Not that you asked, but I have some things to say.

I almost never endorse a specific product, service, website, etc. and I'm not now...not exactly....I'm simply commenting. At Startup Vitamins one can find all sorts of brutally honest, no-nonsense, real-world motivational products. I like it, and will be buying a specific mug that I love....but this is not an endorsement. Not exactly.....it's commentary, and here's why... I love the quote "The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference." I believe the folks at Startup Vitamins have embodied this quote exquisitely. There has been a trend for decades of motivational posters and paraphernalia, with one truly stand out example....it stands out because it sort of sucks....I won't be naming it, but you know the one. Platitudinous pablum, offered up as profundity. Silver linings, soaring eagles, mountains.....you've seen them....you've rolled your eyes at them....you may have one hanging in your workplace. And then...the backlash. A p...

I suck at math, so please view the title of this post as symbolic and literary in nature. I've read or heard the term 'counterintuitive' a lot lately. I like how it puts the spotlight on perception....a lot can be uncovered. But, it may say more about our biases than anything else...see definition below. coun•ter•in•tu•i•tive  (ˌkaʊn tər ɪnˈtu ɪ tɪv, -ˈtyu-) adj. counter to what intuition would lead one to expect. So, I read the above and ask one question.....Who's intuition is the accepted baseline? Isn't it possible that when someone says "Hey, that seems counterintuitive." it could be easily viewed as "Hey... I have a less evolved, less informed, and biased, outlook... so I didn't expect that outcome." A few examples: "That member of an ethnic class didn't live up to my stereotype." or "My simple view of the world didn't expect the more complicated results the experiment showed." or ...

I work with some pretty smart people....partners, colleagues, clients, a team of fine folks. We train weekly....sales process, technology changes, best practices....sharpening the saw. Many of us are curious by nature, so we seek out new things naturally. Trade rags, articles on new developments and recent trends, white papers, what have you. But I've noticed something. No matter how good we are or how hard we try, we run into a peculiar problem...there is only so much knowledge contained within a group.  We have shared as much info as is contained within a particular group. We look around and see that what was once a series of shared discoveries is now communal knowledge. Occasionally we hit a ceiling. Being relevant has a finite expiration date, without knowledge growth. We have, often, had to look hard to find new things to learn. It's uncommon, as there is so much change within my industry. But it happens. When it does, it's time to have lunch....or coffee.......

The Bormioli Rocco Fido Glass Canning Jar. Simply made, seemingly anachronistic, perfectly engineered. It's a great symbol of quality that balances efficiency, economy, and function in a sublime manner. I get wound up over strange things, I admit. But stick with me... In the aisles of mass-produced plastic crap, the Fido stands out. Whatever you are storing, you care about it. You want it sealed in an air tight manner. You trust glass as the perfect medium to neither impart nor allow entry from outside tastes (ever tasted ice that tastes like garlic....that's infused from the fridge....think of food products that work similarly). Spices, some a minor investment, find these little homes perfect for their overall demeanor. A marinara made with real San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic deserve to be stored in a Fido. Now...you may be wondering my point. Go to your pantry. Look in. Is there any foodstuff there that you would deem worthy of the Fido? Eliminat...

This morning I took a medication that should be taken with food....said so right on the bottle. I didn't. Within a half hour or so, my body reacted...and with it my mood....in a bad direction. We don't use the term malaise enough in the common vernacular, but it describes my day well. I raised my voice to a coworker...not that this is a big deal as my team uses raised voices, and impassioned gestures as a part of our communication process...punctuated often with expletives....it works for us...normally. But today, it was more short tempered irritability and was poorly misplaced emotion. It served no purpose, and was most likely counterproductive to my desired end. I was passionately indifferent. I seemed to look for things to not care about. This is highly atypical for me and not a state that would allow me to survive long in my field....but my 'give a shit' was busted. I expressed, in what I would classify as a warning to my coworkers, that I was in an ill mood. ...

If you have a banana, and only a banana, selling a banana seems a grand idea. But not everyone wants a banana. Let's expand on this a bit.....a VERY large online retail site, oh....ryhmes with Blamazon....has a whole lot going for it....a regular fruit salad (if sticking with, but expanding on, the banana metaphor). Huge online inventory...check.....great pricing.....yep.....ease of use....yep....great return policy....indeed....avoiding state/local taxes....still yes, sort of, most places....unparalleled logistics and distribution....can't argue.....same day delivery.....wait..what?? Same day delivery? Really? Maybe someone will look back upon this post and think "Gads, what a Luddite."....but same day delivery just seems unnecessary...and a bit anathema to why I personally LOVE using....umm...rhymes with Cramazon.....oh, screw it, it's Amazon. Let's take a look at same day delivery....what are we buying? Books...scads of books....suits, blazers, elec...

See what I did there....funny, no?? When a mistake is made, and they will be...and often....so very often, how do you look at it? How do you process it? How do you approach it? "Stupid _____ department.", "Damn support team", "Those ____ guys screw up everything.", etc, etc. Sound familiar? If you hear someone saying this, go correct them (I'll give you details below)....say it often yourself? Then you should either change, or find a new job...maybe some therapy. Medication, maybe. Step 1: Mistakes are inevitable. Human, mechanical, electrical, clerical, etc, etc, etc.....plan, take ownership, mitigate, embrace, learn, coach, mitigate some more, learn some more. For those who have followed this blog for a while, you may recall the saying "Keep the shit to shoe level." This is what I speak of, expect it and see it coming. Step 2: You just uncovered or were made aware of a mistake. STOP...breathe. DO NOT assign blame. Blame is a meani...