Pressure’s on. I can tell from the silence in the meeting that something is up. There is no how’s-your-weekend chat-chit and everyone slowly looks at each other wondering about the source of the suspense. I write the agenda on the whiteboard knowing that we’re likely not doing anything on this agenda because…. … there’s a… more
Last week, I signed off on the final proofs for the third edition of Managing Humans. I’ll have more to write when I’m holding the atoms in my hands, but briefly:
I’m pleased chapters of the book that are holding the test of time and I’m looking forward to sharing it with you in a few weeks.
Two-factor authentication (“2FA”) is intended as another layer of security to your online accounts, so if your password is hacked, your account can’t be accessed without a special code. While I clearly understand the value, I’ve been lazy about enabling on various services since… it’s a hassle. I’ve only enabled it when I’ve been required by an external force. This reactive strategy isn’t even a strategy; it’s just a bad idea.
This morning, I went through all the services I’m using and was impressed how many services had 2FA enabled and, more importantly, how trivial it was to enable. Here’s the list. Turn on 2FA now.
Two Factor Auth List is a comprehensive online resource that documents two-factor authentication for the bajillion sites I didn’t list above.
This is the original version of this post. There’s a brand new one designed how Slack works in 2022. I’m leaving this one as a historical artifact. Each Slack team I’m on has a different set of humans building their own unique communication culture. I’m actively on six teams: SlackHQ, Leadership, Destiny, two private nerd… more
My favorite feature of my home office is the paint on the walls. It’s blood red. I’m talking deep scarlet burgundy. The ceiling is a single solid red, but the walls are a macabre mix of every horror film red on top of a slightly textured wall. When people walk in the office, it’s this… more
As you may have noticed, I’ve been posting work to Medium for several months now. This started out as an experiment to see the magnitude of the reaction to successful pieces I’ve already written here.
The results? There are a lot of humans out there and many of them traipsing around Medium had never read these pieces. In general, an article that performed well here will play well on Medium provided that it hasn’t been posted here recently.
Folks have asked. No, I’m not done posting here. My policy is to continue to post all new content here and occasionally post pieces to Medium.
Now you know.
I’ve been working on a talk about public speaking for a few weeks and I open with my worst public speaking experience. I tell the story of how I got up in front of the engineering team at my first start-up and had a full blown panic attack. Slide 7 of 15 – full stop. Couldn’t continue.
Most humans don’t like speaking in front of other humans and for me that situation is only exacerbated by being a self-identified introvert.
Thing is… I like public speaking. It’s a high. I get energy from the room and I’ve never been able to reconcile my introversion with this aspect of public speaking. Good news: outgoing introverts.
From The Muse – Outgoing Introverts Do Exist. Here’s one of the 10 signs:
It Actually Takes Less Energy to Say What’s on Your Mind Than to Make Small Talk
Introverts like talking about ideas or connecting authentically. Fake small talk bores you and drains your life force.
Yes. Right. Totally.
Earlier this week a friend asked if I knew any 5-10 person start-ups that were doing interesting work in the productivity space. I knew a couple, but the always-full-of-opinion Twitter seemed like a good place to learn more, so I asked. The following is a selection of the surprisingly large number of start-ups that responded.… more
From typography.com:
About two years ago, H&Co Senior Designer Andy Clymer proposed that we design a monospace typeface. Monospace (or “fixed-width”) typefaces have a unique place in the culture: their most famous ancestor is the typewriter, and they remain the style that designers reach for when they want to remind readers about the author behind the words. Typewriter faces have become part of the aesthetic of journalism, fundraising, law, academia, and politics; a dressier alternative to handwriting, but still less formal than something set in type, they’re an invaluable tool for designers.
I’ve dropped Operator Mono into both Sublime and Terminal. A monospace typeface needs to be readable and without a lot of opinion. After brief usage, Operator Mono easily meets both requirements.
I’ve been fretting about the role of lead of leaders. I have a good rubric for understanding and evaluating front line leaders, but lead of leaders is a very different gig that requires a different set of leadership muscles. Briefly and incompletely, they need to be better at:
This article documents interview questions of CEOs – some useful material here.