Month: September 2022

Creating a checklist for a process that we repeat is a simple example of growth mindset in action.

As an example, imagine we create a packing checklist that we maintain on our phone. Every time we go on a trip, we can just copy that checklist and ensure we’re packing everything applicable for that particular trip.

If we realize we forgot something we would have loved to bring with us on the trip, we don’t need to waste much time beating ourselves up. We just need to add it to our checklist – this way, we’ll never forget it on a future trip.

A checklist focuses our energy on constructive actions. It also keeps improving our system – thus improving the quality of our future decisions.

It is a gift that keeps on giving – a great example of a tool that brings the growth mindset idea to life.

I was reflecting on my conversation with Seth this Friday. Here are my 3 biggest takeaways –

(1) Embrace your imperfections and start on the path was the biggest theme I took away. We talked about it in the lens of our efforts to fight climate change. But it was a theme that flowed throughout. We talked about how learning happens when we embrace “this might not work” and that’s okay.

It is easy to get caught in cycles of shaming, guilt, and judgment. All of those are unproductive. Just get started on the path and expect to learn plenty as you go.

(2) Everyone is a volunteer and everyone has more leverage than they think.

This resonated deeply.

Leadership is all about creating enrollment. And the first step to doing that is internalizing the fact that everyone is a volunteer. The next step is helping get everyone on the same page on a simple truth – we all have more leverage than we think.

(3) Configure your system to show up well. One of the telling differences on the call was that Seth looked straight into the camera when speaking and I decidedly didn’t. Between making sure I was okay on time, keeping up with the chat, etc., my eyes were all over the place. Then again, looking straight at the camera felt unusual as well.

But it makes such a difference.

Investing in a Seth-esque rig may not be for everyone. But a first step is simply becoming aware that of the improvements we can make in our setup. The next step is infusing more intentionality in how we show up.

Thank you to those of you who carved out time to join in. I’d be curious for your reflections as well of course. :-)

I spent most weekends in the 2010s attempting to do too much thanks to a propensity to say yes to too many projects. The result was disappointment on many a weekend as I got far less done than I wanted. My weekend to do lists were far too ambitious.

Occasionally, it meant a lot of pressure on the work week too as I tried to squeeze out time in the evening/early morning.

It wasn’t fun or helpful and this stopped working after we had our second kid (it was on life support after our first).

To counter this, I adopted a simple heuristic in the past couple of years – I only work on 1 major project at any given moment outside work.

There’s no fixed “type” of project. It could be a project related to home, family, side projects, or something else altogether. Some projects take a lot of time over multiple weekends and multiple months before I move on. Some are much shorter.

Either way, the rule has helped inspired a lot of clarity in my decision making. It has helped me go into weekends with clear expectations of what I can get done. And, most importantly, it has made it easy to say no or not now to everything except the project of the moment.

Simple heuristics go a long way in helping simplify our decisions and our lives.

The role of the first teacher on any subject is less about the actual teaching and more about inspiring a love for learning the subject.

In the early stages, the best education is a result of thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, and encouragement.

Sometimes, making progress on challenging problems is all about changing the horizon.

That’s hard to do if you’re naturally impatient.

Some problems, however, aren’t solved with brute force and smarts. They just need us to stay with them… long after everyone else quits.

I had shared a quote a few months ago from Frank Slootman that I was reflecting on today.

“Years ago, I used to hesitate and wait situations out, often trying to fix underperforming people or products instead of pulling the plug. Back then I was seen as a much more reasonable and thoughtful leader — but that didn’t mean I was right. As I got more experience, I realized that I was often just wasting everybody’s time. If we knew that something or someone wasn’t working, why wait? As the saying goes, when there is doubt, there is no doubt.” | Frank Slootman, Amp It Up

Frank Slootman is the CEO of Snowflake and previously scaled both ServiceNow and Data Domain – a rare 3x successful CEO. The insight and experience buried in this quote resonated deeply when I first heard it in April. However, as I’ve been reflecting on it some more, my appreciation has continued to grow.

If it isn’t working, make the call.

When there is doubt, there is rarely any doubt.

Long time readers of this blog know that Seth’s blog has been a huge inspiration over the years. That’s aside from the fact that many of you first subscribed to this blog thanks to Seth sharing a link to this blog in his posts over the years :-). TLDR – I’m very grateful to Seth for the inspiration, support, and encouragement over the years.

So, I’m very excited about hosting a conversation with Seth on Friday morning 10am Pacific Time (1pm Eastern Time, 6pm UK, etc.). We’ll be talking about “The Carbon Almanac” as well as Seth’s perspective on careers and leadership. While this is part of a “Speaker Series” event at LinkedIn, we’ll be broadcasting this live globally.

You can register here if you’re interested.

I hope you’ll be able to make it.

There are always going to be opinions about our work that irritates/annoys/makes us feel inadequate.

Very few of them matter.

There’s always going to be a lot of noise. That’s just a test of our effectiveness and maturity. The noise grows proportional with the size of our ambitions and actions. We can’t get rid of it.

But… we always get to choose what we pay attention to.

All we need to do is be disciplined enough to consistently ask – does this matter?

The question will show us the way.

I didn’t believe I was capable of drawing or writing particularly neatly as a kid. My handwriting wasn’t bad – but it wasn’t good either.

I met Mrs. Vanaja Vimal – a.k.a “Vanaja miss” – in my 8th grade when she introduced herself as our new science teacher. She shared in that class that she expected neat submissions every time – no exceptions.

She then turned around to write her first set of notes on the white board.

I still remember our reaction when we first saw her writing. It was pristine. Almost like someone had typed it out in a cursive font.

She then drew something on the board. Again, pristine. It was clear she meant business.

That year, our science notebooks were significantly neater than all the others.

In time, that experience made me realize that I could write and draw a whole lot neater than I thought. It changed the game.

Sometimes, all it takes is for us to meet someone who has that combination of high expectations (both in what they say and do) and a belief in our ability to meet them.

“Vanaja miss” was certainly one of them.