I needed a new desk area. I love my main desk. It's an exercise in maximalism with a 1940s film-noir private-eye motif.  The challenge, as many others are having these days, is that the dedicated home office space is a shared space. I needed a secondary space that I could comfortably work from when I'm at home. Decided to go in the opposite direction with this style - more of a modern minimalist chic. Pretty proud of this build. Turns out measuring twice and cutting once is advice worth heeding.

I don't typically go looking for inspiration in vinyl stickers, but this one ... *ahem* I got stuck on. Good things come from responding to anxiety with creativity.

What was the best lesson you learned from a teacher, that you have carried with you into your career? Seriously... share your story with me on LinkedIn . I'm looking for inspiration. Tuesdays are good for that (while Mondays are for good for spaghetti). The best lesson I learned was from Prof. Brown in my first year of college. Before assigning us our first essay of the semester, he went on a long rant about how high school failed us by making us think a good essay is a long essay. He elaborated about how, in the many public and private positions he held, brevity was critical. If we wanted to be persuasive, the critical first step would be to ensure we were being brief. He gave us a controversial topic we had to outline in 1,000 words or less. Every word over would get a 1% deduction. For our next essay he reiterated the importance of brevity but also challenged us even more: We had to pick a side, and persuade. 750 words. 2% deduction for every additional word. Final essay. The to...

My daughter ran across the term "Growth Potential" the other day and asked me what it meant. She's long ago come to learn that asking daddy a question usually results in a much longer conversation often with colorful analogies, and the occasional Venn diagram. Whether you call it Growth Potential, a Growth Mindset, or just "Potential" - even for adults, it can feel ambiguous when you wonder how it can be demonstrated and measured.  When I think back to the people I'd interviewed, hired, managed, there were 2 common traits that among those with "growth potential". More importantly it wasn't just about potential - they went on to grow. Those folks managed to find the perfect balance between Confidence and Humility. Let's start with Confidence: A lack of confidence leads to self-doubt, it delegates decisions, it avoids risk (and really - everything begins to look like a risk.) Too much confidence is a label we often apply retroactively when hi...

How often should you be updating your resume? Frequently. Regardless of whether you're looking. In fact, update it especially when you're not looking. Not because you need to be looking. Not because you should never not be looking. Not because the market changes rapidly. Not for any reason other than because it serves as a great reminder of who you are, where you are in your career, why you do what you do, how you have grown, where you are growing next. Your resume is your perspective. Update it. Every 3 months. Every 3 months and, in between, whenever something significant happens. Whenever your perspective changes. Even slightly. If in 3 months you haven't changed - if you can't update a single sentence, replace a single word with a better one, then challenge yourself by asking why. Why has your perspective not changed? 3 months is a long time to grow, even if in small ways. And the power of a refreshed resume can be huge. It should remind you of your valu...