Pensights
The Art (and Science) of Networking – PEN Apr 2018
Ok – quick show of hands: who reading this loves to network? Seriously, vote here to indicate your fondness of professional networking; you can see others’ votes here (then come back and read the rest of the article!). While some people (mainly extroverts) thrive on networking, I’m guessing most of you really don’t like[...]
The Power of Positivity: 15 Ways to Reduce Stress & Improve Optimism, Effectiveness – PEN Mar 2018
“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another,” William James, American philosopher and psychologist, 1890. I wonder what James would think about today’s society and the mounting stresses we all face. Little stresses, like traffic jams (didn’t have those in 1890, unless maybe you were fighting for a spot[...]
1+1=3 – The Power of Partnerships – PEN Jan 2018
I’m not a science expert, but I do remember some basic principles from high school chemistry. For one, if you combine certain chemicals, sometimes you get a compound that takes on new chemistry (like sodium and chloride combining to become table salt or calcium and carbon combining to become marble). I also remember that certain[...]
Mankato Area Council for Quality Becomes Part of Performance Excellence Network
January 17, 2018 For Immediate Release Mankato Area Council for Quality Becomes Part of Performance Excellence Network Acquisition Provides MACQ Members Access to PEN Resources, Advances Continuous Improvement and Excellence in the Mankato Area ST. PAUL, Minn., January 17, 2018 – The Performance Excellence Network (PEN) and the Mankato Area Council for Quality (MACQ) announce[...]
Performance Excellence Network Acquires MN Healthcare Quality Professionals
December 13, 2017 For Immediate Release Performance Excellence Network Acquires MN Healthcare Quality Professionals Combination Provides MHQP Members Access to PEN Resources, Advances Quality in Healthcare throughout Minnesota ST. PAUL, Minn., December 13, 2017 – The Performance Excellence Network (PEN) and the Minnesota Healthcare Quality Professionals (MHQP) today announce a partnership that includes PEN’s[...]
Going Slow to Go Fast – PEN Nov 2017
Legend has it that during World War II, Navy fighter planes had a watch embedded in the steering column – not to help the pilot keep time, but to help save his life. You see: the first step in a pilot’s emergency response process was to wind the watch. It may sound crazy, but Navy[...]
Toilet Paper Up or Down? The Power of Comparative Data — PEN October 2017
I ran across an interesting statistic recently: 68% of Americans place their toilet paper in the holder with the roll coming over the top (rather than underneath). Interesting. I guess I’m “normal” (not that placing it the other way is necessarily abnormal). But I guess it’s been a long debate – Wikipedia has 133 footnotes[...]
A Meeting of the Minds: Why So Many Meetings are a Waste of Time & Money – PEN September 2017
If you haven’t seen this video before (or even if you have), it’s worth 3.5 minutes. It’s extremely funny and it illustrates the point that conference calls (really all meetings) can be terribly inefficient, unproductive, and expensive. Think about it. How many meetings (or conference calls or videoconferences) have you participated in recently that[...]
Finding Your Life’s Meaning: A Quest to Discover Ikigai – PEN August 2017
What’s the meaning of life? No really: what’s the meaning of your life? It’s an age-old question, but you could argue that it’s the foundation of true life-long happiness, fulfillment, and even self-actualization. Getting there, however, may take a lifetime of work! To speed that along a bit, I offer “ikigai,” a Japanese concept[...]
The Butterfly Effect: Managing Your Organization as a System – PEN July 2017
Because most things in life are part of larger systems, some seemingly trivial events can have significant impact. For example, in 1961, mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz took a shortcut in entering data in a weather prediction model. He innocently entered .506 instead of the full numeric value of.506127, and the result was a completely[...]
Lessons from Uber: Leadership Always Beats Innovation
I love Uber. Haven’t taken a cab in about three years. The amount of innovation coming out of this entrepreneurial, rapidly growing company – and the significant and profound shift in business model for the human (and maybe non-human) transportation industry it inspired – is impressive. Much like Amazon is transforming retail, Apple is transforming[...]
Sustaining American Greatness: Communities of Excellence 2026
A few days ago, we marked Memorial Day and in about five weeks, we’ll celebrate our 241st birthday as a nation. It’s a time for picnics with family; reflections on those who sacrificed for their country; maybe parades or cemetery visits or fireworks with friends. It’s also a time to enjoy and appreciate our freedom[...]
