Don Crawley, Author.

In his landmark book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the late author Stephen Covey identifies habit number seven as sharpening the saw. By that, he means working on self-improvement. More specifically, he means “having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.” Self-Improvement One […]

Self-Improvement: Honing Your Skills

Don Crawley, Author.

Janet, my wife, and I were traveling with friends through Groveland, California, home to the Iron Door Saloon, which claims to be the oldest saloon in the state of California. We’re suckers for anything that describes itself as the oldest or the first in its category, so we stopped in for lunch. The saloon was […]

Setting Customer Expectations

Don Crawley, Author.

My friend Karim has a long commute and he’s noticed that drivers have become more aggressive over the past few years. He found himself feeling stress and getting frustrated from it. He mentioned his frustration to his family and his 13-year-old daughter told him “Dad, DLL.” Now, you and I, as technologists probably associate DLL […]

The DLL Stress Management Tool for IT Pros

Don Crawley, Author.

The workplace is constantly changing and, as such, needs your personal change management. Certainly, some workplaces are more in a state of flux than others, but nearly every workplace undergoes constant change. Sometimes, you like the changes. Other times, not so much. What can you do when you disagree with the changes? Personal Change Management […]

Personal Change Management: When Management Makes Changes

Don Crawley, Author.

You may have heard me talk about how I like model railroading. There’s an electric train store in Seattle where the staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. I buy things from them even when I can get them cheaper online because they’re so helpful and I like them. (That’s a whole other lesson!) There is, […]

Customer Knowledge: How to Know How Much They Know (Your Customers, That Is)