blog

Adopting a Tool-Agnostic Approach to Problem Solving (venturemag.com)

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 05-29-24

When someone utters the phrase “problem solving”, what is the first image that comes to mind? For most people, those words immediately take you into problem solving tools and templates. This is because many of us have gone through training program after training program to learn various tools. For myself,

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What Is OpEx?

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 05-21-24

OpEx, a common shortening of the term Operational Excellence, has gotten plenty of traction in both program names and job titles. But what does it mean? The quick answer is…it means whatever you want it to mean. Let’s first look at the origins of OpEx. There are two primary driving

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Stop Benchmarking Unicorns and Giants

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 05-14-24

Unicorns are companies that reach a $1B valuation while still being privately held. Giants can often be summarized originally as FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google) and now MAMAA (Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet). These companies are often referenced as examples to follow. Learn from their success. After

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Rethinking How To Utilize an Assistant

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 05-07-24

The Administrative Assistant has been often referred to as a perk, rather than a crucial resource to help an organization’s effectiveness. This shift in thinking, and language, really began with the adoption of email, where communication from person to person didn’t have to be managed. This continued to evolve as

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How to Understand an Argument

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 04-30-24

A good question is one of the most valuable of my possessions, and I am always looking to add to my collection. I discovered, or rediscovered, a powerful question from commentator and author David Brooks. He was giving a talk at Lehigh University for the Hagerman Lecture from The Center

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How To Perform a Time Leadership Portfolio Analysis

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 04-16-24

If you’re just doing your job the best you can, then this article may not be for you. However, if you have multiple things going at once, from side hustles to learning projects, then what follows can be tremendously useful. For me, it is now an annual reflection and planning

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19 Graceful Ways To Ensure Recognition For Professional Contributions

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 04-09-24

On Forbes: 19 Graceful Ways To Ensure Recognition For Professional Contributions Being recognized for one’s professional contributions is not simply a matter of fair acknowledgment; it can also be a key factor in career advancement. However, many professionals find it challenging to strike the delicate balance between ensuring they receive

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First Principles for Problem Solving

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 04-04-24

When I wrote my first draft of People Solve Problems, I was very clear that the tools were not where the magic was but I still referred to my favorite tools and methods a bit too often. After a structural edit and some great feedback, I committed further to write

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Forget Time Management—Manage Your Attention

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 04-02-24

On Forbes: Forget Time Management—Manage Your Attention Baseball players can easily hit home run after home run in batting practice. But things are different when it’s the bottom of the ninth and the game is on the line in a stadium full of people cheering (or maybe booing). The difference

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16 Important Skills Professionals Need To Build ‘Future-Proof’ Careers

by Jamie Flinchbaugh on 03-26-24

Everyone is so busy trying to keep up, but how do you get out ahead? How do you ‘future-proof’ your career? Some skills, capabilities, and perspectives are timeless. You don’t have to be a futurist or a fortune teller to be prepared for the future. Here are 16 perspectives, including

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