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- April 2010 — Where There Is Nothing
- March 2010 — Who Needs Team Building?
- February 2010 — The Godot Effect
- January 2010 — 7 Things You Should Communicate
- December 2009 — Who's In Charge Here?
- November 2009 — Cut Loose the Anchors
- October 2009 — Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!
- September 2009 — We Multi-Task Here
- August 2009 — Gut Power
- July 2009 Not So Great Expectations
- Suggestions
If you have a particular topic you would like to see addressed in a future newsletter, please email your suggestions to steve@7stepsahead.com.
July 2010 — The Hydrangea Conundrum
If you've been following the news recently, you've probably heard that, after the cancellation of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show, Boris and Natasha retired to Montclair, NJ. More specifically, the FBI announced the arrest of ten Russian spies whose mission appears to have been to infiltrate the PTA. At a certain level, the whole affair seems like a rather bizarre choice between putting together a deep-cover infiltration or having the New York Times delivered to your doorstep. What is particularly interesting, though, is the reaction of a neighbor of one of the accused spies:
"She couldn't be a spy. Look what she did with the hydrangeas!"
June 2010 — It's a Marathon!
Once upon a time there was a software company developing an innovative data management tool. When it started, everyone was excited about the product and eager to be part of such a novel project. Three years later, the software was on the market. Naturally, everyone was ecstatic and eager to buckle down and produce the next version.
Well, not exactly. Yes, the product was on the market; after that, the tale had an unhappy ending. Over time, all that energy and motivation steadily eroded, a result of poor planning, long hours, overly optimistic deadlines, interpersonal conflict, a bad habit of "motivating" by moving from crisis to crisis, and other stressors.
May 2010 — Put The Candle Back!
In the classic comedy, "Young Frankenstein," Frederick Frankenstein and Inga, played respectively by Gene Wilder and Teri Garr, are seeking the hidden entrance to a secret passage. As Frankenstein checks out a bookcase, he asks Inga to hand him a candle. As she lifts the candle, the bookcase spins around, trapping Dr. Frankenstein behind it. Attempts to put the candle back only cause the bookcase to spin wildly, first pinning Dr. Frankenstein and eventually trapping Inga.
There is, of course, absolutely no logical reason why moving a candle should cause the bookcase to spin. There is also no apparent connection between the candle and the mysterious mechanism that moves the bookcase. There is, however, a very real connection between these events and comedy. It is the utter absurdity of the scene, to say nothing of its parodying hundreds of horror movies, that makes it so hilarious.
Unfortunately, when the same thing happens in a business, the feelings are more like the horror films rather than the parody.
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