“That’s Frank. He never gets close to anyone.” If you don’t invest in relationships, if you deliberately hold back then yes you do get to avoid the lowest of the lows but by default you are also avoiding the highest of the highs. Keeping your distance certainly will work for avoiding pain but at what … Continue reading Holding back to avoid pain →

There used to be a show on TV called ‘Are you smarter than a ten year old?’ In this show they would take an average adult and pit them against a smart ten year old. Then they would ask general knowledge questions. The fun for the audience was watching the adult struggle and sometimes losing … Continue reading Are you smarter than a 10 year old? →

Pete: Hi I'm looking to change my subscription plan. Customer support: OK I can't actually make those changes but let me just talk to my supervisor. Pete: Ok I'll wait. CS: Ok my supervisor has told me I am allowed to upgrade you. Pete: But I'm looking to downgrade my package. CS: One second please … Continue reading Non empowered employees →

The approver didn't like the first few versions and the writer has become sick of this project so is becoming more inclined to compromise just to get it signed off. At this point the writer needs to be very clear on who this piece is for. Are they writing for the target audience or are … Continue reading Writing for sign off →

I think one of the scariest displays of emotion is apathy. A stressed or angry outburst every now and then is tolerable but showing a distinct lack of humanity is terrifying. A company choosing to lay people off to protect their profitability. A sports player stepping over a seriously injured player to complain to the … Continue reading Misaligned priorities →

Quitting a job without having another one lined up - brave or foolish? I think this is always going to vary case by case. I think it's foolish to quit your job because Rita spilled tea on your favourite moleskin notepad. Then to consider bravery, if you have been talking about leaving your job for … Continue reading Quitting without a backup →

I can't think of anything to write about. No, scratch that, I can think of something to write about but I can't bring myself to craft a blog post. Because I'm afraid. I'm afraid of being judged. That's the real reason I have writer's block.   The fear of the reader is too great.   … Continue reading This is crap →

I can’t write. I can’t draw. I can’t do maths. For me, the very first thing that a teacher should do is make the student believe they are capable of improving. Because if the student holds the belief that they can’t improve then the greatest technical advice in the world isn’t going to help them. … Continue reading Can’t into can →

Ben shuffled his feet as he began to feel uncomfortable. This team huddle was becoming a bit much. There was a lot of shouting and listing of things the team needed to do. Ben could hear laughter behind him and he turned around to steal a quick glance at the other team training. They all … Continue reading Team spirit →

I think that one of the biggest reasons for not giving one’s opinion is: It might lead to confrontation. We don’t speak up because what if it offends someone and they want to argue with us. So then we just stay quiet or agree with the general consensus. And I think it doesn’t have to … Continue reading Silence to avoid confrontation →