The Getting Ready for the Workplace Podcast

It is important to distinguish between a puzzle and a mystery; how you approach the search for a solution for each involves a different process and skills.

Recognize that folks may confuse some basic requirements with doing enough to meet some objective; that is, they are focusing only on what is necessary, without appreciating that this alone will not be sufficient.

Someday things will be going from bad to worse.  Perhaps you are stuck working on a task and things keep degrading further or, try what you might, things keep devolving.  At this point, it is time to stop doing what got you to this point — you are in a hole and the first step to getting out is to stop digging deeper.

Some readers may infer from non-standard writing that the person doing the crafting was either ignorant of the proper forms or too lazy to proofread, neither of which reflects well on the writer.

When considering solutions, try something easy, inexpensive, or not disruptive first.  The simple fix may work and risks little.

A flawed decision-making process has the potential to undercut group cohesion, especially if the implementation of the decision fails to meet the team’s objectives.

There is a saying, “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras.”  The point is that you should look first to the most obvious cause.

Not every problem yields to brute force.  Further, some problems can be solved faster or more easily with a different approach rather than more of the same.

Employ good design and best practices for public speaking.  Improving these skills may be one of the most productive investments of your career.

Beware of assuming something is when it may only appear to be.