As a frequent speaker to financial services audiences, I talk often about the future customers of financial institutions, including Gen Z, the youngest generation, who are mostly still in some form of school as I write this. So when I have a chance to interact with an actual Gen Z member, I generally ask a […]
Category Archives: Life
Can We Really Trust Our Memory?
Current events have placed old memories into our watercooler conversations, and it just so happens that I have been binge listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast series called Revisionist History. In season 3, he provides a series of episodes on memory. In these, he documents, in his unique professorial style, every detail fully researched yet with […]
Battling Confirmation Bias and My Lying Eyes
I had previously written about my experience flying from Albuquerque to Houston and how I was able to overcome confirmation bias in getting through security and making my flight after a long security checkpoint shutdown. On the ensuing flight, I was reading an article by Ben Yagoda in The Atlantic about cognitive biases. I […]
The Power of Misinformation
My wife Samantha and I arrived at the Albuquerque (ABQ) airport several hours early today. The idea was to check in our bags and then go find a place to have a nice lunch together; we were traveling to different destinations and wouldn’t see each other for several weeks. Check in went smoothly, but as […]
What Paper Towels Tell Your Employees
I recently walked into the break room at U.S. Dataworks and noticed someone had bought replacement paper towels. Based on my status of not having anything to do on my off time, along with my Sam’s Club membership, I had assumed responsibility for provision of our kitchen items. However, I had been out of town […]
Do What You Can Do
After two long, but rewarding weeks teaching technology and innovation at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado, I was at the Denver airport waiting on my flight back to Houston. I had parked at a charging station and was working on my computer when out of the corner of my eye, […]
Apple Watch and the Kardia Watchband
While in a Graduate School of Banking class on Effective Use of Technology, I discussed the future of technology, such as the Apple Watch. Along with the future C-Suite leaders that were in attendance, I talked about the fact that there was still no “killer” watch app for banking. Other than notifications that come to […]
AVIS Trying Harder to Not Try Hard
I was in Boston for a business trip and flew in two days early to meet my wife for a couple of summer days in the city. The first day was idyllic–my wife Samantha had planned it in advance, starting with a city bike tour, followed by a quick lunch at Legal Seafood, an afternoon […]
How to Convert a Favor Into a Win
I recently emceed a conference where the president of the association asked if I would organize a rock group with members of the association. Since I was driving from Georgia to Alabama, where the conference was held, it would be possible for me to bring the equipment necessary to make this happen. Over the […]
Small Innovations Matter… Even in the Bathroom
We’ve all seen it–a wall-mounted, liquid soap dispenser, dripping onto the counter of a public restroom. Regardless of the preventative efforts of engineers, the dispenser leaks. At least, there always seem to be drips (or even puddles) of unused soap on the counters. I figured, if it were possible to prevent this additional soap from […]