I am a short-form writer. A thousand words or so. Sometimes more, often less. I like to think I like tight prose and succinct thoughts, but I also know I’m impatient and have a short attention span. Over the years, familiar article structures and narrative flows have repeatedly crystallized into familiar templates. The most obvious… More
Writing
Managing Humans, 4th Edition
Just in time for Christmas, I’m happy to announce the 4th Edition of Managing Humans. It appears that four years is the sweet spot for new editions of this book. The process of getting this edition out the door was the least painful of the four unless you factor in, ya’know, the pandemic. Edition notes:… More
Small Things, Done Well
The promotional site for Managing Humans still makes me smile. The photos were from a part of the property we call the Fairy Meadow. It’s a horse chestnut tree surrounded by a stream that only runs during the rainy season. We return to the Fairy Meadow for the third book. Thanks to my good friend… More
How to Edit
Write a thing. Briefly celebrate that you brought this thing into the universe. Don’t celebrate by hitting publish. This done thing is only 50% done. Walk away from it. Get it completely out of your head. Your goal is to forget that you wrote this thing. Days later. Print it out and read the thing… More
The List of Things to Tidy
Two-week holiday. Walk into my home office with big plans that start with a thorough cleaning of the space. A clean space is a healthy and productive space. A place where proper work can happen. But first, let’s play Destiny… for two days. Day three. Ok, just clean the desk. This part of the desk.… More
How to Write a Blog Post
Randomly think of a thing. Let it bump around your head a bit. If the bumping gets too loud, start writing the words with the nearest writing device. See how far you get. The more words usually mean a higher degree of personal interest. Stop when it suits you. Wait for time to pass and… More
Rands in Review, 2016
I just finished the pitch letter for the third book. Unlike the prior two books, the next book is primarily based on material never published before. My goal is to finish the third book of the leadership trilogy this summer which means a fall publication. Yeah, we’ll see. Enough about the future, let’s review this… More
Managing Humans, Third Edition
I am, once again, very happy to announce the publication of another edition of Managing Humans. It’s been over four years since the last update to this book, and I’m shocked we’re still talking about it. As with each edition of these books, there are topics of note: I’m three for three on absolutely hating… More
The Half-Life of Joy
I am bad at finishing. Many of my pieces I write start out like the morning when I began this article: an early morning caffeination session where I’m bouncing aimlessly around the Internet when I discover a thought. An exciting thought appears out of nowhere and not only is it intriguing, but I can instantly… More
Drift
As I’ve written about before, Saturday morning is sacred. In weeks full of meetings, travel, people, and other productive distractions, having four consecutive hours to actually think is precious time – it’s time for writing. As a nerd afflicted with a decent case of NADD, this time can be problematic. It’s hard for me to… More
