We need to pay attention to what our ideas look like. Recently I was working on a project with a colleague. We were shaping an idea and he put together a concept sheet — a summary of our idea for leadership buy-in. His summary was one long-winded paragraph in a tiny font compressed on to the top third of the page. The only thing more exhausting than glancing ... Continue Reading about What Do Your Ideas Look Like?
Measure What You Care About
“We don’t know how to measure what we care about so we care about what we measure.” This quote comes from Chris Dancy in his provocative book, Don’t Unplug. While it references technology, the quote captures the problem with modern medicine’s obsession with numbers. Measuring to manage is okay as long as we’re measuring the right stuff. Usually we’re not ... Continue Reading about Measure What You Care About
Phone Hygiene – Technology as a Reflection of Ourselves
During a recent solo dinner at a local restaurant a gentleman sat down next to me at the bar and put his phone between us. To my disgust, he had miserable phone hygiene. His screen was caked with a think layer of biomatter. I could only imagine - which was the problem. Knowing that a phone is ten times dirtier than a toilet seat, I moved. Sounds extreme, ... Continue Reading about Phone Hygiene – Technology as a Reflection of Ourselves
Twitter’s Narrative Correction
On July 3rd I shared an image from an Independence Day celebration that’s a tradition in my home town. A colleague replied that celebration is difficult when children are in cages. On the morning of the 4th I opened Twitter to a short clip of a woman sobbing with the suggestion that the American flag is ‘bathed in our blood.’ Laurence Scott tells the story of a ... Continue Reading about Twitter’s Narrative Correction
The Human Quest for a Single Measure of Health
Humans are simple creatures. We’re always looking for a way to reduce our condition to one measure. Check out James Hamblin’s latest Atlantic piece, The Power of One Push-up. It details the quest for the best single measure of health. It’s entertaining but maybe better suited for a 20th century audience. The problem is that our world is too complicated. Humans ... Continue Reading about The Human Quest for a Single Measure of Health
How Not to Teach Social Media
The early days of Twitter and Facebook were all about early adopters giving ‘social media talks.’ For many of us these amounted to cheerleading over shiny new objects - fast moving talks that subtly oversold social media. Conversions from non-believers to believers were less frequent than we liked. We told ourselves folks 'just didn't get it.' Speaking for myself, I ... Continue Reading about How Not to Teach Social Media