In The Tall Grass

For those that have grown up with computer technology as an integrated part of growing up, I'm like my grandfathers were to my understanding of cars and planes - they witnessed the first cars and planes. Flying seemed like the impossible and both technologies enabled a new way of moving people, goods, and information. And like them, I have migrated with technology and enjoy it like a wine I can sip at (and occasionally swim in), where to younger individuals, it may seem more like water, ubiquitous and seamless. I work a bit to keep up with it and use it effectively.   There are plenty of folks in my age range (and older) who don't and that's fine too. There are folks that shake their heads at people who use their phones (especially) a lot - that's a natural reaction for some. One might realize, you're the same person who shook their head at kids driving more than 20 miles an hour (when the car was new) or who wouldn't get on an airplane. That's not a dig - i...

One of the giant fears I have is the short term, small picture, expedient view our leadership and many Americans have. Everything is in faster cycles now, 6 month product cycles in technology, Wall Street’s preoccupation with the present cycle. Speed, when it sacrifices process, where process is necessary to the outcome, is a problem. That's the definition of expedience. I don't want expedient. I want efficient (for things) and effective (for people). Slowness, when process isn't complex or is ubiquitous is also problem. But it is important we differentiate when each of these is the case. It requires critical thinking. During Covid, process was highlighted in vaccine approval. They went as fast as they could but they determined essential process, given the risks, and moved forward. It was not expedient, despite the political pressure for expedience. One of the problems is that many Americans saw the political push for expedience and subsequently related that to the vaccine ...

I built this tool to enable project planning which needed a diverse set of input, remotely. Although I prefer this exercise in a room, with post-it notes, pandemic safety mandates I do this another way - although my teams are frequently widely distributed anyway. This is available for your use as well: Presentation can be found: This Link Task Spreadsheet can be found: This Link