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Read More5 Ways Agile Project Management is Like Running a Marathon
It took me just shy of 48 years, but I finally ran my first half-marathon on February 7, 2016 (Super Bowl Sunday – Go Broncos). I had extra “Lifetime Bucks” from Lifetime Fitness that were about to expire, so I used them to buy a run plan. The coach sat me down, told me to pick a race as a goal, and suggested a 10k as a starting point. I’ve run that distance in under an hour...
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Read MoreProject Communication 101: Catch the Ball – Move the Chains
This has been one of those edge-of-your-seat seasons for the Denver Broncos. 10 out of 12 of their wins (including 3 overtimes) were by 7 points or less – meaning every fan was furiously biting nails on the opponents’ last drives! To compound the anxiety, Peyton Manning led the league with 17 interceptions, and Demaryius Thomas was 5th in the league in dropped passes. Dropped passes directly...
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Read MoreDon’t Lose the Fundamentals – Can you drive a stick shift?
I was browsing through my Facebook feed recently, and I came across the featured image for this blog post. I thought it was hilarious because my wife and I both drive stick shifts…and our daughters do NOT know how to drive stick. Yes, that is ultimately our fault as parents, but would you put teenaged daughters behind the wheel of a 6-speed Camaro?? Regardless, we never have to worry about them...
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Read MoreConsulting 101: Unprofessionalism like Sharp Poke to the Eye
Is everyone familiar with the reply, when someone asks you “how are you doing”, of saying “well, it’s better than a sharp stick in the eye!” Or, is that just a Texan expression?!? Well, I was hoping for the Denver Broncos to make a furious comeback, and for Peyton Manning to break the NFL Games Won and NFL Passing Yardage records, when this happened… Are you...
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Read MoreData Quality Comes Before Data Visualization
Several months ago, I was slated to meet members of a client’s Business Intelligence team for happy hour. I decided to get there early, so imagine my surprise when I walked into the room 15 minutes early – and everyone was already seated and participating in a lively discussion! I took my seat, and the senior director asks, “What does data governance mean to you?” My candid...
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Read MoreTest Automation is Like a License to Print Money
I have been in the software industry since 1992 – after a brief stint actually USING my mechanical engineering degree for a couple of years. My initial focus was mostly on transactional database design and software development. I then narrowed the focus to the data side and Kimball-style datawarehousing. That opened the door to an onslaught of cool technology for data integration, data...
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Read MoreToday’s Consulting Compared to Martial Arts Belt Factory
My name is Brian Vickery, and it has been 5-months since my last confession…err, blog post. However, there are some days where I wake up with enough passion compelling me to write about a topic. In the best case, this post will drive thoughtful discussion. In the worst case…well, at least I got it off my chest! So, let’s talk about how today’s consulting compares to a Martial Arts...
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Read MoreLeadership Lesson: Throw Team Under Bus – Get Kicked to Curb
You may not know it, based upon my TV habits this season, but I am a Denver Nuggets fan. Because I value teamwork over star power, I especially enjoyed how George Karl led the Nuggets to their most wins in a season – without having a bonafide star. George Karl won Coach of the Year that year, but another first round exit – coupled with his desire for a contract extension – resulted in the...
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Most Recent Articles
Super Bowl or Project Failure: Rarely Comes Down to One Play
We all knew the second-guessing and armchair quarterbacking would start as soon as that final interception in the Super Bowl? Why do you throw a pass from the 1-yard line when you have over 20 seconds, a timeout,...
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Lessons from Australian Open 2015: Do You Believe You Will Succeed?
With my beloved Denver Broncos not in the Super Bowl, as well as my childhood team the Dallas Cowboys, I have turned my attention to other sports. Actually, I look forward to watching the Australian Open – as...
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4 Ways Social Listening is Like the Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line
If you are a frequent reader of my blog posts, you know that I am an avid...
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Going Ultra-Conservative Can Cost You the Game – In NFL and Business
I watched a maddening game this weekend as the Seattle Seahawks edged out my...
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Leverage Social Listening for Brand Adaptation vs Losing Identity
As I was growing up, I wanted to eventually own a Jeep, a sports car, and a...
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12 Most Wizardly “W” Traits of Great Leaders
“More firm and sure the hand of courage strikes, when it obeys the watchful...
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Social Listening and Flawed Sentiment Analysis – Don’t Throw Baby Out With Bathwater
It has been over a month since my last blog post! The ProKarma acquisition of...
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Fat Bob and Social Media – First Ride
Did I mention the time that I had to send my oldest daughter to college with my...
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12 Most Victorious Great Leader Virtues
“He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot, will be victorious.” ~...
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Belated Big Reveal – Mantis a ProKarma Company
Is it still a big reveal when you are over a week late?!? After months of due...
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About Brian Vickery
I love my Vickery Girls - and now grandsons! I am blessed in that I also love my job as a VP of Enterprise Solutions for ProKarma. I appreciate the convergence of big data and data visualization in our Pulse Analytics social listening and analytics platform as well as our core software / mobile app development, business intelligence, and test automation services. I enjoy teaching and coaching, watching football and basketball, and playing tennis. I graduated UT-Austin. Follow ProKarma
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