Backpocketcio

Do you need an Executive Fight Club? John F. Kennedy said a camel is “a horse designed by a committee.” Paraphrasing Charles Kettering, “Want to kill a great idea, get a committee working on it.” Why is this sentiment on committees so prevalent that even Presidents feel compelled to sound off about them? More often than not, it...

A Deal with the Project Devil. (Negotiating around quality) How often do we hear: How fast can we get this in? I don't expect any issues. This project should be easy. Instead of: How long do we need to get this project done correctly? I know we always have issues; what are they? Projects are always more complex than we think. Som...

Nine rounds with Dave in Accounting. (5 ways to manage conflict) We’ve all been there—corporate conflict. Did you know 10/10 leading scientists feel it isn’t going away anytime soon? We instantly become more valuable to any organization the better we manage it. Typically, conflict management stems from 3 main areas: *Understanding the dynamics involved. *Un...

Don't Be a S***m Whale The average s***m whale can hold its breath for 90 minutes. Luckily for executives sitting through an after lunch meeting, the average hopped-up-on-slide-deck-adrenaline presenter can only make it without the necessary oxygen for about one and a half minutes. Yesterday, listening to an online meetin...