Reading Time: 2 minSocial media is often filled with memes and information that are just flat-out incorrect. Most of it comes from one type of sharing: “That fits my viewpoint, so I’ll pass it along!“. Truth becomes secondary to speed. That’s not to say you shouldn’t share things that you agree with, but taking a moment to verify […]
Trust
I am now less wrong than I was before
Reading Time: < 1 minBeing wrong about something often feels bad, but if you view it with the right lens it can be a great thing. I’ve mentioned Daniel Kahneman on here a few times, previously when he talked about using simple language when possible. I’ve also talked a good bit about Adam Grant, particularly in the past few […]
Principles versus policies
Reading Time: 2 minAll businesses should have a core set of principles, and policies should follow after that. It’s easy to conflate the two, and it can be dangerous if you do. I recently heard Adam Grant share the story of Robert Reffkin of Compass, and how this kind of overlap between principles and policies caused some problems […]
Consistency is the lamest of all human virtues
Reading Time: < 1 minConsistency isn’t always a bad thing. However, if your desire for consistency is larger than your desire to learn, you’re heading for a rough time. We see that a lot when it comes to politics (which sometimes, oddly, bleeds into science), but it can be relevant to many areas of our lives. Malcolm Gladwell and […]
Where do you really get your news?
Reading Time: < 1 minAlmost every day I see someone complaining about “the media”, and the lack of coverage on a particular story or the slant given to something that happened. Despite that, I still maintain that you are the media. It’s important to have professional news organizations out there, for sure, but they no longer have very much […]
Don’t let the HiPPO have the final say
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen you’re in a meeting of any kind and you’re working to make a decision, one person often has the final say, even if they’re not the one that should really be providing the answer. Don’t necessarily listen to the HiPPO (“Highest Paid Person’s Opinion”). Great leaders surround themselves with people that are experts in […]
Who shares your transactive memory?
Reading Time: 2 minThe idea of “transactive memory” is fascinating to me. In short, it’s the idea that you allow others to remember parts of your life (and vice-versa) so that you don’t have to hold it all in. For example, my wife is helping my daughter get ready to head off to the University of Georgia this […]
Don’t lie to get the project
Reading Time: < 1 minSeth Godin recently published a blog post that ended with two great mottos: “You’ll pay a lot, but you’ll get more than you paid for.” “Our secret is that we don’t lie to get the project.” I agree wholeheartedly with both of those, though the second one is a little tricky. Back in 2016, a […]
Shallow fun versus deep fun
Reading Time: < 1 minI was recently listening to a podcast with Malcolm Gladwell and Adam Grant, and they got into a great discussion about having “fun” in your work. They disagreed initially, but as they unpacked it they ended up on the same page. The key was separating “shallow fun” and “deep fun”. Daniel Coyle explained the difference […]
Intentionally avoiding the truth
Reading Time: < 1 minI recently finished reading Malcolm Gladwell’s new book “The Bomber Mafia“, about how aerial bombing shaped World War Two, and a few quotes stuck out to me — somewhat unrelated to the book itself. I shared last month how I was surprised to see people double-down on false truths on social media, but these insights […]