2014
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Following the Rules
Oct 20
No matter how enticing it becomes to break a rule here or there, I’ve stuck to the letter of the law.
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Take Yourself out of the Equation
Sept 10
How well your team works when you’re not involved speaks volumes about the quality of your involvement.
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Flat Hierarchy
Aug 27
I learned about a flattened-hierarchical organization structure in college. I’ve used it everywhere I could ever since.
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Asynchronous Conversations
May 30
I keep hearing a new term from colleagues who work from home: “asynchronous communication.”
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Magic of Collaboration
Mar 8
I’m super excited to announce that I’m using 10up’s newest product – PushUp – on this site. If you’re visiting on Safari you’ve already see the popup asking for permission to notify you.
2009
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Directions
Nov 23
Following directions isn’t just for new hires. A CEO who ignores his own rules invites noncompliance, a consultant who ignores the client’s writes recommendations nobody uses. The consequences rarely match how important the rule seemed.
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Motivation
Nov 6
Walk into a clothing store and someone greets you within minutes. Walk into the DMV and you take a number. Profit and public service create two very different work ethics — and I invite you to disagree.
2008
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Bureaucracy
Oct 13
Systems that train newcomers keep an organization afloat — until they cost it its mission. Bill, a proven expert returning after ten years away, was told to sit through beginner’s courses, and walked away.
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Entitlement and Cynicism
Sept 10
As a kid and a Boy Scout, I waited my turn for the older kids’ privileges. In the workforce, that same reward-for-tenure system (vacation, pay, layoffs by seniority) has turned my peers into a society of cynics.