The hardest part of training someone is not knowing if it’s worth your time. Is this [insert topic of training] even useful for them? It’s hard to know! You know how useful Microsoft Word templates are…but can you convince anyone else of their value? A worse question: How many times do I have to show … Continue reading On the sunk costs of training
Category: Working Life
On 5 rules for the A/E/C marketer
A selection that I’ve been working on—there are more rules than five! Read the RFQ/P. Read it again. Read it again and take some notes. The RFQ/P is your pursuit Bible. Assume this Bible has an Old Testament type God—One not so willing to forgive mistakes. Seek understanding. The worst submittal is not merely bad—it is … Continue reading On 5 rules for the A/E/C marketer
On corporate values
A few months ago, I lambasted what is known as “template strategy.” This strategic gambit (it’s not really a strategy) is behind vision/mission corporate speak. Often, you see the full structure of vision, mission, and values. I decided this week that, even though I still think corporate vision and mission are more of a fun … Continue reading On corporate values
On an attempt to explain proposal marketing
I tried to describe proposal marketing today. Just to myself, I should clarify. And, maybe it goes without saying, I struggled quiet a bit. To explain such a foundational nugget of my job is to think back to square one…which is darn hard to do. I was reminded of an early pandemic experience, when I … Continue reading On an attempt to explain proposal marketing
On the wrong reason to go to a company picnic
In my defense, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Driving 40 minutes through traffic with my whole family in tow to a rain-soaked picnic and then deciding to leave my wife and infant son in the car while I ran over to the tents to say a quick hi-bye—and then … Continue reading On the wrong reason to go to a company picnic
On “culture” as a reason to bring people back to the office
I'm not sold. During a recent discussion with colleagues about whether or not to push staff members to return to the office, the word came up a lot: Culture. But what did people mean by "culture"? They seemed unsure when pressed—there was an assumption of shared meaning that evaporated once we put the word under … Continue reading On “culture” as a reason to bring people back to the office
On the FOMO of working two time zones ahead
For nearly two years, I worked on an international team—most of my colleagues were in the U.K. while I was in New York. I wouldn’t recommend this work structure. When I started my day, I would open Outlook to find nearly a full day’s worth of emails—my British colleagues had already been cracking away for … Continue reading On the FOMO of working two time zones ahead
On returning to the office
I had a rather tense conversation with several colleagues today: To go back in or not to go back in? A very tricky question, as should surprise no one. But “tricky” isn’t right—it’s an emotional question. It’s emotional because it goes right to the heart of how we spend our days. (I hear Annie Dillard … Continue reading On returning to the office
On text expanders
I am late to the party. Everyone has moved on— the productivity gurus are off to greener pastures. I feel like that person you know who saw the touring act of Hamilton for the first time just recently: Holy shit. Well, what did you expect? The adulation of millions didn’t tip you off to greatness? … Continue reading On text expanders
On holding your horses with big changes
When I started back at work this week, there was a small goal lurking in the back of my mind: Reformat a bunch of stuff in our InDesign templates. I'd spent some dozens of hours tooling around in InDesign over my leave and had discovered all kinds of random nitpicky things that I was excited … Continue reading On holding your horses with big changes
Taylor Coe 