What are the odds that you read a book that a random stranger gives you on the street? What are the odds that you read a book that’s given to you for free? What if you select and pay for the book yourself? Free isn’t always good. In a lot of ways, we’re less likely …
There’s a difference between being random and appearing random. The positioning of boards in hardwood floor is supposed to look random. But it can’t be. The joints in two adjacent rows of boards can’t be within a few inches of each other. Joints one removed from each other shouldn’t line-up either. And any type of …
Sometimes we ask for a do-over. Sometimes that do-over is forced on us. When the latter happens, it’s tempting to let frustration win. To settle for shotty work because we’re tired, and we don’t feel like backtracking. But there’s another approach that’s equally viable. Every experience is a learning opportunity. I can’t count how many …
What’s better? Faster? More reliable? More features? More flexibility? Better customer service? Cheaper? Higher status? Obviously, it depends who you ask. -Brandon
There’s a distinct difference between starting from a clean sheet of paper and starting based on existing work. When we start fresh, we get all the responsibility. There aren’t any preconceived biases. Any success is ours. Same with any problems. Starting from zero can be scary. But it also can be much safer than starting anywhere …
After a mid-season surge led Michigan’s football team to the forefront of the College Football Playoff debate, they were embarrassed against Ohio State. Heading into the bowl season, they’re now 10-2 without a Big Ten championship in what seems like ages, and without any significant success against their rival in just as long. The Michigan hats …
The approach to solving complex problems can generally be broken down into two methods: Carefully constructing a final solution Guess and check We think that most of the things around us were created by geniuses who sat in a room and thought these things into existence, but that’s rarely the case. The first version of …
“Put it in an email.” That was some of the best advice I received in college. My instructor told the class that whenever we had a question or didn’t understand something, she wanted us to construct an email explaing exactly where we were coming up short. The interesting part was that this practice almost always …
A bad barber gives a bad haircut. A good barber cuts a head of hair just as instructed. A great barber gives an attractive haircut even when the recipient doesn’t know what he or she does. Being able to follow directions only gets us so far. The best service comes from people who can …
Emotions are a key part of what makes us human. They’re what separate us from cold, soulless machines and they play a big role in making our lives fulfilling. Yet we can’t let emotions affect the way we go about our days. My customers shouldn’t need to worry about how my morning went. They should …