Musings
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The entire production database had just been emptied out. And it was my fault. I had never been a database administrator, but I was sure I could do it. “You’ve got this,” I kept telling myself. I’m pretty good at mimicking experts. And it often serves me really well. This time, it didn’t. The pattern…
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A famous framework may actually make decisions harder for hyper-analytical folks like me. In 2015, Jeff Bezos described a “Type 1 vs. Type 2” framework for making decisions in his Letter to Shareholders. If you missed it, here’s a summary: 👉 Some decisions are consequential decisions that can’t be reversed. Bezos explained that these ”must…
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We lost power last week while I was in the middle of a Zoom call. “And yet, you’re still here,” said the person on the other end. “Do you need to go do something?” The lights in the room had gone off, but I had batteries in all the right places to keep the call…
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I woke up yesterday morning to find out someone was sleeping in our guest room. After my wife and I had gone to bed, one of our kids heard from a friend whose flight was delayed. They offered to let that friend stay overnight at our house so they wouldn’t have to drive exhausted the…
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“I could make this better, with just a little more time.” “If I work harder, I can do better at this.” Sometimes creating the best product or service isn’t the best investment of your time, energy, or relationships. Sometimes “good enough” is a better choice. Your resources are limited. You don’t have the capacity to…
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My head hung low. A desk separated me from my manager as I sat for my annual review. He asked how I thought I had performed that year. “I’m used to exceeding expectations every year, but this time I didn’t finish what you wanted me to do.” You see, that year I had accepted a…
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“Enough with the holier-than-thou, Steve.” I was stunned. All I had said was, “No, go ahead” as I gestured towards the office supply cabinet. Reflecting later that afternoon, I started to see where my coworker’s response came from. I realized that at work I had always tried to be the giver. No, not just at…
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For a few hours in February 2012, I was sure my career was over. I was responsible for the overall technical operation, development and maintenance of our largest client’s software, a highly customized adaptation of a very early version of our company’s flagship product. That morning, though, our years of success deploying that solution across…
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Appreciation is fleeting. It’s a quick sentence spoken in passing or tacked on to the end of a request: 👍“Thank you for everything you do.”👍“I just want you to know how much we appreciate you.”👍“Great job on that project.” Or it’s an event we organize to share those words in public and give gifts that…
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“Behave as if you’ve already arrived” is enticing advice. It has the power to stretch you or destroy you. If you’re stuck in old habits, it can be just the kick you need to move forward, but if your vision greatly outpaces your current reality, be careful. Most business and personal growth happens in stages.…
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Last weekend I recorded videos for our church’s upcoming Christmas program. Several of us read lines from a teleprompter, portraying one of the key participants in the story of Christ’s birth and ministry. During the week before the recording, we each met via Zoom with our dramatic director so she could hear our delivery and…
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“You can do anything if you just believe in yourself,” they say. Not necessarily. There are many who believe in themselves and fail to deliver. We call them delusional, arrogant, narcissistic. Don’t be them. Instead, find your true strengths. Look at your past successes. Listen to what others say that you do well. Figure out…