Umbrellas. We all use them. We all fight with them.  At best, the umbrella is a “good enough” device. It works when it wants to, and when it doesn’t, it won’t open, or the wind turns it backward, or the fabric comes loose on one of the spines. It’s “good enough,” and we have lived … Continue reading “Good enough.” Could this be where making a difference lives?

Imagine you’re on that ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic. An iceberg rips through the hull, and the ship is going down. There are more passengers than lifeboats. Decisions must be made—tough decisions about who will live and who will surely die.  Now imagine a crew member pushing some people overboard in order to open … Continue reading The Worst Harm Businesses Do. There’s an Opportunity There.

In our industrial economy, it seems efficiency is regularly sparring with quality.  Let’s look at our contestants. Efficiency focuses on production. Quality focuses on value.  Efficiency’s priority is what is best for those who deliver. Quality’s is what’s best for those being served.  Efficiency emphasizes doing things faster and cheaper. Quality emphasizes doing the right … Continue reading Efficiency or quality?

I went on a trip where I saw—or at minimum, it appeared like—true service.  True service is where the person delivering wants to help rather than just doing it because they have to. It’s the difference between getting a birthday gift with some thought—and feeling—behind it and getting one that is a cold obligation. The … Continue reading True Service Versus the Placebo

I read this the other day: “Only 50% of working people feel they’re doing meaningful work.” Sad. It means 50% of people go off to work every day thinking the work they spend so much time doing is pointless in the grand scheme of things. We hear a lot of talk about meaningful work and … Continue reading Meaningful work!?

In the movie Annie Hall, there’s a great scene where Woody Allen and Dianne Keaton are sitting on a park bench making funny comments about passersby. It’s people watching, and it got me thinking. My wife and I people-watch, but unlike Allen and Keaton, we don’t so much comment as wonder.  I wonder where they … Continue reading Wonder

“Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much.” -Francis Bacon I was training someone once, and they asked, "If I get stuck, how will I know what to do?" My response? "Ask. Just ask." Questions are powerful. They allow us to learn. They are the fuel for invention. They send a message (“You matter, … Continue reading Questions 

“The greatest virtue of [mankind] is perhaps curiosity.” -Anatole France Why? Because curiosity helps us live.  It’s where innovation comes from, asking questions, wondering why, what, and how. It’s where we solve problems. It’s the catalyst for service, for going together in search of better. If I see you have a problem or you need … Continue reading Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it’s helpful for humans

The art of art—or any work—isn’t just in the outcome; it’s also in the struggle. The struggle to make something from nothing. The struggle with imposter syndrome. The struggle to make something work that shouldn’t. The struggle to accept accidents.  Being human is messy and beautiful at the same time. And it’s in the messiness … Continue reading The messy middle. It’s us.

Love. I believe it changes everything. I have seen the hardest of hearts turn to jelly and become the kindest of hearts when they were connected to love. It seems to be the most powerful force in the universe. It can take losers and make them winners. It can take the broken and make them … Continue reading You can change everything.