Do you value individual contributors, or collaboration? Do you value people fitting in, or people belonging? Do you value integrity, or “whatever it takes”? Do you value sustainability growth, or does only the short term matter? Do you value doing what’s right, or doing what’s right for you? Act accordingly.
Blog
Systems Over Solo
I used to subscribe to the notion that I was bad with birthdays. I told myself the story that I was often too busy, too distracted building things to remember all of the birthdays of my friends and family. This became a harmful spiral that led to behavior that reinforced […]
“You’re Terrible”
When a leader is giving you negative feedback, and they start making it personal and/or start shouting, remember that it’s more about them than it is about you. The things that frustrate us most remind us of our own sore spots and weaknesses. While, yes, you probably should have double-checked […]
Authority, Freedom, Benefits, and Responsibility
Everyone wants the perks of being a leader. The respect, the authority, the freedom to “do what you want.” The performance bonuses, access to resources, the ability to hire and fire people. Not everyone is willing to take the responsibility for being a leader, though. Having to act in a […]
“Overnight” Success
For anyone who needs to hear it: things take time to build. Remember that all of the 1-minute timelapse “tutorials,” TEDTalks, highlight reels, and “overnight” success are all the result of much longer amounts of time than you might think. Jerry Seinfield rehearsed his five minute stand-up bit 200 times […]
“This Is For Your Own Good”
Whenever anyone gives you advice and tells you “This is for your own good,” I assert almost in every case it’s actually for their own good. This is not to say that it isn’t for yours as well, but the very nature of the reasoning behind why you would say […]
Unfriendly Competition
Competition is part of life. We compete for attention, compete for awards and records, and we compete for business. Yet so many people “compete” by using smear campaigns, sabotaging business transactions, and basically attacking their competitors instead of making their product better. This isn’t a recipe for success, it’s a […]
I Was Wrong
People seem to have an allergic reaction to saying “I was wrong.” Well, I was wrong thinking Bitcoin would never go over $10k. I was wrong about when I thought the COVID vaccines wouldn’t be available in the US until July. I was wrong about thinking I would have kids […]
Desperation
If you are seeking to change someone’s mind, desperation should be a last-ditch effort in order to get your way. Changing someone’s mind requires the other person to go through the mental hurdles of admitting that their initial assertion was incorrect, and that they should now believe something new. Desperation […]
The Words Aren’t the Message
“Your feedback is important to us. Please leave a message.” “We’ll circle back on your feedback later, but in the interest of time, let’s go with what’s already proposed.” Just because you’re telling people you care about them doesn’t mean they’ll believe you if there isn’t demonstrated action that shows […]