Ben Wilson

October 26, 2024

Optimizing Time Management: Balancing Maker Time and Manager Time

In today's fast-paced work environment, effective time management is crucial for both individual and organizational productivity. By understanding the concepts of Maker Time and Manager Time, organizations can create a more balanced and efficient work environment. Maker Time refers to dedicated, uninterrupted time for focused, creative...

September 11, 2024

How Developers Counter Automation...

I was thinking a bit about my developer career circa 2001-2004. I was told in 2002 that code automation would replace me by 2004. It was a dubious claim made by someone who was trying to goad me; when I was more susceptible to goading than I am now. At the time, I was building a somewhat impressive automation capability with web UI in ...

July 17, 2024

Joy at Work: A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job

Joy at Work: A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job by Dennis Bakke presents a unique perspective on how to create a joyful and productive work environment. Dennis Bakke, co-founder of the energy company AES, shares his experiences and philosophy on leadership and organizational culture. Here are the key points from the book: Empow...

June 30, 2024

SCOTUS Shenanigans: An effort to reassert the Constitution into government

Over the past few years, the US Supreme Court has engaged on a steady campaign to address systemic problems with US jurisprudence. At least, in my layman's opinion informed by having graduated law school 18 years ago where I focused on constitutional issues. But I assert this is a patient effort to re-establish the Constitution as the ...

March 31, 2024

The Johnny.Decimal System: Organizing Your Digital Life (or Company)

This seems to be the weekend for organization. Twenty years ago, I heard about Bob's Rules of Order, which is a lighter weight version of Robert's Rules. I recently started hearing about the Johnny Decimal system, a lightweight but comprehensive way to organize digital information. The Johnny Decimal website goes into the full details ...

September 15, 2023

The Cult of Done - Success Teaches Us Nothing

I wanted to mention a YouTube video that just came out that I think is inspiring and might help you. It's called "The Cult of Done" by No Boilerplate (9min). He describes 13 principles focused on doing. The principles: 1. There are three states of being. Not knowing, action and completion. 2. Accept that everything is a draft. It helps...

July 29, 2023

Toyota Kata by Mike Rother

This post captures some of my notes from the book Toyota Kata, by Mike Rother. I started reading it in 2021 and paused after getting about a third of the way through. I'll periodically update it as I finish it. One major take away from my reading about the Toyota Way and their system of improvement is that Toyota risks nothing in givin...

July 19, 2023

Rework on Advice

After over 50 years I've heard a lot of different approaches to giving advice. This podcast that I'm linking below provides a very well considered approach to how to view the space of getting advice and the like. Including when looking at best practices that industry may have to offer, or solutions that have worked for other people tha...

June 23, 2023

37 Signals Left the Cloud

https://world.hey.com/dhh/we-have-left-the-cloud-251760fb Just a reference, but also interesting. If you look through his entire series, he talks about how once a system has become mature, then it is better to leave the Cloud. This would equally be true for systems that have a limited set of users. Cloud is not an inexpensive solution ...

March 22, 2023

Using ChatGPT to Enrich the Novel Treatment

With the explosion of AI, I wanted to offer a use case I've found helpful for me that might interest you. In 2022, I released four novels that I spent 12 years rewriting. As a plotter, my characters often derail scenes, rendering my treatments useless for quick reminders of the novels. Some treatments are missing. To accurately fill in...

November 5, 2022

Ruminations, Business Value and Goals

I've held back on this blog, and thinking perhaps it is better shared somewhere else. But, These thoughts do not occur to me in the hustle and bustle of work. They do, rather, but not at a time where I can jot my thoughts down. Of course, when I'm home, I should be focused on writing and publishing novels. (More on this below) In fact,...

February 10, 2022

My Formula for Slaying Heroes

Through the blog, I talk about frameworks and maturity models. The are a mixed bag, like any business strategy or tactic. Some view them as a panacea; others a fad. The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is one of those concepts that has stayed around for a while. I talked about some of this a few posts back. (Note, I don't always email m...

February 9, 2022

Real Value of Compliance

I served in the Army for 9 years, joining during the First Gulf War and leaving a bit before the second. I loved my job because success required I learn about everything and become an expert on random topics. It's a career trait that persists 22 years later. When I think of organizational regulatory compliance, my experience has been t...

February 5, 2022

My Hey Experience

I've been going for several months about various topics relating to technology management. I am taking a slight pivot to discuss what I have experienced going to Hey for my email. Without getting into its marketing spiel, Hey is yet-another email platform. It is pro-privacy, and low-noise. You are required to intentionally screen in se...

January 23, 2022

Reflection on Maturity Models

Maturity models can be a divisive topic. Used correctly, they set a path for an organization that has enough process and documentation to survive the varying competence of its leaders and employees. Used improperly, they become a cudgel to beat down employee morale and creativity. My first exposure was to DOD's Capability Maturity Mode...

January 14, 2022

A World Beyond Powerpoint

I started using PowerPoint while in the Army back in 1998. I have the coveted PowerPoint Ranger tab, and numerous deployments under my belt. But, I don't like PowerPoint. I would go so far as to say PowerPoint rots the organization from within. Evils of PowerPoint How does PowerPoint rot an organization? I have seen the same presentati...

November 8, 2021

Sobering Reality, or You Snooze, You Lose

I've been a want to be writer since I was a child. Over the past 15 years, I've written four novels, published two of them by myself, and contemplated writing many more. However I am also a tools nomad. That means that I'm rarely satisfied with the tool that I have in my hand, and I'm always looking for an alternative. As a result of t...

October 5, 2021

CIOs and CISSP

I am perfectly happy with the state of my career. I'm where I am needed and wanted, and have an opportunity to serve my customers in a way I find rewarding. That does not mean I do not compare my expertise and experience against current vacancies in the job market. It is my personal skill 360, seeing if there are gaps that I need to fi...

September 28, 2021

Leadership Traits

• Admit mistakes and shortcomings • Deliver results • Disagree and commit • Obsess over customers • Rely on work ethic • Show empathy • Recruit and develop the best • Sweat the details • Think and communicate clearly • Unite around the mission -- Ben In tenebris solus sto

September 13, 2021

Book Review: Culture Code

I have the pleasure of working with people who never-stop-learning. A few of us meet every few months to discuss a book that relates to technology management. The current book is Culture Code: The Secret of Highly Successful Groups. I read it when I could not sleep. Not that it was a cure for insomnia, but that it was those times when ...

August 24, 2021

Stockdale, Infinite Game and Fighting Culture

The United Stated lost the Vietnam War for the same reason why persistently missed product releases destroys company morale. It adopted the wrong perspective in the face of a determined opponent. In the book No Peace, No Honor, by Larry Berman, details the peace negotiations of the Vietnam War. He details the various negotiating positi...

August 7, 2021

Organizational Change is Maneuver Warfare

Like many in IT, I come from a military background. I spent the better part of the first decade of my career studying military strategy and tactics even as an enlisted. I find it interesting that military strategy ties in closely with modern technology management and organizational change. Historical technology management followed the ...

August 4, 2021

Simple Sabotage: Organizations and Production

During World War Two, the OSS published a guide on how to conduct sabotage that has since been declassified. See how much applies to your organization. (a) Organizations and Conferences (1) Insist on doing everything through "channels." Never permit short-cuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions. (2) Make "speeches." Talk as fre...

July 29, 2021

SAFe: Useful Videos on Better Project Planning

This is an evolving document capturing useful links I've found (or others have shared with me) that are useful for using some SAFe planning concepts to improve Project Management. Several of these come from SAFe in the Real World channel. • SAFe PI Planning Options talks about different ways to do PI Planning, including 2-3 days of rem...

July 16, 2021

Set Godin on Leadership

Seth Godin is a disruptive thinker in marketing and education. Rather than old models of trying to impose your marketing message on your audience, he found success by following a more friendly invite model. He has a 6-hour Udemy course called Modern Marketing with Seth Godin that neatly summarizes his philosophy and how to apply it. Th...

July 4, 2021

Decatur's Maxim

Commodore Decatur has a famous maxim that has always inspired me and seems appropriate for Independence Day. “Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong.” I earlier posted about the promise of the Declaration of Independence: that we are all equal and hold the sa...

July 2, 2021

Rock the Boat?

Reading the book “Renaissance Mind,” and happened upon an interesting passage. The author sought to reconcile Darwin with Design by putting up a research prize. In the few years that followed, he learned what he expressed: “An unfortunate discovery I made in the process of funding this prize is that science is extremely political. Most...

June 25, 2021

Free Speech Defined

The best purpose-statement of freedom of speech I've encountered: "A means by which we identify problems in society, generate solutions to those problems and build consensus to implement the solution." Thus, when free speech is infringed, society loses the means to fix problems. This is true in any organization. Good leaders build and ...

June 22, 2021

Why Everything Should Have a URL

Years ago, Ben Balter posted an article about why everything must have a URL. This is his personal website, and the content was released under Creative Commons BY-3.0. For that reason, I post the article in its entirety below. The article touches on the need for Knowledge Management, and why we should be publishing decisions in an easy...

June 19, 2021

What People Deserve

Kindness. Dignity. A chance to speak up. A fair shot at achievement. The benefit of the doubt. The US declaration of independence says that we are all equal. This is a guiding principle of our country. We have not always lived up to this principle, but that's what principles are. We should ever strive to treat everyone at least as well...