Blog

Book Review: The Lazy Project Manager

“There is nothing more uncommon than common sense.” Some attribute the axiom to Frank Lloyd Wright but others are adamant that he’s not the origin of it. Whoever said it had a somewhat elitist or cynical perspective about the general population. At times, however, the saying has proven itself to be true. That’s why sometimes it’s best to…
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Opportunity Ahead

Real Cost vs Opportunity Cost

One of the hardest lessons to learn and put into practice is that of Real Cost versus Opportunity Cost. Let’s consider an example. Real Cost Real Cost is straightforward. If the water pipes in my house freeze and burst due to the cold weather, I can fix the leak myself or I can call a professional plumber.…
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The tug-o-war of work and life

Balancing Work and Life

  Balancing work and home life is nothing new; we’ve had this challenge for a long time. But in recent months when so many companies are streamlining operations and asking their employees to do more with less, the challenge has gotten noticeably more difficult. I recently interviewed someone who had struggled with this in a…
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What Is That in My Coffee?

The Importance of Managing Expectations

Have you ever taken a sip of sweet tea only to discover that it was soda instead? Eeww! What an eye-opening experience! Don’t misunderstand; I like soda. But when I’m expecting sweet tea, the normally pleasant taste of the carbonated beverage is face-wrenchingly awful. Thus, the importance of expectations. What To Expect? When working with…
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Waiting for an interview

The Three C’s of Interviewing Candidates

A client recently asked me to help fill a junior-level position in their organization. This isn’t uncommon; I regularly help clients interview and select qualified IT Professionals to join their ranks. Usually I’m usually given a detailed job description with very specific requirements. The manager frequently believes that the requirements for the position are very…
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What are you building?

Keeping Perspective: What Are You Building?

Think about your responsibilities at work for a minute. How many do you have? Can you even name them all? As technical professionals, we have a myriad of responsibilities This is especially true in today’s economy when so many of us are being asked to do more with less. It’s easy to get caught up in our…
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