Why yes, yes she can. And in my case, that side gig is something I’ve been working on with my friend Laura Paglione since July of last year. Who knew it could take so many months to get a ‘simple’ idea off the ground? This all started when I threw open the virtual doors to… Continue reading Can a Freelancer Have a Side Gig?
You Don’t Have To Be Good At Everything
I am good at a lot of things when it comes to my career. I’m good at developing adaptive processes, managing people, and organizing activities. That said, I’m not good at creating formal, strict processes, working alone, visual design, or operational task management. I can’t begin to tell you how powerful it is to finally… Continue reading You Don’t Have To Be Good At Everything
Where Did All the Energy Go?
Working with Volunteers Have you ever noticed how many people, at least in Western cultures, think money is kinda dirty? That there is some kind of nobility about working towards a greater good without monetary compensation? An idea that people spend time on only because they believe it is good, fun, or otherwise meets some… Continue reading Where Did All the Energy Go?
But There’s No Pressure
Organizing and Facilitating a Virtual Workshop Earlier this year, a team within Google reached out to me for advice on engaging with the people in the IAM field who would give them the feedback they needed to progress their WebID project. Since WebID is all about federated identity on the web — one of my favorite topics… Continue reading But There’s No Pressure
Be Brave. Say No.
Being a freelancer, while not for everyone, is my idea of a fantastic career. I get to build my ideal job. I get to see the big picture across organizations and even entire industries. I get to interact with some of the most brilliant people on the planet. But to have room for all of… Continue reading Be Brave. Say No.
The Gaps Are Where Life Gets Interesting
One of my favorite parts about starting a new contract (which also applied to starting new projects when I had a more traditional day job) is hearing the goals, dreams, and aspirations the client has for the work they want me to take on. Not only do I get to listen to smart people talk… Continue reading The Gaps Are Where Life Gets Interesting
The Power of the Outline
As an editor, I can usually tell when someone has written their material as a stream of consciousness. Absolutely EVERYTHING seems to end up on the page, in whatever order they think of the content. If they happen to be particularly methodical thinkers, they'll end up with a reasonably organized (if overly wordy) document. If… Continue reading The Power of the Outline
Public Speaking Tips for Virtual Conferences
It’s common advice that you should watch and listen to yourself via a recording in order to improve your public speaking skills. There are few things more uncomfortable than doing that, but I had an opportunity this week to discover something even more uncomfortable: watching and listening to myself on a recording with 50 other… Continue reading Public Speaking Tips for Virtual Conferences
Succession Planning in Consulting
I recently read an article about how United Airlines developed strong succession planning for the changing of their CEOs. I remember the days when I could focus on succession planning! It was one of my KPIs as a traditional employee and it was quite rewarding.It gave me the opportunity to mentor someone (or someone’s) to… Continue reading Succession Planning in Consulting
The Case of the Unclear Antecedent
Every once in a while, I’ll find myself hung up on a particular quirk of writing and develop a visceral twitch every time I see it in action. This post is about one of those twitches... Photo by Rory Björkman on Unsplash If there’s one thing I see writers do with alarming frequency, it’s sprinkle… Continue reading The Case of the Unclear Antecedent