Author: T Coe

Avoiding the rule of reciprocity in business situations

Back in 2019, my wife's company made an unpopular decision: they eliminated vendors outings. As the lead media planner for several large clients, who represent have advertising budgets in the millions of dollars, my wife is a prime target for advertising industry vendors, who sell everything from traditional ad space to pools of credit card … Continue reading Avoiding the rule of reciprocity in business situations →

The (selfish) reason to turn your camera on in virtual meetings

Let me begin by saying that while there are plenty of good reasons for turning your camera on—providing an additional communicative layer with gestures and expressions, bonding with your colleagues and collaborators, and driving yourself to engage (and not multitask), among others—I am going to focus on a more selfish reason you might do it: … Continue reading The (selfish) reason to turn your camera on in virtual meetings →

What do we mean when we say something is “21st-century”?

I spend a fair amount of time reading about PK-12 education and learning environments. In this world, especially on the design side, 21st-century comes up a lot. Teachers, administrators, planners, and architects love to talk about the school of the 21st-century and 21st-century learning environments. Here's a good example in an RFQ for an architect … Continue reading What do we mean when we say something is “21st-century”? →

Adapting “watch one, do one, teach one” for my career

Recently, I learned about a classic teaching strategy in the world of medical education: watch one, do one, teach one. Usually (and worryingly?) applied to surgeries, the premise is that the best way to learn a new surgical technique or method is to watch someone else do it, then do it yourself, and then, finally, … Continue reading Adapting “watch one, do one, teach one” for my career →

So you don’t want an Amazon delivery station in your backyard?

In the past few weeks, I've gotten involved with a group of neighbors who are fighting against the development of a new Amazon "last mile" delivery station facility adjacent to our neighborhood. Now, there are plenty of typical "NIMBY" reasons to not want a 24/7 logistics facility on this site—increased traffic, light and noise pollution, … Continue reading So you don’t want an Amazon delivery station in your backyard? →

The pandemic era & seeing inside people’s homes

As the vaccine roll-out accelerates and a return to "normal life" in the coming months seems increasingly likely, there's a question I keep asking myself: What will I miss about this strange, strange pandemic era? One thing I know I will miss is the weird experience of getting to see inside so many people's homes. … Continue reading The pandemic era & seeing inside people’s homes →

On the “controlled flight into terrain”

The other day I was reading a New York Times article about the power outages in Texas and the potential troubles ahead for the Texas G.O.P., when I encountered a strange phrase: ...energy experts say that state regulators appointed by the Republican governors in power for decades in Texas have been loath to do anything … Continue reading On the “controlled flight into terrain” →

How to make difficult decisions easier with the Six Thinking Hats

Do we want to buy this house? My wife faced this question over and over again on our house hunt last year. No surprise there, exactly. What was surprising was how quickly we needed to answer that question.  The speedy Denver market allowed little, if any, time for reflection. A desirable house would appear on … Continue reading How to make difficult decisions easier with the Six Thinking Hats →