rands

Seven Decisions

Vanilla. Someone decided. Good. No further questions. We can make progress now. Educated. You ask why they decided, and they can clearly explain their reasoning. Not everyone might appreciate the decision, but they will be given the opportunity to understand.1 Calculated. Not only can they explain the decision, but they have math! Wow, I’m super… more

November 11, 2025

The One About Fully Formed Humans

In our 93rd episode, we wonder aloud about free will, children, and what makes a good ice hockey team. Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0093.mp3

November 6, 2025

Become the Consequence

I am of the opinion that when you start a new role, not a new job, a new role that you have not done before, it requires a minimum of three years to become good or competent at that role. This window of acclimation grows with the complexity of the role. I’d suggest that while… more

November 4, 2025 2 Comments

So You Want to Be Promoted, Pt. 2

(You should read Part 1 first) The elephant in the room. You are wondering why I am putting so much of the burden of being promoted on you. You have a boss. Aren’t they responsible for doing all this work? Shouldn’t they understand job levels and the intricacies of the promotion process? Yes, they should.… more

October 28, 2025

So You Want to Be Promoted, Pt. 1

My expectation early in my career was that promotions just showed up. You worked hard, and you figured out how to get along with your teammates. Every year or so, my boss would have a one-off conversation with me and alert me that I had a new role along with increased compensation. This hands-off cycle… more

October 14, 2025 1 Comment

The Plane on the Crane

If you want to teach a Californian kid about cold, have him fly out to New York in January. Have him pack poorly and then have him walk out of JFK airport at 3pm with aforementioned poor packing, and watch what happens. Wait until the sliding door opens. Wait for it. And watch. I did… more

October 9, 2025 3 Comments

One Compliment

An idea just comes to me. I’ve been writing for a long time, so the ideas come partially formed. Not written but formed into the beginnings of a familiar shape. It is critical in the next hour that I write this idea down somewhere accessible because it’s just an idea, and failure to capture it… more

September 22, 2025 5 Comments

Check Your Context

I didn’t much like Wally from the first time I met him. We worked in the same circles, but not on the same projects. I was aware of his work, but not involved or dependent on it. My initial reaction to Wally, “Complains. Nitpicks. Doesn’t act.” I made this judgment in a moment. Months passed,… more

September 3, 2025 2 Comments

The One About Productivity (Again)

In our 92nd episode, we talk about the ongoing battle with productivity tool swirl. Again. Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0092.mp3

August 29, 2025

Every Single Human. Like. Always.

Your robot experience started simple. You typed a question into a chatbot… just to see. Can it answer that question? I’d be impressed if it did. Your query was simple. A simple knowledge question that with a little effort using legacy tools like Google, you would have discovered yourself, but the robots made it trivial,… more

July 29, 2025 4 Comments