I find that there are many ways to learn. I hope to provide some insight on the ways that I learn, share knowledge, and be a great community citizen to the web.

AVOIDING DEATH MARCHES ON SOFTWARE PROJECTS

The death march towards the release date has begun. The email just went out to ask for “volunteers” to put in a few extra hours this weekend to complete a couple rounds of testing before sending it over the wall for user testing. The project manager is trying to herd cats to get a complete status before the leadership team goes on “holiday”. The developers are questioning why leadership isn’t going to be in on the weekend and what does volunteer mean anyways. It will be frowned upon if they don’t show up.

SO YOU REALLY WANT TO TAKE A VACATION

The Christmas holiday season is upon us and people are taking time off to visit friends and family or just taking a well-deserved rest. The last thing that anyone wants on holiday is to be interrupted by work. However, for many of us, the connected world is just too darn connected and people tend to think we are always available. We see the “urgent” response required email and no matter if we try to put it off, it will nag us until we complete a response.

BOUNDARY MANAGEMENT

The project was already 1 week behind schedule according to the customer. I tried to find the humor in that assumption since the project was only 1 week old. Couldn’t they read the milestones and our current sprint plan? I could hear the voices in my head crafting up the blame game quips and quotes already. I mean really? Do you think the team has just been sitting around? I did my best form of Adam Sandler’s rendition of meditation in Anger Management and suddenly the true problem hit me.

30 DAYS OF INTENTIONAL LIVING - RECAP

My thirty days of intentional living posts are finished!

COMMITMENT IS IT'S OWN REWARD

Thirty days of writing a blog post series ends with the topic of commitment. I am truly humbled to make it to the finish line. There were a lot of obstacles such as weekends, Thanksgiving break, not feeling well, and mental blocks on what to write about. On a couple of occasions, I had this nagging voice saying “you gave it your best shot, so what if you miss a day.” I am glad that I didn’t listen to that advice.

DEFINE SUCCESS IN EVERYTHING

Over the last two months I have been working on an initiative to bring prioritization and clarity across an organization. I wish I could say I had success defined for this endeavor. Sadly, I didn’t crystalize what that would look like. However, all is not lost and it is never too late to take the step back and write down what success will look like. The most successful people I have been around are clear on the end outcomes. They envisioned what success looks like and focused intently on the journey to get to the outcome. Distractions were put aside, the noise was muffled, and momentum toward the goal escalated.

KINDNESS SHOULDN'T BE SEASONAL

This is the season I like best, as it tends to bring out the best in everyone. Little random acts of kindness are being done everywhere and by everyone, and I don’t think it is an accident. Why would this time of year be any different? It is because we intentionally recognize thankfulness and have a giving heart toward the holidays. Every day is full of opportunities for you to make a difference in others, even if it seems small. Yesterday, I opened a door for a lady with a box of books and helped a couple find hooks for their Christmas tree. They returned smiles and said thank you. However, the value I got out of it far outweighed the effort. I am not saying the only reason to be kind is so that you will get a benefit, but it just naturally happens.

TRUST AND A HAIRCUT

This morning my son and I tried out a barbershop in the neighborhood. From the barber pole outside the door to the old time radio show playing in the background, it truly was authentic. While getting our haircuts, the barber greeted one of his customer’s by name and asked how his Thanksgiving was. Customer service was a top priority. When it came time to pay for the haircut, I got out my wallet and started to hand him my debit card. He kindly stated that they don’t accept cards and were a cash only shop. I didn’t have any money on me so I told him I would need to run to the ATM. He smiled, handed me his business card and told me just to bring in the money next time I visited. He trusted me to do the right thing and I did. Five minutes later, I had cash in hand and a good tip to boot. In addition he just got two new customers.

ALWAYS BE THANKFUL

Today for many people in the US will be about spending time with family, friends, and loved ones. It will be time of food, festivities, and football. It will be about love, gratitude and thankfulness. Traditions are being formed and we actually have a holiday that calls out being thankful. Today may have special significance, but all throughout our days we have so much to be thankful for. True thankfulness is a heart action, it evolves from your Spirit and manifests in forms of a smile, gratitude, encouragement, and an amazing attitude.

WRITE, WRITE, AND THEN WRITE SOME MORE

As the years add up, the ability to remember has diminished. I didn’t think I needed to writing anything down. For me, the ability to retain knowledge, recall facts of a conversation, or remember tidbits of trivia are quickly becoming memories themselves. I used to scoff at the argument that memory fades and items become harder to remember. Now maybe I am just a little bit wiser and realize that I am having to change my processes to get information the way I need it.