These are some thoughts on people, organizations, conflict, and culture. It’s rooted in my ombuds and mediation work, but takes in other things that I study or follow, including history, gambling, conspiracy theories, jazz, and video games.
As a blog, it is a successor to From the Ombuds, which itself is a successor to my earlier Las Vegas and gambling-centric blogging on my own site (Die is Cast, and before that, Casino PTZ), Two Way Hard Three, and other places.
The name, “informed informality,” references one of the four standards of ombuds practice, informality in the sense of assistance that comes outside of formal administrative channels. The “informed” part should imply that, even though I am informal and even casual at times, I have put a lot of thought into this, and hopefully what I say is informed by something.
Lately it seems that all some people want to talk about is AI. Granted, there are plenty of people who can go through their day without discussing it at all, but when people do have it on their mind, they are not shy about letting you know. One day in particular last week, I […]
AI’s Deeper Challenge Isn’t Cheating Read More »
informed informality
If someone around you is struggling but you aren’t sure how you can help, there are five things you can try that won’t make things worse, and might make them better.
Five Ways to Support Someone Who Is Struggling Read More »
informed informality
Are you having trouble building long-term, mutually beneficial work relationships with others? Do you struggle with getting others “on your side,” getting them to see your point of view? Does it seem like no one wants to do you any favors? If, after some honest introspection, you find yourself in this circumstance your group might
What If We Stopped Treating Each Other Like NPCs? Read More »
informed informalityAs many of us do, I was spending time with some band kids when I overheard them using language that got me thinking about how we split the world into dueling opposites, which can be helpful—but not always. The band kids were reflecting on a day’s worth of band kid drama, which is perhaps not
High or Low Cortisol, Does It Matter? Read More »
informed informalityAn inspirational quotation, based on John F. Kennedy’s quip after the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion, relates that “success has a thousand fathers and failure is an orphan.” In other words, plenty of people are eager to take credit for the good while being just as eager to disown the blame. And it’s hard
What If We Didn’t Orphan Our Failures? Read More »
informed informalityThis semester, teaching a seminar on the history and meaning of video games has given me a chance to think of how the way people approach playing games can mirror how they approach real-life decisions. It sparked some thoughts about how sometimes the “optimal” way we handle things ends up making us worse off. Here
Are We Min-Maxing Our Way to Failure? Read More »
informed informalityIn my role as ombuds, I encounter people whose chief issue is that other people are doing things that they don’t like. Reflecting on it, at its core about three-quarters of ombuds work is helping people whose main issue is that someone is doing something that is making them unhappy, while the other quarter concerns
Unsure What to Do? Try a Tip from Your Body Read More »
informed informalityI recently had the opportunity to talk about the benefits of an ombuds office to organizations. As I see it, the most basic one is a place where people can talk and be heard. While some might argue that listening, as a passive activity, doesn’t do much good, I would counter that it is often
Six Reasons to Listen, Even for the Unabashedly Self-Centered Read More »
informed informalityI recently had the good fortune to attend a college basketball game. Don’t worry—I won’t bore you with a play-by-play, but I do want to share the cascade of thoughts triggered by one of the home team pep band’s chants. When an opposing player whiffed a pass, missed a layup, had the ball go through
How Jeering Band Kids Can Change Your Biggest Fundamental Read More »
informed informalityOften, we want to ask for expert advice. We pay for that expertise when we are confident that we can’t, for example, do a better job of replacing a TPMS sensor than the folks down at Discount Tire. And no one would blame us. But let’s admit it. There are times when we ask for
What I Would Do Doesn’t Matter—But Asking Something Else Might Read More »
informed informalityLast time out, I offered some tips on how any leader could actively sabotage their team—not for the purpose of helping them actually do it, but hopefully as a cautionary tale. Today, I asked myself, “Why should leaders have all the fun?” while simultaneously asking, “Why should everyone but leaders be exempt from responsibility
Three Simple Ways to Sabotage Anyone Who Leads You Read More »
informed informalityI spend a lot of time writing about how people can make things better. But what if we entered a mirror universe where I shared how to make things worse for those around you? Could there be something of value learned? I hope so, because I am committing to this concept for the next
Three Simple Steps to Sabotage Any Team You Lead Read More »
informed informalityWe use several tools as we go about our day. Sometimes we draw on what we know, sometimes we get ahead by applying what we know in a certain way. But often, we can make use of what we don’t know, by channeling our curiosity—even if we’re not always encouraged to be curious. Curiosity gets
Beware the Cat, But Flaunt Your Curiosity Read More »
informed informalityThis semester, I am teaching an Honors seminar on the history of conspiracy theories. I find that what I teach influences how I frame my day job, ombudsing/mediation/conflict resolution. When I teach about jazz history, I focus on conflict resolution as a collective improvisation. When covering video games, I consider the ludic aspects of a
Trouble at Work? Make Sure It’s Not a Conspiracy Read More »
informed informalityWe’ve all been there. You are at work, school, or another professional setting, and someone says something to you or someone else that strikes you as remarkably unprofessional. What can you do? First, let’s define our topic. I take communication as “the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior.”
Diagnosing Unprofessional Communication—and Doing Something About It Read More »
informed informalityVrin! I don’t know if that’s how you spell it, but that’s how I’ve seen it most frequently, so “vrin!” it is. What, you may be wondering, do I mean by “vrin?” It’s the sound Hornet makes when she heals, in Hollow Knight: Silksong. You can hear it right here. She says it four
Silksong’s Difficulty And Healthy Frustration Read More »
informed informalityDo you have the will to stop doomscrolling for a minute and celebrate something positive? I hope so, because that means you might let me share my thoughts about a video game whose development history is a welcome counterbalance to the industry-typical cycle of crunch, stress, and toxicity. It turns out that there might
What We Can Learn from Team Cherry Read More »
informed informalityFor some of you reading this, the school year is starting again, which means you are back in the classroom, either as a student or instructor. For others, there’s nothing particularly educationally significant about this season. Still, I feel compelled to talk a little about part of learning that we don’t often hear about: vulnerability.
Learning Among the Thumps Read More »
informed informalityRecently I’ve been in the position of explaining just exactly what ombuds and mediators do, and how informal conflict resolution differs from the formal disposition of complaints. I know, it sounds like a delightfully dry way to pass the time, but it seemed more exciting when I was in the middle of it. Anyway,
When Reconciliation Is More Important Than Truth Read More »
informed informalityI would like to take a minute to share some book news. The audio version of Something For Your Money is now available on Audible and Amazon. That completes the platform trifecta, more or less: the book is now available in print (hardcover and paperback), ebook (more platforms than I can mention), and audio, which
Something For Your Money Now an Audiobook Read More »
book, informed informality