First of all – I don’t hate everything about Slack. In fact – in a lot of ways Slack is really excellent. Slack is the first instant messaging software that actually works the way you’d expect an instant messaging client
So Good They Can’t Ignore You
Over the past couple weeks I’ve been reading So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by Cal Newport on recommendation from Michael Griffiths. In general I think the book
Essentialism
Years ago, I read Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone and was very taken by it. The book – which is very good – is all about networking and building authentic relationships with those around you. One of the things I
On Not Being Good Enough
Over the holiday break I had a little time to relax, unwind, reflect on the year, and watch television. One of the things I watched was a documentary about Chris Farley called I Am Chris Farley. It’s the tragic story
DISC Assessment
When it comes to personality and behavioral tests, I’ve always had a “been there done that” attitude about them. I’ve done Myers Briggs – twice. I’ve even participated in a few facilitated sessions that discuss the significance of my Myers
On Unconscious Bias
This week I’ve been reflecting a lot on unconscious bias – specifically what it’s like to be a woman working at a technology company. AppNexus has been very active speaking out against gender bias and helping create awareness internally and
Being the Coach and the Lead Blocker
As those who’ve read this blog for any period of time can attest, I often find myself reflecting on what it means to be a leader. It seems that each new project and each new responsibility helps give me new
Being Accountable
We’ve all seen the chart. It looks like this. RASCI. It’s a model for how to run projects in complex organizations. Different people take different roles along the RASCI spectrum. Responsible means you’re on the hook for doing most of
Org Changes
[Updated 12-21-14: thanks to my parents catching the misspelling of “tear” (was tare) and teaching me about heteronyms] Three and a half years ago, I left my comfortable job at a large multinational advertising agency and joined a small tech start-up.
Startup Leadership
Taking advantage of the cold, rainy day yesterday in New York, I stayed inside and read Derek Lidow’s Startup Leadership: How Savvy Entrepreneurs Turn their Ideas Into Successful Enterprises. I read a ton of business books and this is probably