From the category archives:
The recent secret service scandal has once again thrust a disgrace into the limelight. Several men have already lost their jobs, more will probably follow, and the US suffers embarrassment on the international stage. I can hear the clarion cry. “Let’s throw some training at this!” We hear this wail consistently right after the “Something [...]
{ 0 comments }
When I was in elementary school, inevitably some kid in the class would ask the nun, “Does handwriting count?” Not known for patience or suffering fools lightly, these nuns would invariably give the same answer, “It all counts.” Apparently some of the people making the news this week didn’t attend the same schools I did. [...]
{ 0 comments }
Today I have to do taxes. Any day that you do not have to do taxes, generally speaking, turns out better than a one when you do. Before anyone scolds me for not wanting to do my taxes, let me explain what I discovered. I spent a helluva lot of money last year on advice. [...]
{ 0 comments }
Frequently I receive notice of a workshop or webinar that another consultant will offer. Since I once belonged to a human resources organization, my name appears on virtually every mailing list on the planet. Today I received an invitation to a webinar entitled “Managing Employees from Hell: Discipline That Gets Results.” Where do these companies [...]
{ 0 comments }
Steve Goodman aspired to write the perfect country / western song, “You Don’t Have to Call Me Darling.” He had a clear strategy, but he initially failed in execution because he didn’t seek the voice of the customer. He sent the song to David Allen Coe, who wrote Goodman back that it was not was [...]
{ 0 comments }
“The Emperor’s New Clothes,” Hans Christian Andersen’s famous account outlines the story of two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that are invisible to those unfit, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, “But he isn’t wearing anything at all!” [...]
{ 0 comments }
Just when I thought people had gotten about as crazy as they could get, I uncovered a new movement afoot to identify and recognize “office spouses,” a term for co-workers who share a close relationships, on Valentine’s Day. People who advocate honoring their office spouses on Valentine’s Day claim that showing people you “care” should [...]
{ 0 comments }
Amy Chua’s new bestseller, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom, has stirred quite a controversy. According to Chua, raising successful children involves the strict discipline that she experienced as a child and that she advocates for western mothers. According to her, play dates, sleepovers, television, and sports waste the time of a child. Only academics [...]
{ 0 comments }
David Baldacci could write an owner’s manual for a 1957 toaster, and it would immediately shoot to the top of the best seller list. The man can spin a yarn. This season’s blockbuster, Hell’s Corner, is not exception. I’m currently on page 294 and can’t wait to finish business for the day so I can [...]
{ 0 comments }
By now most people have seen the clip of the View during which Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg harrumph off the set in response to Bill O’Reilly’s comments about the proposed mosque at Ground Zero. The scene looked staged and slightly rehearsed, but that’s beside the point. The behavior of the two hosts personifies a [...]
{ 0 comments }
