Author: alearningaday

The Queen died. The King died.

Take 1: The Queen died. The King died.

Take 2: The Queen died. And the King died of a broken heart.

Five extra words transformed two boring facts into a story capable of stirring emotion (“Aww”). There’s a lot of talk about storytelling with mental pictures of Steve Jobs floating around. But, if you had to be reductionist, the formula (probably) would be –

Stories = Facts + Context + Emotion

As we move from one meeting to the next pitching our ideas, it is worth remembering that facts and logic only help people reach conclusions. Stories, however, bring emotion to the table.

And, it is emotion that drives action.

(H/T Dan Pink – for such a memorable illustration on the power of stories.)

Open plan offices – counter to the counter point

Cal Newport and David Heinemeier Hansson had strong critiques of open office plans this week (Cal, David). They’re both thought provoking thinkers/writers and I understand where they’re coming from. That said, their arguments are built on the incorrect assumption that the primary purpose of open offices is to foster collaboration.

While that may be the party line, I think the two primary reasons for open offices are cost and culture. Office space is expensive and open offices are much cheaper on a per-employee basis. Cost is a powerful organizational incentive.

Culture is an often overlooked part of the discussions of open offices and is why richer technology firms have embraced open offices. Having executives work at their desks a few meters away from entry level analysts makes leadership feel more approachable and less hierarchical. It signals certain cultural values and changes the dynamic from workplaces where the goal is all about getting to that coveted corner office.

The absence of the culture variable is also the weakness in most studies on open plan offices. The effect of signaling these cultural values is hard to measure in the short term. But, just because something is hard to measure doesn’t mean it is less important.

I still think the commonly cited issues with open offices should be addressed – this critique of open offices based on their propensity to foster predatory behavior against women, for example, is important and needs to be fixed. We need more spaces and cultural norms that make it easy for people to focus. It may also be that companies with strong hierarchical cultures are just not suited for open plan offices.

The issue just isn’t as simple as is often outlined. And, it is hard to move these discussions forward if we don’t understand the trade-offs involved.

Studying and Learning

Doing well in school required us to get good at studying. To study, per the dictionary, is to devote time and attention to acquiring knowledge on (an academic subject), especially by means of books. 

Studying, however, is different from learning. To learn is to gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in something by study, experience, or being taught.

The (albeit subtle) difference lies in the outcome. Studying is focused on the process of acquiring knowledge while learning involves practical application. The real test of learning is what we end up doing with what we learn.

The challenge with teaching learning in schools is that learning is hard to test in a final exams. So, we fall back to testing students’ ability to study. Of course, the obvious downside of this approach is that it is likely we end up completing two decades in schools without a good understanding of how to learn.

The good news is that our education didn’t end with graduation. There is still time to learn how to learn. And, the beauty of learning is that we see the results of what we’ve learnt in our actions every day. To learn and not to do is not to learn. So, if we aren’t actually evolving and improving how we approach our days – every day, it is time to revisit how we learn.

It is the highest leverage thing we can do with our time. After all, studying might have helped us do well in school. But, learning helps us do well in life.

High yield savings accounts

A simple and useful piece of personal finance reminder I received recently was to move saved cash from an ordinary savings account to a high yield savings account. Where I am, that instantly changes the interest rate from ~0% interest to ~1.9%.

Of course, a “high yield savings account” is just a fancy name for an account that ensures your money keeps up with inflation. But, if you maintain an emergency fund in your savings account, for example, it is worth finding a savings account that at least ensures you don’t lose money to inflation every year.

Over time, that is worth a lot – literally. :-)

Gifts of the internet

I’ve been re-reading “The Pyramid Principle” by Barbara Minto over the past few days. It is the go-to book on learning to present your thinking in writing. I’d first read the book in 2011 and I remember feeling the book didn’t resonate. My only explanations for walking away with that feeling are i) inexperience and ii) (relative) stupidity – as my second read has been eye opening. This post isn’t about my synthesis – more on that in the next few days.

As I was working through the book last night, I decided to take a break by checking out Barbara Minto’s website. I found a contact form and wrote out a quick, short thank you to her for the book. And, voila, I woke up this morning to find a note from her in my inbox expressing her gratitude for the thank you and offering to help if I had further questions.

We’ve had a lot of conversations about the downsides of technology – excessive click bait, fake news, etc., etc. These conversations are important as every tool has its downsides. But, it is also tempting to become cynical about technology’s potential for positive impact and change. The internet’s ability to remove boundaries and enable us to connect with people we admire halfway around the world is second to none. When used with thought and generosity, it can be an incredible gift.

It is up to us to use it well.

Don’t rush to be embarrassed by the first version of your product

The intent of good quotes is lost over time. So, they are often misunderstood and misused because they are applied out of context. Reid Hoffman’s quote – “If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.” – is a great example of loss of intent.

I’ve seen this quote used as an excuse to justify a crappy v1/first version product. I haven’t heard Reid talk about this in person – but, I’m fairly certain that that wasn’t the intent.

There are two good reasons to be embarrassed about v1 (in hindsight). The first is the most common – you didn’t know better and/or couldn’t do better with the tools available. The first website I put together looked horrendous. I didn’t understand the basics of web design and it was also built on an early version of Adobe Dreamweaver. Now, however, I have slightly better design skills and, more importantly, have access to amazing tools. Thanks to the likes of Bootstrap and services like WordPress, it is very easy to build a good website.

The second is the result of prioritizing one killer use case/risky assumption for your product and ignoring everything else. You may still be embarrassed by the first version – but, you’ll still have served that basic user/customer need.

Source: Unknown – thank you to whoever made this.

The truth is that you’ll be embarrassed by nearly everything you ship. Over time, your skills will improve, the tools will get more sophisticated, and your understanding of the user/customer need will get better. So, you don’t have to work too hard to cut a few corners now to ship something you’ll be embarrassed by. Time will take care of that. The key, instead, is not to knowingly do something you will regret.

So, the two questions I’d suggest asking are –

  • Is what we are shipping helping us learn what we want to learn while providing value to the user?
  • Is this our best effort based on what we know/have access to now?

If the answers to both are yes, ship away. Even if you are eventually embarrassed about what you ship, this approach will make sure you will not have any regrets.

4 shows that resonated

As I looked back at books I read in the first 6 months yesterday, I thought I’d do the same with 4 shows that resonated/are resonating.

  1. Planet Earth II (Netflix)- narrated by David Attenborough. When you are #1 and #3 on the list of the top rated TV shows of all time – in an age when you are competing with the likes of Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, and Sherlock – you know you’re onto something special. Planet Earth II is awe inspiring, educational, and thought provoking all at once. It reminds us that being on this planet is a privilege and of the fact that privilege comes with responsibility. I’m incredibly grateful to BBC and David Attenborough for their work.
  2. Parenthood (Netflix). Parenthood is a hidden gem. It is the story of a family of 4 siblings and their kids and the complex web of relationships between them. The show takes the time to develop characters and feels real – a kid with Aspergers, a multi-racial family, marriage troubles, old age health issues, and so on. I think being a parent made me appreciate the show more.
  3. Hunters and the Hunted (Netflix) – narrated by David Attenborough. We are still in the midst of watching this. Captivating.
  4. Goliath (Amazon Prime)- starring Billy Bob Thornton. The word I’ll use to describe Goliath and the performance of the cast in season 1 is “riveting.” The first season of Goliath comprised 8 episodes where BBT, a down-and-out lawyer, takes up a case that pits him against a massive oil company and the firm he co-founded. Season 2 sees him spring into action following a murder of a friend. We’re still watching season 2 – so, here’s hoping it lives up. (Update: Season 2 doesn’t live up as the original writer left. :-()

Happy weekend!

The Art of Learning and other great books

I’ve updated my book reviews blog with reviews and notes from 8 books from the first half of the year. Of these, “The Art of Learning” was my absolute favorite. There were many lessons that stuck chords deep within.

But, “The Art of Learning” may not be the book you are seeking right now. And, if that’s the case, there are 226 other non fiction books that have been reviewed and categorized. I’ve attempted to provide a quick overview of the theme of the book, share my top takeaways, and in many cases, also shared notes I took along the way. These notes aren’t intended to be a sharing of learning – notes and summaries can’t do that as they are notes based on what resonated for the note taker. They’re simply intended to provide more color into what the book is about.

Great book experiences only become so when we are ready to soak the learning in them. Hopefully, this resource helps you find a book that you’re seeking right now.

Somewhere in there is a book that will likely change your life… I hope you find it.

Spasibo

It is one thing to deal with the disappointment of becoming the first team in ~50 years to lose a World Cup knockout game after going two goals up. It is quite another to follow that up with a spotless dressing room and a thank you note written in your host nation’s language (“Spasibo”).

Of course, the Japanese soccer team were not alone in doing this. Their fans (along with the Senegalese fans) had endeared themselves to the hosts by cleaning up stadiums after their games. I had two reflections from Team Japan’s behavior.

First, I’ve thought about the line “leave everything a little better than you found it.” That is very hard to do consistently. But, what if we at least held ourselves to the standard of “leave everything at least as well as you found it?” Would we waste less, recycle, and compost more?

Second, the behavior exhibited by the Japanese isn’t a result of inspiration leadership and great strategy. It is simply a cultural norm – “this is what people like us do in such situations.” It speaks to the power of setting cultural norms for ourselves, our families, and our teams. Culture is both strategy and leadership in the long run.