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 The Business Realist

   A dose of reality for a saner workplace 

Man leaning back with feet on desk

The business realist looks for better and easier ways of obtaining results.

Business today is rushed, hectic, and stressful with way too much to do.  Yet, did you ever come home after a busy day and wonder what you accomplished?  I can't help but notice that too much time in work place is spent on work that adds no or little value.  We do things because everyone else is doing them or because someone asked you to or even just because you can.  Using old Pareto's Law, only 20% of what you do realizes 80% of the results.


My career is dedicated to finding those activities that actually add value so you can spend your precious time on those and not the busy-ness that usually dominates your time. This site is a collection of the wisdom I've gained in my consulting and management career that will give you easy and effective ways of achieving the results you want.

Summary 

Much of our time is spent on non-value adding activities. These reality checks will help you get results without the pointless effort.  

 
See, hear, say no evil

Reality Checks 

Steeped in processes, procedures, and methodologies, people often don't see how they can get the same results without all the work. It's like not seeing the forest for the trees.

tug of war

Common Problems 

 Large initiatives often go awry due to some common problems that usually have little to do with the content of the issues being addressed.

Bending over backwards

Specific Initiatives 

Innovation, Supply Chain, Process Reengineering, and New Product Development initiatives each have their own particular foibles.

 
Training seminar

Training 

Much of our behavior is not governed by our logical mind. We persist in bad habits and unproductive behaviors despite knowing that they are harmful.  It's not our logical mind at the controls; it's our subconscious mind calling the shots.  Yet, the majority of our training is directed at our logical mind.

Coaching in locker room

Coaching 

True to my purpose of finding the easy way to change behavior, I use NLP (neurolinguistic programming) techniques to help you reach your goals. I don't use notebooks, logs, or require much in the way of self-discipline

Overwhelmed by papers on desk

Sanity Savers

Although we worry about the big issues, like meeting a project deadline or getting a software upgrade right, more often it's the little things that wear us down, like being overloaded with email, endless meetings that serve no purpose, conference calls that never reach a conclusion,.....

 

Featured articles

How to create a Creative Environment. Follow my 5 Rules to foster creativity without bean bag chairs.

Probably my most controversial ideas yet are on the state of human resource practices. Read the first of my series on the Maya of HR.

What's the trick to getting new products to market faster? I have a few. Check out my series on NPD (new product development.)

Got Ideas? 

A pile of light bulbsIf you have some ideas for articles, please drop me a note or leave a comment. If you have an article you'd like to contribute or link to,  I will be happy to publish your link and ensure that you get attributed.

Featured Neologisms 

Issue revolution  –
the serial routing of a  problem or concern to numerous parties so that it eventually ends up back with the originator
Multi-tedia presentation  -
using video, soundtracks and other media in an attempt to enliven an otherwise coma-inducing presentation