Just Flip a Coin Instead
Sometimes decisions aren’t worth the cost of deciding
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This article is a reprint of an episode of my new podcast. You can visit the site of the original episode here.
Stever Robbins here. Welcome to the [...]

The Tragedy of the Commons may eventually kill the human race. Before it does, however, this article explains what it is and gives several examples of where it comes into play.

Is Counting the Root of All Evil?
Stever’s October 2007 Newsletter
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The love of money isn’t the root of all evil; arithmetic is the root of all evil. More specifically, counting.
Don’t get me wrong; counting was a wonderful invention. It has its uses. We can keep track of [...]

Is “nice” good business or just wishful thinking?
September 2007 Newsletter
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I’d like to share with you a LinkedIn exchange I had on the topic of whether Being Nice is a good business strategy.
Questioner Is there power in being nice, with people in general or as a management tool? [...]

Using Recursion in NLP
NLP is said to be recursive. What does that mean?
From a conversation on NLP connections:
innovating new high-level models in NLP? … is expected to be out of reach for most.
Richard also encourages people to go out and invent their own stuff. I don’t really think NLP is a field, the way, say, [...]

NLP: Model, modeling tool, or both?
When Bandler, Grinder, Dilts, etc. first formalized NLP, they certainly did it using the terminology of mathematical models, particularly calculus.(1).
The early NLP literature (Structure of Magic, NLP Vol I) talks about “4-tuples” (or 5-tuples, if you go back far enough), and “operations” that can be done to 4-tuples.
This was an [...]

Unconscious Assimilation or Installation
What’s the difference between the two?
My impression is that unconscious assimilation is the natural ability we have to mirror others to the point where we adopt their cognitive skills. It’s the way we learn language as an infant, and it extends well into adult behavior (ever notice that people follow their leaders’ [...]

Are you as good at recruiting as you are at sales?
August 2007 Newsletter
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We say people are our greatest resource. And Dilbert’s boss points out, “resources are our greatest asset.” But most companies put huge effort into attracting and retaining customers, and much less into attracting and [...]

Overcoming your own change resistance
Some change resistance is good. How about yours?
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Q: I am change-resistant. I know it, but it doesn’t help. Once I’ve decided to change something, I enjoy the challenge. But I often resist with “it won’t work because…” How do I know [...]

What is strategic thinking, as opposed to tactical thinking? You know you’re talking strategy when your topics include…

Powerful business results through NLP
Using NLP at an organizational level
NLP business applications often suck. Well, maybe they’re not that bad, but all you hear about is rapport skills, predicate matching, and sometimes meta-programs. At best, they’re applied to getting people to play nice together, helping customers who call for help feel better, and convincing people [...]

The Joys of Overhead
Why Overhead isn’t necessarily bad.
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I never thought I’d be able to grow up and say, “Mom, I’m not just a productive businessperson, I’m overhead!” Many people think overhead is a bad thing. Well, maybe. Maybe not. Overhead’s an essential part of business.
Overhead is [...]

Profit and Cash Flow Explained

What’s the difference between profit and cash flow?
Often, it’s the difference between success and bankruptcy.
Before we begin, let’s use clear language. I won’t say “income” because different people mean different things by that word. I’ll say “revenue” to mean money that comes in from selling a product or service.
Imagine two kids [...]

What does a CIO do, anyway?
A CIO job description
For a CEO job description, see my article on CEO job descriptions.
For a podcast of this article, see my Podcast entry.
What does a Chief Information Officer do, anyway? Most of the descriptions I’ve heard make them sound like a glorified purchaser. “They make sure our systems are [...]