Chaco Canyon Consulting
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- 101 Tips for Managing Change
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- 25 Minutes to More Creative Teams
- 52 Tips for Leaders of Project-Oriented Organizations
- 52 Tips for Resuming Paused Projects
- Audio/Visual Aids: Advantages and Disadvantages
- How to Save Your Company from Pandemic Flu: 101 Tips for Preparing for Bird Flu
- Eight Years of Point Lookout
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- Comprehensive Package of All E-Books and Tips Books
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- Small Business Internet Marketing 2007
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- Where There's Smoke There's Email
- How to Save Your Company from Pandemic Flu: 101 Tips for Preparing for Swine Flu
- How to Prepare and Deliver a Great Team Presentation
- 101 Tips for Communication in Emergencies
- Terrific Technical Presentations
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- Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True
- 303 Tips for Virtual and Global Teams
- 303 Tips for Business Travel
- How to Spot a Troubled Project Before the Trouble Starts
- Why Dogs Wag Their Tails
Essays
- Essays on Teamwork, Conflict and Project Management
- Chaco Canyon for Project Managers
- Conflict: Manage It or Manage Our Response to It?
- Crisis or Emergency?
- The True Costs of Cubicles
- Emailstorming
- Organizational Feuds
- Organizational Firefighting
- When Is Change for a Dollar Only 82 Cents?
- What to Do About Organizational Procrastination
- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs for Project Organizations
- Metaphors and Their Abuses
- The Blaming Organizational Coping Pattern
- The Congruent Organizational Coping Pattern
- The Infatuated Organizational Coping Pattern
- The Irrelevant Organizational Coping Pattern
- The Loving-Hating Organizational Coping Pattern
- The Narcissistic Organizational Coping Pattern
- Organizational Coping Patterns
- The Placating Organizational Coping Pattern
- The Superreasonable Organizational Coping Pattern
- Nine Project Management Fallacies
- Why Complex Technology Projects Are Usually Late
- Project Time
- Saying No: A Tutorial for Project Managers
- A Checklist for Reviews and Inspections of Spreadsheets
- Reviews and Inspections of Spreadsheets
- What Software Quality Professionals Can Offer to Senior Management
- Workplace Taboos and Change
- Managing Technical Emergency Teams
- Ten Project Haiku
- Fifteen Tips for Change Agents
- The True Value of Unworkable Ideas
- What Do You Do When You're Stuck?
- Who's Doing Your Job?
Archives of Point Lookout
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Back issues of Point Lookout
- What You See Isn't Always What You Get
- What Do You Need?
- Covert Bullying
- Backtracking in Incremental Problem Solving
- Letting Go of the Status Quo: the Debate
- How to Avoid Responsibility
- A Critique of Criticism: Part II
- A Critique of Criticism: Part I
- On the Appearance of Impropriety
- Action Item Avoidance
- Fill in the Blanks
- How to Ruin Meetings
- Twenty-Three Thoughts
- The Attributes of Political Opportunity: The Finer Points
- The Attributes of Political Opportunity: The Basics
- Logically Illogical
- Untangling Tangled Threads
- Tangled Thread Troubles
- The Ups and Downs of American Handshakes: Part II
- The Ups and Downs of American Handshakes: Part I
- The Questions Not Asked
- Blind Agendas
- I've Got Your Number, Pal
- False Consensus
- Long-Loop Conversations: Anticipation
- Hyper-Super-Overwork
- Finding Work in Tough Times: Communications
- Finding Work in Tough Times: Marketing
- Finding Work in Tough Times: Infrastructure
- Finding Work in Tough Times: Strategy
- Teamwork Myths: I vs. We
- Long-Loop Conversations: Clearing the Fog
- Teamwork Myths: Conflict
- Long-Loop Conversations: Asking Questions
- One Cost of Split Assignments
- Teamwork Myths: Formation
- Pumpers
- Misleading Vividness
- Political Framing: Strategies
- Political Framing: Communications
- Mitigating Outsourcing Risks: Part II
- Mitigating Outsourcing Risks: Part I
- Discussion Distractions: Part II
- Discussion Distractions: Part I
- Coping with Layoff Survival
- Pet Peeves About Work
- Masked Messages
- The Fallacy of Composition
- Four Popular Ways to Mismanage Layoffs: Part II
- Four Popular Ways to Mismanage Layoffs: Part I
- How to Avoid a Layoff: Your Situation
- How to Avoid a Layoff: Your Relationships
- How to Avoid a Layoff: The Inside Stuff
- Creating Trust
- Asking Clarifying Questions
- The Paradox of Confidence
- The Perils of Piecemeal Analysis: Group Dynamics
- Making Memories to Cherish
- The Perils of Piecemeal Analysis: Content
- The Injured Teammate: Part II
- The Injured Teammate: Part I
- It's a Wonderful Day!
- Favors, Payback and Thoughtlessness
- Accepting Reality
- On Virtual Relationships
- Extrasensory Deception: Part II
- Extrasensory Deception: Part I
- When You're the Least of the Best: Part II
- When You're the Least of the Best: Part I
- How to Eliminate Meetings
- The Advantages of Political Attack: Part III
- The Advantages of Political Attack: Part II
- Lateral Micromanagement
- The Advantages of Political Attack: Part I
- Stonewalling: Part II
- Stonewalling: Part I
- Conflicts of Interest in Reporting
- Projection Errors at Work
- Obstructionist Tactics: Part II
- Obstructionist Tactics: Part I
- How to Prepare for Difficult Conversations
- Approval Ploys
- Peace's Pieces
- Unintended Consequences
- Coping and Hard Lessons
- Inbox Bloat Recovery
- Virtual Presentations
- Managing Risk Revision
- Learning
- Animosity Patterns
- Ending Conversations
- Bemused Detachment
- The Risky Role of Hands-On Project Manager
- Organizational Loss: Searching Behavior
- Remote Facilitation in Synchronous Contexts: Part III
- Remote Facilitation in Synchronous Contexts: Part II
- Remote Facilitation in Synchronous Contexts: Part I
- TINOs: Teams in Name Only
- Responding to Threats: Part III
- What, Why and How
- Responding to Threats: Part II
- Responding to Threats: Part I
- Communication Templates: Part II
- Communication Templates: Part I
- The True Costs of Cost-Cutting
- Managing Personal Risk Management
- Making Meaning
- Towards More Gracious Disagreement
- Our Last Meeting Together
- Tactics for Asking for Volunteers: Part II
- Tactics for Asking for Volunteers: Part I
- What We Don't Know About Each Other
- Annoyance to Asset
- Social Safety Margins
- Difficult Decisions
- Healthy Practices
- Devious Political Tactics: A Field Manual
- Illusory Incentives
- Worst Practices
- Virtual Conflict
- Completism
- Some Limits of Root Cause Analysis
- The Good, the Bad, and the Complicated
- How to Procrastinate
- Using the Parking Lot
- Divisive Debates and Virulent Victories
- More Indicators of Scopemonging
- Scopemonging: When Scope Creep Is Intentional
- What Measurements Work Well?
- Unwelcome Workplace Hugs
- About Workplace Hugs
- My Boss Gabs Too Much
- Reverse Micromanagement
- Ethical Influence: Part II
- Ethical Influence: Part I
- Dealing with Negative Progress
- More Stuff and Nonsense
- Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True
- Hostile Collaborations
- Snares at Work
- Ten Reasons Why You Don't Always Get What You Measure: Part III
- Virtual Termination with Real Respect
- Have a Program, Not Just an Agenda
- Ten Reasons Why You Don't Always Get What You Measure: Part II
- When Stress Strikes
- Ten Reasons Why You Don't Always Get What You Measure: Part I
- Troublesome Terminology
- Dismissive Gestures: Part III
- Dismissive Gestures: Part II
- Dismissive Gestures: Part I
- Trying to Do It Right the First Time Isn't Always Best
- How to Tell If You Work for a Nanomanager
- Changing the Subject: Part II
- Changing the Subject: Part I
- Achieving Goals: Inspiring Passion and Action
- Retention
- Astonishing Successes
- An Emergency Toolkit
- Definitions of Insanity
- When Fear Takes Hold
- Excuses, Excuses
- Managing Pressure: Milestones and Deliveries
- Managing Pressure: The Unexpected
- Managing Pressure: Communications and Expectations
- Using Indirectness at Work
- The True Costs of Indirectness
- Asking Brilliant Questions
- Nasty Questions: Part II
- Nasty Questions: Part I
- Let's Revise Our Rituals
- What Makes a Good Question?
- Piling Change Upon Change: Management Credibility
- Assumptions and the Johari Window: Part II
- Breaking the Rules
- Assumptions and the Johari Window: Part I
- When You Think Your Boss Is Incompetent
- How to Get a Promotion in Line
- The Solving Lamp Is Lit
- Peek-a-Boo and Leadership
- How to Get Promoted in Place
- How to Get a Promotion: the Inside Stuff
- Organizing a Barn Raising
- Workplace Barn Raisings
- Working Journals
- Workplace Myths: Motivating People
- We Are All People
- Are You a Fender?
- Presenting to Persuade
- On Organizational Coups d'Etat
- Knife-Edge Performers
- If Only I Had Known: Part II
- If Only I Had Known: Part I
- Inner Babble
- My Right Foot
- Social Distancing for Pandemic Flu
- Deliver the Headline First
- The High Cost of Low Trust: Part II
- The High Cost of Low Trust: Part I
- When You Aren't Supposed to Say: Part III
- When You Aren't Supposed to Say: Part II
- When You Aren't Supposed to Say: Part I
- Dubious Dealings
- Problem-Solving Ambassadors
- Interviewing the Willing: Tactics
- Interviewing the Willing: Strategy
- How Not to Accumulate Junk
- Nepotism, Patronage, Vendettas and Workplace Espionage
- Ten Tactics for Tough Times: Part II
- Ten Tactics for Tough Times: Part I
- The Shower Effect: Sudden Insights
- Filtered Perceptions
- Nine Project Management Fallacies: Part IV
- The Uses of Empathy
- Nine Project Management Fallacies: Part III
- Is It Blame or Is It Accountability?
- Nine Project Management Fallacies: Part II
- Comfortable Ignorance
- Nine Project Management Fallacies: Part I
- Training Bounceback
- In the Groove
- Empire Building
- The Costs of Threats
- Dealing with Deadlock
- Some Things I've Learned Along the Way
- Looking the Other Way
- Recalcitrant Collaborators
- Give Me the Bad News First
- My Boss Is Driving Me Nuts
- FedEx, Flocks and Frames of Reference
- Mastering Q and A
- Practice Positive Politics
- Dealing with Condescension
- Controlling Condescension
- Bonuses
- Problem Defining and Problem Solving
- Hurtful Clichés: Part II
- Devious Political Tactics: Divide and Conquer, Part II
- Hurtful Clichés: Part I
- Devious Political Tactics: Divide and Conquer, Part I
- Deniable Intimidation
- The Loopy Things We Do at Work
- When Others Curry Favor
- Currying Favor
- Paths
- An Agenda for Agendas
- Irrational Self-Interest
- Nine Positive Indicators of Negative Progress
- Email Antics: Part IV
- Questioning Questions
- Knowing Where You're Going
- Shining Some Light on "Going Dark"
- Email Ethics
- See No Evil
- Can You Hear Me Now?
- Recovering Time: Part II
- Planning Your Getaway
- Working Lunches
- Recovering Time: Part I
- Top Ten Signs of a Blaming Culture
- Virtual Communications: Part III
- Virtual Communications: Part II
- Virtual Communications: Part I
- Obstacles to Compromise
- Emergency Problem Solving
- On Beginnings
- Appreciations
- When You Can't Even Think About It
- Totally at Home
- A Guide for the Humor-Impaired
- Decisions, Decisions: Part II
- Are You Micromanaging Yourself?
- Decisions, Decisions: Part I
- The Fine Art of Quibbling
- Status Risk and Risk Status
- Bois Sec!
- When Leaders Fight
- Personal Trade Secrets
- Patterns of Everyday Conversation
- Devious Political Tactics: Cutouts
- The Unappreciative Boss
- Begging the Question
- Flanking Maneuvers
- The Power of Presuppositions
- Some Truths About Lies: Part II
- How to Make Meetings Worth Attending
- Films Not About Project Teams: Part II
- Some Truths About Lies: Part I
- Films Not About Project Teams: Part I
- The Ties that Bind
- Those Across-the-Board Cuts That Aren't
- Believe It or Else
- Selling Uphill: The Pitch
- Selling Uphill: Before and After
- Team Thrills
- Team-Building Travails
- Take Any Seat: Part II
- Take Any Seat: Part I
- Give It Your All
- Hot and Cold Running People
- The Fundamental Attribution Error
- Non-Workplace Politics
- Scheduling as Risk Management
- Mudfights
- Who Would You Take With You to Mars?
- The Hypothetical Trap
- Intimidation Tactics: Touching
- When You're the Target of a Bully
- Outsourcing Each Other's Kids
- Names and Faces
- When You Need a Lift
- Resuming Projects: Team Morale
- Decision-Making and the Straw Man
- No Surprises
- He's No Longer Here
- Coping with Problems
- Email Antics: Part III
- There Are No Micromanagers
- Email Antics: Part II
- Appreciate the Moment
- Email Antics: Part I
- Help for Asking for Help
- When We Need a Little Help
- When Power Attends the Meeting
- Encourage Truth Telling
- Time Management in a Hurry
- Why Dogs Wag Their Tails
- Dealing with Org Chart Age Inversions
- Plopping
- Devious Political Tactics: The Three-Legged Race
- Your Wishing Wand
- Devious Political Tactics: The False Opportunity
- Devious Political Tactics: Credit Appropriation
- Coincidences Do Happen
- Shooting Ourselves in the Feet
- Dispersed Teams and Latent Communications
- Plenty of Blame to Go Around
- Cellf Esteem
- Beyond WIIFM
- Finger Puzzles and "Common Sense"
- Choices for Widening Choices
- Poverty of Choice by Choice
- Emailstorming
- Corrosive Buts
- Tornado Warning
- When You Travel Alone
- Demanding Forgiveness
- Conventional Foolishness
- Figuring Out What to Do First
- Enjoy Every Part of the Clam
- When You Think They've Made Up Their Minds
- Budget Shenanigans: Swaps
- The Weaver's Pathway
- A Message Is Only a Message
- Critical Thinking and Midnight Pizza
- Games for Meetings: Part IV
- Conflict Haiku
- Feedback Fumbles
- There Is No Rumor Mill
- Games for Meetings: Part III
- Some Costs of COTS
- Organizational Firefighting
- Workplace Taboos and Change
- Games for Meetings: Part II
- Games for Meetings: Part I
- You and I
- Discussus Interruptus
- Let Me Finish, Please
- Please Remove My Appendix
- Toxic Projects
- Saying No
- What's So Good About Being Laid Off?
- Caught in the Crossfire
- What Haven't I Told You?
- Message Mismatches
- Trips to Abilene
- Pick-Up Sticks and the Change Game
- High Falutin' Goofy Talk
- Dispersity Adversity
- Manipulated Commitments
- Holey Grails
- Commitment Makes It Easier
- When Naming Hurts
- Getting Around Hawthorne
- Make Space for Serendipity
- Renewal
- Marking Grief
- Some Causes of Scope Creep
- Down So Low the Only Place to Go Is Up
- Smart Bookshelves
- It Might Be Legal, but It's Unethical
- Should I Keep Bailing or Start Plugging the Leaks?
- Snapshots of Squirming Subjects
- Working Out on Your Dreadmill
- Double Your Downsizing Damage
- Doorknob Disclosures and Bye-Bye Bombshells
- Your Wisdom Box
- Think in Living Color
- Seeing Through the Fog
- Getting Home in Time for Dinner
- Status-Report as a Second Language
- At the Sound of the Tone, Hang Up
- Food for Thought
- I Think, Therefore I Laugh
- If You Weren't So Wrong So Often, I'd Agree with You
- Learn from the Mastodon
- Responding to Rumors
- The True Costs of Cubicles
- How We Avoid Making Decisions
- Abraham, Mark and Henny
- When You Make a Mistake
- Change How You Change
- When It Really Counts, Be Positive
- Mastering Meeting Madness
- Heavy Burdens: Should, Always, Must and Never
- Own Your Space
- After the Accolades: You Are Still You
- Are You Taking on the Full Load?
- Become a Tugboat Captain
- Start a Project Nursery
- Express Your Appreciation and Trust
- When Meetings Boil Over
- Think Before You PowerPoint
- Keep a Not-To-Do List
- Are You Changing Tactics or Moving the Goal Posts?
- Workplace Politics vs. Integrity
- When Your Boss Is a Micromanager
- Dangerous Phrases
- Pygmalion Side Effects: Bowling a Strike
- When Your Boss Attacks Your Self-Esteem
- Never, Ever, Kill the Messenger
- When You're Scared to Tell the Truth
- First Aid for Painful Meetings
- Running Your Personal Squirrel Cage
- The Mind Reading Trap
- Don't Worry, Anticipate!
- Coaching and Haircuts
- Now We're in Chaos
- September Eleventh
- Email Happens
- Take Regular Temperature Readings
- Declaring Condition Red
- When All Your Options Are Bad
- Don't Rebuild the Chrysler Building
- Enjoy Your Commute
- You Have to Promise Not to Tell a Soul
- Look Before You Leap
- The Fallacy of the False Cause
- Corrales Mentales
- Stay in Your Own Hula Hoop
- Illegal Dumping
- Geese Don't Land on Twigs
- You Remind Me of Helen Hunt
- Taming the Time Card
- Avoid Typing Under the Influence
- Diagonal Collaborations: Dazzling or Dangerous?
- Dealing with Your Own Anger
- Make a Project Family Album
- Restarting Projects
- The Triangulation Zone
- The Focus of Conflict
- The Shape of the Table
- The Slippery Slope That Isn't
- The Cheapest Way to Run a Project Is with Enough Resources
- Appreciate Differences
- Workplace Politics Is Not a Game
- The "What-a-Great-Idea!" Trap
- Celebrate!
- Quantum Management
- The Tweaking CC
- The Zebra Effect
- Is It Really Resistance?
- When Your Boss Asks You to Do Something Unethical
- Dealing with Implied Accusations
- Don't Staff the Ammo Dump
Resources
- Useful Links
- April Is Workplace Conflict Awareness Month
- October Is Workplace Politics Awareness Month
- The Announcements Email List
- How I Deal with Email Challenge/Response Systems
- Interpersonal Dynamics at Work: A links collection
- RSS Explained
The Library of Personal Trade Secrets
- Contribute to the Library of Personal Trade Secrets
- Samples from the Library of Personal Trade Secrets
- Secrets of Business Travel
- Secrets of Workplace Conflict
- Library of Personal Trade Secrets
- Secrets of Effective Meetings
- Secrets of Organizational Change
- Other Secrets
- Secrets of Workplace Politics
- Secrets of Workplace Technology
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Contact Information
Download vCardRichard Brenner
Chaco Canyon Consulting
700 Huron Avenue, Suite 11J
Cambridge MA, 02138
Phone: (617) 491-6289
Toll-free: (866) 378-5470 in the continental US
Fax: (617) 395-2628
Email: rbrenner@ChacoCanyon.com
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Date and time limits of special offers on this site are New York time.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 08-Sep-2010 01:33:07 EDT