Jamie Thingelstad

There was a stack over two feet high of large sheets of paper in the Milwaukee Art Museum. They all had printed in very small print in the middle “VETERANS DAY SALE”. We brought one back figuring Mazie may want to do a drawing on it. In the meantime it became Tammy’s own movable art piece.

Part of the Milwaukee Spring Break collection.

The architecture in the atrium of the Milwaukee Art Museum is amazing. It sets an incredible tone.

Part of the Milwaukee Spring Break collection.

Family selfie in the atrium of the Milwaukee Art Museum with Lake Michigan in the background.

Part of the Milwaukee Spring Break collection.

Looking good this morning Milwaukee!

Part of the Milwaukee Spring Break collection.

• 7:07a Depart home
• 7:24a Fill Mazda CX-9 with gas
• 12:03p Lunch at Archie’s Flat Top in Milwaukee: Triple Cheeseburgers for Tyler and Dad. 4 oz patties. Triple patties were a mistake. Brilliant French fries.
• Mazie and Dad had Scratch Ice Cream (Raspberry White Chocolate Chip, Door County Cherry).
• Carrie’s Crispies for awesome unique Rice Krispie bars (Original, Pretzel White Chocolate, Peanut Butter Cup, S’mores).
• Milwaukee Public Museum. Particularly enjoyed Old Streets of Milwaukee.
• Checked in at Saint Kate Art Hotel.
• Dinner at SafeHouse.
• Champagne and shopping in hotel lobby.

Jump to day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or collection.

First museum stop was the Milwaukee Public Museum. We had a fun time exploring the European Village, Butterfly Wing, Streets of Old Milwaukee, Third Planet, Rainforest, North America, and much more.

Part of the Milwaukee Spring Break collection.

Tammy loves Rice Krispie bars so when we passed Carrie’s Crispies we had to stop! We tried Original, Pretzel White Chocolate, Peanut Butter Cup, and S’mores. They were all fabulous!

Part of the Milwaukee Spring Break collection.

After arriving in Milwaukee it was time for lunch at Archie’s Flat Top. We are always game for a great cheeseburger. Tyler and I opted for a triple not realizing that they were 4 oz patties. The three pancake size patties were all I could handle! 🍔

Part of the Milwaukee Spring Break collection.

Quinn, Tyler, and I went to the Minnesota United friendly versus St. Patricks Athletic FC. The combination of a friendly and cold weather resulted in the lowest attendance I’ve seen at Allianz Field. The United won and we got to sing Wonderwall for Quinn’s first professional soccer game.

Picked up new Tesla Model Y today.

Also see list of vehicles.

Pi Day 2024 cocktail: Shut Your Pie Hole.

See Pi Day Collection.

Tammy’s π Day 2024 creations: Bumble Berry, Bailey’s Irish Cream Pie, Spinach Pie, Broccoli Cheddar Pie.

See Pi Day Collection.

We had a great π day celebration with TeamSPS today! Many pies and some great Pi Day shirts too!

See Pi Day Collection.

I’ve met Matt Norman a few times. He is an incredibly outgoing, generous, and nice person that happily shares his insights with others. When he asked me if I would like an early read of his new book Lead With Influence I said yes right away.

Influence is an important topic, particularly in modern organizations that go far beyond a simple hierarchal view of the organization. To get things done, regardless of title and position, you need to influence people and sell them on your ideas. Knowledge work doesn’t happen because you tell someone to do it. Cross-functional teams are the norm and require influence to align around their objectives and achieve success. So, how do you achieve this influence?

This is where Norman’s book comes in. He walks the reader through all of the components of creating influence. He includes many resources in the form of different checklists and mental models to help the reader work through creating influence on their own. This is a book that could easily come with worksheets (or make your own) to help you create a strong case for what you are working to influence in any given situation.

I would recommend this book to knowledge workers that find themselves working in cross-functional teams toward a goal (isn’t this all knowledge workers?). The book is approachable by anyone in business even if you have very little training or experience in these topics.

Here is the table of contents so you can get a feel for the book.

PART ONE — Position: Setting the Table for Influence

1. Prioritize Availability over Productivity
2. Build both Predictive and Vulnerability-Based Trust
3. Pay Attention to the Little Things
4. Be like a Salmon
5. Use Value Language
6. Talk like a Palace Builder

PART TWO — Probe: Facilitating New Ways of Thinking

7. Explore the Four Parts of Human Thinking That Drive Influence
8. Develop the Art of Facilitation
9. Summarize Regularly

PART THREE — Propose: Making Your Ideas Known

10. Explain in a Way That Will Resonate
11. It’s Not Just What You Say, but How You Say It

PART FOUR — Persuade: Managing Resistance and Tension

12. Be a Nonanxious Presence
13. Respond instead of Reacting
14. Persuade through Pushback
15. Consider Whom You’re Trying to Change

PART FIVE — Institutionalizing Leadership Influence

16. Coaching for Improved Performance
17. Reinforcing Thought and Communication Patterns
18. The Culture of Influence
19. Conclusions About Leading With Influence