What Giving a Sh*t Looks Like
Recently I was watching The Last Dance about the mid-90s dynasty of the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the best basketball player ever. An incredible moment arose towards the end of the episode…
Expertise, Responsibility, Authority
Different people have to make different kinds of calls. Your job as an organization is to clarify those areas sensibly, and clarify the owners of each area so everyone knows who owns what.
Updated post: The Scope is *Supposed* to Creep
A few years ago, when I first made a slide for a talk that said "The Scope is Supposed to Creep" it felt a bit like heresy, but maybe sort of satisfying heresy…
The One Piece of Tech Platform Management that Most Orgs are Under-doing
To state the perhaps massively obvious, the whole point of your system is for people to use it, and to use it well. Otherwise why are you investing in it in the first place?
If your organization were a cookie factory...
Who do you put in charge of the machines? The bakers? The chef? Your mixers? Your dishwashers? Not if you want to be in business for long.
Future Organizations Will Have Way, Way More Technology People
If someone handed you a huge check to start an organization today, what percentage of your staff would you dedicate to technology? Really. Settle on an approximate fraction before you read on…
Getting the Good Stuff When Going Remote - Q&A with Ananda Robie
We love how well this Q&A demonstrates what it looks like to have ally-minded strategic communicators in charge of your technology stewardship and what a key role communication and relationship building skills play….
User Alliance
We recently hit on the overarching term of “User Alliance” which I like so much I kind of can’t believe it doesn’t already exist…
So You’ve Grown Yourself an All-Star Player. Do You Pay ‘em or Let ‘em Walk?
If you’re lucky enough to find a home-grown technology star right who becomes the all-star player your organization needs, how do you deal with increased salary demands once that person’s market value increases?
What I Learned About Technology From A Kids’ TV Show
The magical world of this kids’ TV show popped to mind when someone recently said that it sounds like we’re looking for “unicorns” when we’re helping organizations hire…
Technology is a Baby Dragon
You got a pet baby dragon! How cute! Look at its little wing flaps and fire burps! Adorable. But, hmm, one question for you….
"Do You Have to Hate Your Technology?" - Roadmap Q&A for Fundraisers
The brilliant fundraising consulting team at Sea Change Strategies recently interviewed us about our “Roadmap to a Better Technology Tomorrow” as it relates to the role of the Chief Development Officer.
Announcing our "Roadmap to a Better Technology Tomorrow"
We’re happy to be releasing our Roadmap to a Better Technology Tomorrow. Or, as the sub-headline says, "Digital Transformation that Actually Works."
But to be honest I don’t love the term “digital transformation”….
How much should you invest in a team of ever-betterers?
I imagine a make-believe history of an old-timey racecar driver. The hero fixes up a car and starts racing it….
The Scope is *Supposed* to Creep
Don’t rob yourself of the game-changing adjustments that will present themselves, simply because you didn’t predict them ahead of time. That’s betting against your own success!
It's Not Cheap. And It's Not Simple.
It takes money and brains to do technology well. Just like anything else that matters.
Get Out From Behind Your Ticketing Queue
A couple years ago I tore up my knee playing middle-aged softball. The long road back from injury included a staggering number of physical therapy appointments over the course of two years. And it didn’t take long to realize that there was a serious issue with the scheduling software….
What makes a great 7th grade math teacher? (And what it means for your technology team)
We often talk about how a high level of technical proficiency is not what distinguishes greatness in the role of Product Manager. In fact we’re looking for an entirely different emphasis altogether.
Here’s an analogy that arose as we watch our kids progress through school: What makes an amazing 7th grade math teacher?
The Costs of Ignoring Your Problems
I get a bit antsy when I’m asked how much something will cost. It’s an important question, it deserves a solid answer. But somehow the question seems to frame things up in a misleading way….