The Internet is Pretty Great

The world is small and good. Social media and the internet is pretty great. Years ago, my husband worked for Monsanto/Searle/Pharmacia. He made drugs. The entity was acquired by Pfizer, so we moved to Kalamazoo for his career. I also worked for Pfizer and had an office in Building 88 in Kalamazoo, which was a…

Take Your PTO

Hello, everybody. I’m headed home from a week in Ireland. I hate it when bloggers like me go on vacation and then use their time away from the computer as an opportunity to lecture you to take your PTO. “You need space and time to think,” they write. “Turn your brain off. Get away from…

Jobs of the Future

Jobs of the near-term future will have three components: dream, create, perform. Each part is interwoven and material to the whole.  Dreaming is the precursor to doing great things. What differentiates humans from bots and algorithms is our ability to imagine. While robots can be programmed for artistic talent, they can’t aspire beyond their designed consciousness.…

Why I Still Love the Premortem

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about failure, but not a day goes by when I don’t think about the concept of the “premortem.”  As a reminder, a premortem is an act of thinking about how you’ll fail before you do something. Modify your plans, and increase your chance of success. For example, you’ve got…

Work-Life Balance: Develop Your “Core Four”

Work-life balance is tough for everybody including public speakers.  It’s hard to maintain relationships when you’re always on the road. Nevermind social media, it’s challenging to stay in contact with colleagues and loved ones when you don’t sit still for five minutes. But it’s vital to make time and be thoughtful with travel and commitments. Otherwise,…