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It’s not real feedback until it hurts
If you want to learn, you need feedback. There’s a reason that Marshall Goldsmith’s method involves interviewing the people around his clients; because he interviews them and takes in their feedback about his client. Without someone like Marshall, it’s a bit more difficult to take in real feedback from people. Cate Hall suggests one way,…
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“I should have done this earlier”
Or, celebrate—because it’s great that you’re doing it now, and you’ve figured it out for the next time.
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Three things I learned about execution as an employee (that I didn’t as an entrepreneur)
1. There is always a surplus of work that needs to be done. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to “deprioritize” this stuff and drop the ball, and not feel the effects until later. As an employee, that’s not possible, because your team will hold you accountable. You need to manage all of these things well;…
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Demos need details
In Creative Selection, Ken Kocienda describes a backlot scene from Singin’ in the Rain, set on a Hollywood backlot intended to look like a city street. Immediately before Kelly dunks himself under a gushing downspout draining water from the roofs of the “buildings” he is dancing past, he skips past La Valle Millinery Shop, an…
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Run with it
From Figma’s careers page: Building Figma is about taking initiative, being bold and charting a new course, not running a playbook. Figmates are building the future of design by tackling big, scary, exciting challenges like Figma’s future depends on it. Because it does.
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Friendship and creative work
Rebecca Morrison asks, “What do you do when your family doesn’t believe in or even understand your writing dreams?” It’s natural for you to express your frustrations, angst, and fears with your family and friends. They’ll do the same to you, because you’re close. You can let your guard down around them and be yourself,…
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Tell people what you want to do, and it just might happen
Tom Critchlow recently published his list of dream clients, and how he believed he could add value to them. (The post started as a thread, which itself was a response to this prompt.) It wouldn’t surprise me at all if some of these came to fruition. (In fact, I’m expecting that to happen.) Tom’s thoughtfulness,…
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Three things on spontaneity
Scheduling something makes it more likely to happen, while simultaneously taking the fun out of it. Selin A. Malkoc makes the case that it feels too forced. One solution is to plan less, and to get comfortable with the stigma of unplanned meet ups—which is currently characterized as “lazy and non-committal.” They’re also less ambiguous;…
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Zen longcutting
A Zen student went to a temple and asked how long it would take him to gain enlightenment if he joined the temple. “10 years,” said the Zen master. “Well, how about if I really work hard and double my effort?” “In that case, 20 years.” See also “Why trying too hard can backfire.”
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Six things about glamorous jobs
If a job is prestigious, it’ll entice more people who want to do it; it feels existential. Many people will often be willing to do anything for it, grateful for a chance to give up their personal lives for the opportunity to participate. The people best positioned to do this aren’t necessarily the most skilled;…