BlogSat

I stumbled on to a great post on the EverydayUX blog, that referred to this post on another site . The relevant excerpt below: So which PEOPLE are innovators? And what drives them? The folks I’ve been impressed with have some key attributes: They are better observers than most They ask good questions They listen deeply They are OK working alone or in small groups, but ideally, connect well They are fierce about their passions, and believe deeply in their convictions They are courageous and hungry They aren’t so wedded to your organization that perpetuating the organization (and their place within it and its pecking order) takes priority and so… They often need care and protection most from the same institution that needs them. I agree with the summary and conclusion. Great companies need to ensure that they build an environment where people that question authority and challenge conventional thinking and incrementalism (i.e are able to drive innovation) are protected from the natural t...

A couple of weeks ago, I got two emails within minutes of each other. Both had a similar purpose. The senders needed me to do something for them. I should have done both of these things by the time they'd sent these emails and I hadn't because other things had come up and I'd decided these could wait. I get a lot of similar emails and occasionally even send a few of these, but the contrast stood out as I read these back-to-back. These aren't easy emails to send or pleasant ones to receive. In this case, both emails had one very simple goal: get me to do what they wanted as soon as possible. Both emails were sent by folks above my pay grade, and while I would over the next couple of days get to both things, I ended up having very different opinions of the both people after the emails. Thankfully neither used cliches I'm particularly amused by such as "friendly reminder" :), but one email made me respect the person that sent it even more; the other just anno...

A few weeks ago, after a colleague started complaining to me about some slides he had to make that would shortly be buried in the appendix of a presentation his boss' boss was going to possibly give, I ended up saying "Eh, just pay the tax as efficiently as you can and move on." I've used this analogy often over the time I've had to earn a living, and ended up explaining it yet again a few days ago. Most of us (hopefully) like our jobs. We're excited by the things we're trying to accomplish or some of the things we do day-to-day to accomplish them or (if you're really lucky) both. However there will always be things you need to do that you don't necessarily enjoy and or even think necessary. This is in effect a at-work tax on you: on your time, energy, and general bucket of happiness. As a UChicago grad student, I'm trained to be deeply suspicious of taxes and deadweight losses . But here, as is often the case with taxes, some are necessary an...

As my mind wandered on the bus back to NYC today, I thought about apologies and how reluctant people are to make them, especially at work. A few weeks ago I'd gotten a little annoyed coming out of a meeting, simply because I'd seen a familiar type of behavior just go down. It was meeting similar to others I'm sure happen everyday in most companies. Something had gone wrong; someone had caught it; the team discussed it; discussed alternatives/repercussions and a fix, and then moved on. Sounds normal enough. So what bugged me? The folks who made the decision that necessitated this entire conversation took responsibility and ownership of the fix, and portrayed extreme competence in doing so. However, at no time did they acknowledge the mistake, let alone apologize for it. This has always bugged me. I think part of being a professional or a leader or for that matter just a functioning human being is being able to recognize not just that you made a mistake but acknowledging to o...

Yet more evidence that multi-tasking is bad for you . This isn't surprising to me; I know its bad for me; it reduces the overall quality of work and ease with which I'd get things done; yet I can't keep away from it. The GTD methodology suggests something similar and has the same core thesis and begs you to avoid multi-tasking: do one thing at a time focus on it completely and immerse yourself in it; that's the way to enjoy yourself. use tools (lists, rules about when to do stuff etc.) to schedule what to do when and what to drop; Easier said than done, but reminding yourself always helps.:)

I was having a conversation with a colleague this week, and we ended up talking about what were the qualities of a great manager. We ended up talking about a lot of things: how much the person cares about her/his reports, leadership, inspiration, IQ points, ability to be strategic, integrity, etc. etc. I realized the answers varied for each person, but suddenly remembered the very simple litmus test. If your manager left to go do something else, would you want to follow her/him?

I did something super-uncharacteristic in a meeting today, and felt both bad and stupid right after. It felt very unlike me to do it, but I knew exactly why.....Some people are more easily influenced by styles/personalities/mannerisms of others. I've suspected for quite a while that I'm one of those people. :) I tend to pick up good habits/mannerisms/styles from people, but I realize the flip is true as well. So what's a person to do? Here's what I think: Step 1: awareness is key: watch out always, always, always for what you're doing. Examine your life and actions continuously. I've been able to do this once-in-a-while, but have never been able to keep this "always-on" Step 2: have a strong sense of the kind of person you want to be: in your personal and professional life. An easy way to get there is to have role-models; multiple role-models or even more granular (e.g. a programming role-model, analysis role-model, meeting role-model, a presentation...

Another reminder that companies don't make decisions. People do... and people are human... and hence idiots. Remember from The Dilbert Principle ,  " Everyone is an idiot, not just the people with low SAT scores. The only differences among us is that we're idiots about different things at different times. No matter how smart you are, you spend much of your day being an idiot. " A couple of days ago, I ended up having a conversation identical to one that I had a few weeks earlier with another person. I can't get into the details and so will abstract. This person was in the position to make a decision; an important one at that... and his decision finally was based on the presentation that he would be able to give to his bosses, instead of the actual results of what he'd do. Just to be clear, this person ...thankfully...didn't work at Google. I've heard the same problem a million times the brand manager who decides to buy advertising in X place instead of...

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