http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001741.html

Interesting… what did you have to do with this? That’s what I’ll find out.

The real secret to avoiding flight delays…wake up at 4am and drag yourself to the airport for the first flight out. In my year of travel, my 6am flights average delay to the destination is -10 minutes. The explanation is simple…mother nature is not a morning person. Global warming may be an inconvenient truth, but it’s also a late sleeper.

Two other suggestions to reduce flight delays:

1) Expand on current TSA restrictions with a “no solids” policy
2) “Note from mom” is no longer an acceptable excuse

Nicely said, there is a #4 that I usually invoke. Give them a generic, yet palatable response. I simply tell people that I work for IBM and they nod their head and conjure up images of me sitting alone in a room programming. Of course this is nowhere near what I do, but that’s easier than trying to explain what a Strategy and Change Consultant does (and I’m not completely sure). So this leads me to the question of “why does it matter?”

I think there is an ego element as well. We’ve worked hard to carve out an interesting and impressive niche in the world. But with most people, I’m not compelled to try and “wow” them with my job. Honestly, most of them probably couldn’t care less about the benefits of modernizing electric power meters. On the other hand, there are times when you need to be able to be articulate what you’ve accomplished professionally (job interviews, applications to graduate schools, professional networking, etc.) And in these instances, you usually have longer than an elevator ride to explain yourself.

So here is my advice. When you are chatting with Jane Q Public in line at Starbucks, tell her that you are a reporter that covers politics. You will miss the opportunity to amaze her with your knowledge of the U.S. Attorney scandal, but she will probably thank you for it.

–Bryan