Spurious Correlations
Here’s a link to a site that really makes the point – just because there may be a correlation between two variables does not prove that there is a causal link.
Read MoreStakeholders and Power
I have always liked the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) definition of a stakeholder; stakeholders are a: Person or organisation (e.g., customer, sponsor, performing organisation, or the public) that is actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by the execution or completion of the project. A stakeholder may also exert influence over the project and its deliverables. (PMBoK 4th Ed., p443). To PMI’s definition of stakeholder we can add a little perspective regarding stakeholder interdependence by asking the following questions from Jeffrey Pfeffer: Whose cooperation will I need to accomplish what I am attempting; whose support will be necessary in order to get the appropriate decisions made and implemented? Whose opposition could delay or derail what I am trying to do? Who will be affected by what I am trying to accomplish, in either a) their power or status, b) how they are evaluated or rewarded, or c) in how they do their job? Who are the friends and allies of the people I have identified as influential? (Jeffrey Pfeffer, Managing With Power,...
Read MoreQuote: Ignorance – deliberate
It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it! Upton Sinclair
Read MoreQuote: Ignorance and complexity
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction. Albert Einstein
Read MorePrecise Praise
There are four principles to Precise Praise listed below: 1. Differentiate Acknowledgement from Praise 2. Positive Loud; Critical Quiet (i.e. making the good stuff visible) 3. Reinforcing Actions, Not Traits 4. Genuine Praise Practice Perfect – Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, and Katie Yezzi
Read MoreQuote: A Good Plan
A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. George S. Patton
Read MoreQuote: Knowledge and Ignorance
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.” ― Daniel J. Boorstin, The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself Actually, searching the ebook version for the quote one finds on page 86: “The great obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the ocean was not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. Imagination drew in bold strokes, instantly serving hopes and fears, while knowledge advanced by slow increments and contradictory witnesses.”...
Read MoreBad Arguments–an illustrated book of
While reading another excellent post from Kailash Awati, aka K, of Eight to Late fame and following the usual cascade of excellent reference material, I came across a little gem of a book called An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments. An excellent read and refresher on poor argument strategies and tactics. Enjoy, you’re welcome! By the way, K’s book The Heretic’s Guide to Best Practices is also a winner; I bought it and read it and also recommend it. If I wasn’t so busy trying to earn a crust I would provide a summary....
Read MoreQuote: Our World
To see the world in a grain of sand, and to see heaven in a wild flower, hold infinity in the palm of your hands, and eternity in an hour. – William...
Read MoreQuote: Knowledge
Tout comprendre rend très-indulgent. To know all is to forgive all. Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein
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