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Take your “self” out of it
When you are thinking about what other people are doing, did, or are about to do, take yourself out of it. For example, you might think “My friends went to the park and didn’t invite me.” Remove that last bit. “My friends went to the park.” That’s all you really know anyway, isn’t it? Likewise, […]
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I’m going part-time starting next month
After many years now of my wife bouncing between not working, being self-employed, and working part-time, she’s now about to start working full-time. We have two young kids and made the decision early on that we don’t want to be a family where both parents work full-time. We’re not judging those that do; it’s just […]
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All feedback is not equal
Consider the three different types of feedback you can give and receive: Appreciation: this is when you are noticing and recognizing when someone does something well, does it in a unique way, or even demonstrates something they hadn’t before Evaluation: this is when you are ranking someone’s actions or results compared to others or compared […]
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700 hours
I appreciate the background of the sculptor Sabin Howard, and the origins of the new World War I memorial, but what was most interesting to me about this great profile from The Smithsonian were all the details about how Sabin, his wife, and his team work together.
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Assumptions are decisions, too
I’ve got a big change coming with my work. For the first time ever in my life, I’m going to be working on a part-time basis, at least for the next 6 – 12 months. Maybe longer. I’m extremely grateful for this option and am also a bit scared about the change. I will write […]
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Aim to be a competent novice, not an expert
I’m working on writing some new hire onboarding training at my work and it’s tempting to want to include a lot of tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the past few years. As if reading my mind, my colleague reminded me that what I’m writing should be “an introduction—not a comprehensive exploration. We’re creating […]
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Initiator or sustainer
Initiators like to create brand new things. They aren’t afraid of staring at a blank page in front of them. They like designing and building the ship. Sustainers like to operate things. They enjoy running a process and aren’t afraid to improve something someone else made. They like to steer and run the ship. Which […]