Leadership

Life hard at times. The edges are messy and there are things that just creep in from the sides. It can be all sorts of woes that want to sneak in from family dramas to difficult coworkers, money troubles, sickness, death and so forth. Leadership in the face of these situations is hard. Yep, life is a pretty ol’ messy thing. When we are in positions of leadership, and please note I didn’t say authority,

When exploring a word, I often use the definition according to Merriam-Webster. It’s nice to start at the original intent of a word and step forward. And for the first time in forever, I couldn’t locate a word. I found refactoring on Wikipedia when referencing its combination with software. Developers know how to use the word on a daily basis, but outside of that the word doesn’t have much utility. “Code refactoring is the process

I can still remember the pit in my stomach when Steve Jobs tried to quiet the complaints of the newly launched iPhone 4 (the first I ever owned). The smartphone giant came out with a brand new design of the device, which included a new radio antenna. Instead of doing a mea culpa (which came later, of course), Jobs responded with a line that would launch a thousand memes: “You’re not holding it right.” We

“Can I give you some feedback?” Take stock of how you feel after reading those words. Not great right? Your blood pressure and pulse probably spiked a bit. There aren’t many other sentences that put us more on edge in the workplace. Right out of college, the scariest thing one could tell me was the manager wanted to see me in his or her office. Many of us don’t have close enough relationships with our

“Being a consultant is like flying first-class. The food is terrific, the drinks are cold. But all you can do is walk up to the pilot and say, ‘bank left.’” — Greg Brenneman Speaking to an engaged audience is always a treat. Mainly because I have been in their shoes before, but there is also excitement in those hungry for more. It’s the look in their eyes. Had such an opportunity recently to meet a

“It’s the year of Chris.” I didn’t understand what Allison was telling me. Having known her for a few years, I’m accustomed to her riddles. At Dallas Agile Leadership Network, I asked why she chose me to co-present with her at Dallas Tech Fest. That one sentence in January would change the course of my year. No comment on if I was her first choice. In reality, Mrs. Pollard’s co-presenter had to drop out at the last minute. Our past