Comments for The Sisyphus Chronicles

Comment on Making a Date with a Crisis by Henry Troup

Henry Troup — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 13:35:26 +0000

I’ve known for years that this is the way to test a disaster plan - and I don’t know any one or any organization that’s done it. I think you have to sell it at the CEO level; maybe CIO if it’s an IT recovery exercise.

OTOH, I can think of a good few experiences of the real-world “whammy”.

Comment on Simple Wisdoms… Difficult Lessons? by bas1809

bas1809 — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:49:46 +0000

“Do the right thing to do now, properly.”

This basic truth has served me well — especially since I am easily distracted and lose sight of things.

It always brings me back on track, since the right thing to do now is probably not the same as it was an hour ago.

Doing it properly, in turn, means giving it time enough to make a real advancement before giving in to distraction.

Comment on Making a Date with a Crisis by PM Hut

PM Hut — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:20:11 +0000

Learning from mistakes is usually the best motivation for a company to implement contingency plans.

Comment on Work Flows Downhill by Andre

Andre — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:37:24 +0000

In terms of the bigger picture, work outsourced to someone in a country with lower living standards can not be seen as a “total loss”, as Cathy writes. I agree that from a local perspective this is what it looks and feels like, but an important point from Peter’s article is that the grave imbalances in the world are somewhat addressed by such outsourcing, so from an imbalance view, this is a gain. It’s all a matter of perspective.

One result may be some degree of redress of imbalances, although that will imply a lowering of standards in the “have” countries. Is that necessarily a bad thing? Depends on how much “lowering” occurs, of course, but if new home construction started replacing McMansions with more appropriately-sized homes, for example, I would not mind at all. People might actually be able to afford these homes, and not live in debt for most of their adult lives, or experience foreclosure. Hey, that could even “raise” my standard of living!

Wish I could see how this pans out 10 years down the line (don’t we all?)

Comment on The Room that Eats Speakers by Cheryl Stinski

Cheryl Stinski — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:03:50 +0000

Thanks, Peter, for bringing your article to the attention of the Northeast Wisconsin ASTD chapter. I will be far more aware of the impact of the room both when speaking and as part of a conference committee that arranges for speakers. This would also be a good article to share with hotels and conference centers since they do the room set up with some suggestions for the minor changes that could make a big difference. Cheryl

Comment on Work Flows Downhill by Phillip Abbott

Phillip Abbott — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:44:25 +0000

You obviously haven’t tried buying property in Bangalore lately!

One response to this is… “We’ll do it better! We’ll be more efficient! We’ll use technology!” and the counter strategy is… “Anything you can do, we can do cheaper… because we have an advantage — our standard of living is lower.” Another response is to attempt to legislate a solution, which only serves to create a black market of opportunity.

Comment on The Room that Eats Speakers by kcowan

kcowan — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:47:05 +0000

This also applies in less formal settings such as making an executive update to a group of employees. I always walk among them to solicit feedback from the ones hiding at the back of the room.

But the usual hotel conference room cavern can only be corrected with added TV monitors, added speakers, and helpers with mikes to solicit interaction. Not as good as a good amphitheater but the most common venue.

Also offer a free giveaway to anyone presenting you a business card immediately to establish some networking and feedback.

Comment on Notes Numbering Seven to a Meeting Planner by kcowan

kcowan — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:39:29 +0000

Good ideas, obviously from an experienced speaker. You need to get this published to a broader audience.

Comment on The Conference we’ll never Attend by kcowan

kcowan — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:29:10 +0000

I believe it is deeper than that. The failures are usually the fault of management that does not understand the process they are involved in. If these people could articulate the reasons for the failure, they would not likely have failed in the first place.

This is why external consultants can sometimes add value, but only if the client is open to their discoveries and feedback.

Comment on As Others See Us. by kcowan

kcowan — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:24:00 +0000

I would say that the primary problem that you unearthed was that the management was not communicating what they were doing and why. When change is being implemented, communications are crucial. The affected employees may still not agree with the changes, but they will understand.

Plus any management that implements changes without consulting the people impacted is just asking for trouble.

360s are used for a different purpose IMHO. They are better at gaining an insight into style rather than substance.