This sure has been one of the hottest summers of record.  And even now when September typically welcomes in the fall - the temperatures are still upwards of 80s/to low 90s and around dinnertime - they're scorching. 

Recently, I was at a conference with a client offering a presentation on software implementation.  While preparing for the presentation, a conversation occurred with the client that really made me stop and think.

A few days before the training I called this client to review everything and confirm we were ready for our presentation.  I asked for her cell phone number so we could connect the day before at the conference.  She replied, “Do not laugh at me, I still have a flip phone”.  After a short pause, I was not sure what to say.  This client is one of the most technically savvy project managers I have worked with in my career.  She can write HTML and SQL very well and is responsible for automating her entire workflow of five departments and 125 staff members, and yet she has a phone that I had 20 years ago when I first got out of college.  Then just when I thought it could not get any more interesting, she stated that I have to text her “Yes” or “No” questions because she does not know how to text on it and she can only text back one letter. 

Do You Allow Your Children to Fail?

These days our children’s lives read like a Hollywood movie. People are trying to script their children’s lives.  In some cases - they are not allowed to fail. It starts young, if they are sports minded, they have to grow up to be the next Tiger Woods. If they are smart, they are pushed to be a rocket scientist or similar.  

For the majority of its life, Dungeons & Dragons has attracted fear, ridicule and threats of censorship from those who don’t play or understand the game. It is surrounded by a storm of negative connotations and emotions. David M. Ewalt, the author of “Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It,” writes, “If you’re an adult who plays … you’re a loser, you’re a freak, you live in your parents’ basement.”

Is stress as much a permanent fixture at your job as the office pool table?  Well at least here at GVT, the pool table is a permanent fixture. If you answered yes, you’re not alone. According to the American Psychological Association, workplace stress costs American companies an estimated $300 billion annually.