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Professionals take their work seriously. Hobbyists can take it personally. We arrive and make a promise. We do it on behalf of the client, and that promise has little to do with what we might want ...

A dog gets fed and thinks his person is an omniscient, benevolent being. A cat gets fed and thinks it is. How we see ourselves in this analogy is actually up to each of us, every day. It also tells ...

You're flying over Mount Ranier and a hole opens up in the bottom of your airplane. In that moment, you think hard about what you've done, what you're doing, and what matters. My ...

Long after the fact, these are the best kind. They remind us of how far we've come. They're proof that not giving up was a good idea. They are fuel for the next thing. But, at the time,

Runaway selection happens when organizations compete with each other far beyond the point where it's rational to do so. We see this in species as well-peacocks have ungainly and ineffic ...

It requires skill and effort. It can be taught. And it's worth prioritizing. When we wing it, allocate little time to it or assume it's a side effect of our work, we diminish the effort ...

Where did the five-second rule come from? Science makes it clear that if disgusting germs are going to go from the floor to your toast, it's going to take less than five seconds for that to h ...

There's the fast of a drag racer. Purpose-built, difficult to steer, expensive and fragile. There's the fast of the marathon runner. Beat by a sprinter every time, but able to keep it u ...

In our dreams, the laws of thermodynamics don't apply, and gravity works in strange ways. We can jump across a chasm and stick the landing on the other side. This freedom is important. ItR ...

Five short entries a day. A generous act of leadership A thank-you note sent Curiosity explored, or a hard question asked A new skill learned An interaction with a customer or co-worker that increa ...