Growing a Company Montessori-Style

I’ve been looking at schools for my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and I was floored by the quality of education available today.  One school, Near North Montessori, really stood out from the rest. It’s fostering a science and culture of learning that is unbelievable.  The days I remember of mindless memorization and hours of sitting bored and

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Pay Yourself First

One of the first lessons I learned in personal finance was the principle of “paying yourself first.” We all want to save … for retirement; for a bigger house; for school; for safety; for a new toy.  The key to reaching these goals is the concept of “paying yourself first.”  Before spending a dime, pull out your savings

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Leadership vs. Management

Leadership and management are two very different things. Leadership “pulls” people. Management “pushes” people. Everyone knows traditional management.  Check on the team to make sure they are working.  Clock breaks and punch out time.  If people don’t comply, there are consequences.  In bad situations, it can be exhausting and draining for both the person being managed

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What to Expect with Change

This is a great article in Forbes on the process of change. It takes the “change” process and breaks it into a predictable path for adoption. As technology, society and companies evolve, things change. The evolution goes like this:   Resistance Mockery Usefulness Habitual New Standard I have seen this pattern over and over again throughout the years. 

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Ideal Project Team Size

Studies have shown the ideal team size for maximum efficiency per person on a project is three to five people.  This assumes the highest quality of people where everyone is talented, engaged and driven. There is often a big jump in production and quality when a project goes from one to two people.  The team grows by 100

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Do Sweat the Small Stuff

Everyone says “don’t sweat the small stuff.” People tell me I worry about little details too much. I think the opposite. I need to focus on them way more than I do. Why?  It sets the expectations for what is acceptable. I just read an article on the importance of sweating the small stuff. Every

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Impossible is a State of Mind

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible — and achieve it, generation after generation.” – Pearl S. Buck I love this quote. It’s true, as companies age and grow, they need to not let “experience” block ingenuity. Life is always a balance of “learning” from experience, and having bright

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