We’re always better off starting with the assumption that the problem that appears in front of us is not the problem that needs to be solved.
It is almost always just a symptom. And, treating symptoms does little good.
We need to either swim upstream to understand the root cause or do the work to figure out the question behind the question.
Reacting to the problem at hand instead of responding to it by going upstream is what separates the amateur from the professional.
The end of a week.
A periodic haircut.
The 2 minutes before shutting down the laptop at the end of a day.
The last day of a quarter.
A random day off to take a break.
It turns out there are plenty of excuses available to reset.
To recommit to the things that matter.
To begin again.
I just need to become more aware of them and seize them more often.
Over the past weeks, we’ve enjoyed watching Nat Geo’s “Animals 101” series on YouTube with our kids. Each video is around 4 minutes long and they share five cool facts about each animal.
Watching these videos spurred two reflections.
Each video shines the spotlight on just how special and beautiful animals are. We’re lucky to share the planet with them.
And second, every video ends with a warning about the vulnerability of these creatures to hunting and climate change.
Thankfully, we’ve done a better job with protecting species against hunting over the past three decades (even if there’s more work to be done).
Climate, however, is a different matter.
Each video manages to generate amazement and appreciation while also reminding us of the amount of work that lies ahead of us.
Thank you, National Geographic. A job well done.
2020 has been rough on many of us. In times like this, it is more important than ever to take the time to appreciate the folks who make our lives better and take stock of the many things to be grateful for.
But, it is hard to do that without building a daily habit.
We’ve been working to build a product to help do just that and we want to make this available as a mobile app.
But, building a mobile app is a lot of work.
And, in the spirit of learning quickly/understanding if this idea resonates, we’d like to start out with a 4 week “Alpha” test on a web app that we’ve built.
We’re looking for volunteers who’d be willing to commit to 2-3 minutes every day to give this product a try (we’ll send a daily reminder).
It won’t be “easy” – at least not in the stare at the screen and watch a fun video sort of way. But, we think it’ll be WELL worth the 2-3 minutes or so you invest every day.
If you’re willing to give it a try, please just let us know on this form and I’ll follow up.
I’ve shared Morgan Housel’s posts a few times over the past year. He shares notes from time to time that really hit the spot. And, the most recent post that hit home for me was one from last week titled “A few rules.”
Below are a few excerpts that resonated deeply.
The person who tells the most compelling story wins. Not the best idea. Just the story that catches people’s attention and gets them to nod their heads.
Tell people what they want to hear and you can be wrong indefinitely without penalty.
Being good at something doesn’t promise rewards. It doesn’t even promise a compliment. What’s rewarded in the world is scarcity, so what matters is what you can do that other people are bad at.
The world is governed by probability, but people think in black and white, right or wrong – did it happen or did it not? – because it’s easier.
Most fields have only a few laws. Lots of theories, hunches, observations, ideas, trends, and rules. But laws – things that are always true, all the time – are rare.
Simple explanations are appealing even when they’re wrong. “It’s complicated” isn’t persuasive even when it’s right.
Don’t expect balance from very talented people. People who are exceptionally good at one thing tend to be exceptionally bad at another, due to overconfidence and mental bandwidth taken up by the exceptional skill. Skills also have two sides: No one should be shocked when people who think about the world in unique ways you like also think about the world in unique ways you don’t like.
Reputations have momentum in both directions, because people want to associate with winners and avoid losers.
The biggest challenge with committing to listening is the accompanying implicit commitment to change our mind based on what we understand.
A good friend shared an anecdote from her attempts at opening up a vacuum sealed container recently.
The process involves inverting the container into water being heated on a stove. After about 2 minutes, the heat expands the seal enough for the container to be opened.
Except, this time, she was in a hurry.
So, she tried taking it out quicker than usual.
No go.
So, she put it back in for a bit and took it out.
Again, no go.
After a few more attempts, she finally got it out.
She then reflected on how her unusual impatience had lengthened the process – the opposite of the intended outcome.
I found myself chuckling when I heard this. Unlike her, I’m guilty of impatience far more often and I’ve been guilty of doing this sort of thing more often than I like to admit.
I like to think the frequency of such incidents is far lower than it used to be.
Anecdotes like this remind me to make sure that is the case in reality.
PS: In case you’re curious, the container she was eager to open was of this pretty awesome Honey Citron Ginger tea. :-)
I’ve noticed that feedback works in 3 situations:
1. “I am asking for feedback and am ready for it. Please give it to me straight.”
2. “You have feedback for me? I feel psychologically safe with you and trust your intentions – so, yes, please give it to me.”
3. “I report to you/believe you have power over my career/life. I will attempt to act on it even if I don’t agree.”
In all other situations, attempts at giving feedback end up achieving nothing.
I was texting with a friend who is working on an immigration related project.
He was sharing how overwhelmed he’s been by the support he’s received from folks he barely knew. He noted that it reminded him how life-changing it is to respond to people who reach out asking for help.
That, then, reminded me of a story I’d written about six years back.
A friend at Linkedin shared a story yesterday that Deep Nishar, soon-to-be former SVP of Products and User Experience, shared at his farewell.
Deep came from humble beginnings in India. When Deep was in secondary school, he learnt that a graduate from the school had been admitted at the Indian Institute of Technology. He understood it was rare and prestigious but didn’t know much beyond that. So, he asked this student if he could spend time telling him more about this. The student obliged and spent 2 hours with Deep explaining what the institutes were and how he might prepare to make it in. Deep took his advice seriously and secured admission when he graduated.
He went on to explain that that changed his life. It put him on a trajectory that saw him go to the University of Illinois Urbana Champagne, to Harvard Business School, lead Google’s efforts in the Asia Pacific and then play a key role in Linkedin’s growth over the past few years. All it took was 2 hours from a person who probably knew he would get nothing in return.
Deep’s advice to the Linkedin community was – if someone asks for a small amount of your time that could end up making a big difference to them, just do it. Don’t over think it. It might not mean much to you but it could mean a lot to the other person. And, who knows, it might even change the trajectory of their lives.
I loved this story. While we do occasionally get the opportunity to do big things, we get lots of opportunities to do the little things. We always have the choice to do the little things meaningfully.
It is stories like this that remind us how special this life is and how lucky we are to be here. Here’s to the little things… and here’s to giving small bits of our time to those who might benefit from it…
A heartwarming story I was happy to be reminded about.
Wishing you all a nice and restful weekend.
I listened to a fascinating description of stoicism in Nassim Taleb’s Fooled by Randomness.
“Having control over randomness can be expressed in the manner in which one acts in the small and the large. Recall that epic heroes were judged by their actions, not by the results.
No matter how sophisticated our choices, how good we are at dominating the odds, randomness will have the last word. There is nothing wrong and undignified with emotions—we are cut to have them. What is wrong is not following the heroic or, at least, the dignified path.
That is what stoicism truly means. It is the attempt by man to get even with probability. Stoicism has rather little to do with the stiff-upper-lip notion that we believe it means. The stoic is a person who combines the qualities of wisdom, upright dealing, and courage. The stoic will thus be immune from life’s gyrations as he will be superior to the wounds from some of life’s dirty tricks.”
It reminded me of the power of dedicating ourselves to the process and embracing equanimity with regards to the outcome.
It resonated.
