Whitepapers

Modern "professionalism" should be defined by strategy, execution, and honesty.   In the workplace of the past, professionalism was closely associated with prestige, tenure and inside-baseball. But nowadays, we tie professionalism directly to the competence or skill expected of a professional. At least, we do in Silicon Valley. I learned early on at PeopleSoft and even more so…

Are you looking for ways to boost your productivity? There’s a very good reason for the countless studies conducted by professors, psychologists, and even gurus and monks regarding the impact a positive mindset has on our lives. It’s because positive thinking really does work! But there’s a paradox that makes a positive mindset less accessible than we would like to think.…

“Why can’t we make more, and why can’t we make it sooner?” asked Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla of his manufacturing leader, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article.1 The article goes on to describe and praise Bourla’s demanding leadership style, a decided departure from the popular press on more gentle approaches to leadership.2 Pfizer’s…

You’ve probably seen the press and the hype about work from home and the amazing productivity that is accompanying these new work circumstances. But is it real? In a couple words: Probably not. While there may be elements that seem valid, there are other pieces that are suspect. Productivity is important to organizations, of course. But it’s also important to individuals. When people…

As a career coach, I spend a lot of time working with people on their productivity. You might not expect that, but productivity is actually a critically important skill both inside the workplace and out. When people tell me they have big goals—or even small ones—and they just can’t seem to make progress on them, I know it’s time to evaluate their productivity practices. Nine…