the balcony and watch the sunset. However,…
Crazy Time. Oh yes, you’ve been in it. A meeting goes on to long and people start talking crazy. Unfortunately, crazy talk has gotten confused with “innovative ideas” and “out of the box” thinking. If you watch small kids, when they get tired, but fear they may miss something, they do everything they can to…
I hate “planning.” which is ironic since people who know me would raise an eyebrow and tell you I would plan my dreams if I could. I hate planning, but, I know it is necessary to get good results. I had an all day meeting this week and we spent a good two hours talking to…
There is a hidden camera. I need a new washer and dryer for the condo, there are three brands I will buy, yet, the salesman insists on the one brand I said I don’t want. This must be a hidden camera joke. Me: That is the brand I am replacing; I don’t want it. Salesman:…
I am sick and it’s from stress. There I said it and I meant it. When there are things I am slow to admit, I have to ask why. This discussion reminds me I am not imbued with super powers and an admission while maybe a little embarrassing is usually more helpful than harmful. Admitting, I am…
I have an address after 7 weeks of hotel living, I have the keys to the new place. Does it feel like home? NO, but I have felt “at home” this week. The laughter during and camaraderie at dinner with a couple of colleagues from Europe felt like home. Spending time with an old friend …
Arghh. I have a huge project at work to finish in two weeks, I am selling a house and I’m trying to buy a house. Every time I open my mouth, there is this competition of all the things in my head trying to escape. My eyes are darting about and my conversation is punctuated with…
The mind is the future, the body is the past and the breath is the present. This was a stressful week. Years ago when people would tell me to calm down and take a deep breath. What I called a deep breath, was actually a humph of indignation. Don’t tell me to calm down and…
Some years back, I was groped by an executive at a work event while my male peers looked on. It was disturbing, not only due to what was happening, but because my co-workers looked on and did nothing. This was a group of men I’d worked with everyday work with every day for three years. No…
One of the cool things about good mirrors, they reflect what’s there. There is no opinion, nothing that tries to make you feel good or bad, they just reflect. The mirror does not say, oh those pants make you look fat, that shirt is to tight or that color is wrong for you. The mirror…
I got sick this week. I was on a business trip and early afternoon of day one, I started to feel unwell. Strange. I don’t get sick. I was a little dizzy and a little nauseous. I attributed it jet lag and dehydration, and drank water. Three hours later, still dizzy and nauseous. I am perplexed. I don’t…
