Thanksgiving did not become an official national holiday until 1941, but it had roots that extended back to the founding of the first American colonies. The Plymouth colonists in 1621 did indeed have a thanksgiving harvest celebration with local Indians, and apparently ate eel and venison (but maybe not turkey) as part of the festivities. […]
Archive for Leadership
The Science of Gauging Time
Get It Right By Seeing Where You Go Wrong
This morning I had a list of four sizable items to accomplish. I knew it was an ambitious plan, but I tackled the day with confidence. I was determined to be a single-minded machine of efficiency, slaying tasks with unparalleled gusto. I started early, but it didn’t matter. As I write, it’s mid-afternoon and not […]
Getting It Doneness
Knowing When to Let Go and Let Someone Else Take It
The journalist W. James “Jim” Antle III was pressed up against a deadline on a story. He had been working with the material long enough that he doubted he could look at it with fresh eyes any longer. So he sent what he had up the editorial chain with a note. The note said that […]
Deadline Power
Use Time Pressure to Your Advantage
Legendary jazz composer Duke Ellington once said, “I don’t need time. I need a deadline.” If that was true for Sir Duke, it is also true for you. When you have set deadlines, you are more likely to stay on task, make the most of your time, and achieve success in every facet of your […]
How to Deliver on Deadline
Foolproof Strategies for Completing Projects on Time
Nobody likes deadlines, but they’re vital for keeping projects, new products, and major deliverables on track. Too often, major initiatives get bogged down by the weight of daily work, email, and meetings. Over the years, we’ve honed our ability to deliver big results on a tight timeline. In this episode, we’ll share three foolproof actions […]
But Will It Sell?
When to Discard Bad Product Ideas
Will this idea that you are considering lead to a product that sells? This is the hardest question you and your colleagues will ask yourselves every day. There isn’t always an easy answer. Certainly you can easily dismiss the most outlandish product concepts, say a restaurant chain selling freshly-prepared pizza that people then take and […]