Reading Time: < 1 minJust over a year ago I told you about how I used Blinkist to “read” popular books in about 20 minutes. It’s certainly no replacement for a proper reading of the book, but it’s a great way to get an idea of what it’s about and then perhaps dig into the full book later. If […]
Learning
What we want to see versus what we expect to see
Reading Time: < 1 minUncovering the truth can be a tricky thing to do. Not only do you have to figure out who to trust and which sources to believe, but our own brains can often conspire against us. According to Adam Grant in his book “Think Again“, we have two biases that tend to drive poor judgement: Confirmation […]
Which is the right tool?
Reading Time: < 1 minI talk a good bit about various digital tools on here, like my recent post about Pipedrive. At times I probably play with tools more than I should (testing tools instead of doing work), but in a lot of cases it can really pay off. For example, I posted 12 years ago about Gmail’s “Send […]
Trust versus expectations
Reading Time: 2 minI’ve always considered myself a trusting person, perhaps to a fault. Trust is good, but unearned trust can lead to trouble. That’s why I was surprised a few weeks ago when our team was working through some DISC testing that it showed I wasn’t particularly trusting. Similar to the Enneagram (or any kind of personality […]
Your opinions require logic when spoken aloud
Reading Time: < 1 minThose of us living in the United States are protected by the wonderful First Amendment, which provides us with freedom of speech. Businesses like Facebook can still block you if they want (thanks to their First Amendment rights), but you’re free to publicly say most anything you want (yes, including yelling “fire” in a crowded […]
The armchair quarterback of politics and science
Reading Time: < 1 minIn his book Think Again, author Adam Grant posits the “armchair quarterback syndrome”, which he says is simply when confidence exceeds competence. We see “armchair quarterbacks” on social media every weekend, second-guessing decisions made by the coach of their favorite sports team. Grant takes it a bit further, though, and applies this syndrome to anyone […]
The specifics matter
Reading Time: < 1 minThere is a popular video going around right now of a man that is very opposed to the idea of Critical Race Theory, but seems to know virtually nothing about what it really is. You can see the video here: This post isn’t about CRT itself, but in how our views are shaped. This man […]
The new Kindle Paperwhite is worth the upgrade
Reading Time: 2 minMy wife and I have been Kindle readers for quite a few years now. I picked up my first Kindle in 2010, and my wife got her first one a bit before that, and then we both upgraded to the Kindle Paperwhite some years later. It was a great reader! When the new Kindle Paperwhite […]
Arguing can be a sign of respect
Reading Time: < 1 minWhile you shouldn’t go around looking to pick fights, being willing to argue with someone means you’re willing to engage with them to uncover the truth. Adam Grant said it well in Think Again when he said: In fact, when I argue with someone, it’s not a display of disrespect—it’s a sign of respect. It […]
Open-minded versus actively open-minded
Reading Time: 2 minAccepting new ideas is great. If you believe something, and someone presents another angle for you to consider, taking a look at that angle is likely wise. That’s being open-minded, and many people do a great job of that. However, it can fall a bit short. To accurately refine your viewpoints, it takes going a […]