I recently asked a friend which source control system he was using for his personal software projects. The seemingly innocuous question led to the admission that he wasn’t using any versioning system; rather his backup strategy involved sleeping next to a USB drive with a saved copy of the daily source, lest there be a... read more
When you describe a favorite restaurant to a friend, what is the word you that you use? Is it “satisfactory”? “Try this place, you’ll find the meal to be satisfactory, and the service, and the ambience. You’ll be satisfied.” That won’t likely motivate anyone to drive out of their way to visit, or return, unless... read more
Recently I met with someone who asked for our one page glossy brochure. I replied with an invitation to instead read our blogs, saying, “Would you like to know who we say we are, or who we really are?” For any company (or person) there’s an image they project, and there’s the truth to who... read more
No company is the best choice for every possible customer. Similarly, no customer is the best patron for every company. Our goal as a company is to be the best choice for our ideal customer. How do we determine if a potential customer is ideal? We begin our determination with a simple question, “Can we... read more
If there’s one phrase you would like to hear most from your customers, what would it be? For us, it’s the title of this post, "As always, it’s been a pleasure." It is perhaps the most succinct way of saying we have performed in a way that is consistent with our values and strategy. As... read more
This past weekend my wife and I attended The Incredible Feast, an outdoor event in the University District where 28 of Seattle’s best chef’s used ingredients from local farmers to create some serious culinary delights for guests. In our eco-friendly corner of the country, the Feast asked us to not print out the tickets, but... read more
I’ve spent three of the past four days traversing the terrain of emotionally significant life events: Friday my wife and I dropped our daughter off at an out of state college, Saturday we attended a wedding of a family friend (the bride was just a few years older than our daughter), and Monday we were... read more
Near our Bellevue office are several delightful cafes, restaurants and markets that offer many temptations to those who work nearby. During lunch one day I stopped by a small store across the plaza to buy a drink, and as I waited to pay I was suddenly mesmerized by this spectacular work of art on the... read more
The rhythmic sound of my running shoes hitting the pavement in a quiet neighborhood on a sunny day ushered in the deep trance of thoughts; the kind of state where when you eventually "awake," you suddenly realize you don’t remember any details of the terrain for the last mile (especially frightening when this happens while... read more
Oops, something has just gone wrong. What now? Is your company’s (or your personal) credibility relying upon your defense of a perfect, unapologetic image? Perhaps to the point where you will never admit fault, or only begrudgingly do so when it is wrapped in an accumulation of excuses or misdirection? If so, you are missing... read more