“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” –Confucius *
Categories: Information
Posts from the “Information” Category
Balance long and short memory. Long memory to understand context and relevant history. Short memory to focus on the most critical factors in the moment. Long memory to avoid rash decisions. Short memory to minimize grudges. Long memory to know where you came from. Short memory to keep only the best of it into the future. What we remember matters. *
Categories: Information
From Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: MR: I used to play chess. When I was in the army I played. I was unbeatable. I was very, very good at it. With chess there’s ratings, and chess master is about 2100, and I was playing a computer on a 2100 level. JS: Really?! MR: Yeah, so I’d been playing that machine for weeks, and then I happened to be out on Hollywood Boulevard standing on the corner. And I saw this man – tattered, dirty – it was a street person. He had a chess set there to play, and I said, “Do you play chess?” And he said, “Yeah, I do, I do.” JS: But it was a homeless guy? MR: It was a…
Categories: Information
Tagged: Multi-dimensional, Philosophy
“There is no dividing line between art and science…it’s compartmentalization of the human brain to the extent that you do not need to do that.” –Noel Fitzpatrick *
Categories: Information
“The term we came up with was simplexity. That is the art of simplifying an image down to its essence. But the complexity that you layer on top of it – in texture, design, or detail – is masked by how simple the form is. Simplexity is about selective detail.” –Ricky Nierva, Pixar Production Designer *
Categories: Information
If we are to improve, we must define exceptions. What are our standards? What is abnormal around here? Defining exceptions can help us better prioritize our focus, communicate our culture, and track our results. The nuance – and often confusion – comes into play when leaders over-prescribe definitions or enable inconsistent definitions across the organization. It’s like the team I worked with this month that is accustomed to losing money a certain way, and therefore finds it completely acceptable, but devotes an inordinate amount of time scrutinizing losses in other areas. Why? Because the other areas are defined exceptions. All the more reason to define appropriately. *
Categories: Information
Tagged: Exceptions, Standards
I once had a client turn down a proposed project manager due to perceptions. The manager had worked with the client previously and had familiarity with the environment – which was a selling point – but his role on previous projects had been more supportive than directive, and the client could not picture him operating in a lead role. To the client, it was as if the person stepping into the project manager role was the exact person that had ended the previous project a few years ago. There was no consideration of the experiences that had transpired in the meantime, the other projects that made the lead more valuable. Or the fact that developments happen outside the realm of our observation. It relates to Theory of Mind,…
Categories: Information