To Manage Predatory Dumping Use Your Words

When the adversarial environment is blatant... While speaking to the "eight-hundred pound gorilla" internal customer, I was told, "You want me to listen to you? I have a half a million dollar problem with dumping. You find a solution to that and then I’ll listen to you."

The proverbial gauntlet hit the floor in that pause. That was it, in no uncertain terms. First, though, predatory dumping is when folks come to your property late at night and dump their trash. Such a thing is not too much of a problem for the average business, but one that accepts donations as a part of their business model tends to attract this behavior. This leader thought he was stumping me, but he unwittingly set me free at what I do best.. find solutions when no one believed any existed.

A Little Trust, a Little Agile, and Getting Things Done

If you hire Firebreathers, self-starters, or self-motivated problem solvers sometimes all you need to do is set them free.  Patton is quoted as saying: "Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results." With the right people this can't be more true.

In a more modern context, one of the Agile Principles states: "Build projects around motivated individual. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done."

Getting a Clock into Your Interview Recordings

Is there a clock in your recorded interviews? Here's one solution that worked wonders.

If you know a better one? Share it in the comments!

Still Thinking "It Can't Be Done" - It Can. Try This.

We've all heard the refrain, and maybe sometimes recited it too.
It's not in the budget; We don't have enough... [money, time, staff]; It just doesn't work that way.

Try flipping that script to "How can we get it done?"