December 29, 2017 Gather round, kiddies — we’re going to talk about business ethics. Wait! Don’t run away! When my wife worked at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, one of her coworkers used to ask interesting interview questions to get at the heart of the ethical dilemmas inherent in modern work. For example: “Would you…
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Every now and again, I have a technology-themed “Marcel Proust Moment”… In the first volume of Marcel Proust’s ‘Remembrance of Things Past,’ he dunks a cookie into his tea and immediately he’s transported back, into a reverie and remembrance of his life years before. That’s how I feel when I hear the latest news about Pine,…
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November 29, 2017 This year and last, thanks to Ancestry.com, Google searching and Google translate, I’ve been able to fill in many bits and pieces in my wacky and far-ranging family genealogy. I’ve written here about some of the discoveries in my Father’s history in Hungary. Thanks to a zealous Schoonover family genealogist in West…
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Back in the mid-90s, I worked at Centralia College in Centralia, Washington. It was my second time moving away from Oklahoma, and the first time where the experience changed me and helped me develop into the leader I try to be today. It also taught me about the many different names for rain, as well as…
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October 26, 2017 One of the best parts of my profession involves being a tireless seeker of truth, and by extension, information. It’s been a part of me forever. When I was growing up minor arguments would erupt at the dinner table that would be solved by me rushing to the bookshelves, grabbing a World…
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October 25, 2017 Being the parent of a tween girl, I’ve written more than once about the travails of managing P’s diet of screentime. First here, and then here. A few weeks ago, when faced with the surly attitude that seems to happen when she’s OD-ed on too much electronics, we took away the iPhone…
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Over the last year, as we “digital bricklayers” of IT have set a good solid foundation here at the Tulsa Area United Way, it’s been fun to get back into the higher functions of technology planning and being the unofficial R&D of the organization. Part of that planning happened last week when a bunch of us…
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October 3, 2017 RIP, Tom Petty… This week I’m at the United Way’s Finance, Talent, and Technology Management Forum in Dallas. It’s my first time here — the UW has recently added “Technology” to the roster of this conference, and it’s been a wonderfully refreshing opportunity to learn and discuss all the big-picture tech issues,…
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My favorite joke about working in Nonprofit Leadership. From the Vaudeville era: The circus comes to town, and everyone turns up for the grand parade down Main Street. There’s the Strong Man, the Bearded Lady, and Lions and Tigers in cages, pulled by beautiful horses. Then, at the end, come the Elephants marching in single…
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September 26, 2017 In his talks, Tom Peters used to ask his audiences “What is the oldest continually operating organization you can think of?” The answers were (a) the Catholic Church, and (b) Medieval Universities, like the University of Oxford. Which begs the Question: Why do no businesses have that kind of longevity? One could…