Noun. An underlying and often distinct theme in a piece of writing or conversation. I first learned about subtext, when I took acting classes in college. We talked about the “real” conversation in the midst of a conversation, about reading between the lines. And it is something I think about almost daily, years later. What… Continue reading Subtext
Thoughts
Disagree and Commit
This is one of Amazon’s Leadership Principles. It’s also one of the leadership principles that I didn’t connect with when I was at Amazon. I think it had to do with my desire to bring about consensus. To bring about a compromise that would make multiple parties happy. But “Disagree and Commit” is definitely alive… Continue reading Disagree and Commit
You Are More Than Your Job
You are more than your job. But you are the way you do your job. Even if you’re in a job you don’t like. Whether you like that job or not, the way you do the job speaks to who you are. And the way you do your job, is what helps you get the… Continue reading You Are More Than Your Job
The Power of Complaining
The tricky part of complaining is that subtextually we’re admitting defeat. We’re admitting that we can’t do anything about the situation we’re in. That the only thing left to do is complain. On the other hand, we all vent. We all need to express our frustrations. And it does help to communicate our feelings and… Continue reading The Power of Complaining
Our Time. Their Time.
The frustration comes when we try to have others abide by our time, our schedule, our pace. Because for most important things that synchronicity doesn’t often align. We all have our own pace. It can’t be rushed, not really. Not in a lasting way. Just like creating any sort of change, it comes when the… Continue reading Our Time. Their Time.
Stunted
In many areas of our lives we are stuck at a certain point of development. If we were to look at it as an age, we might be stuck at a certain age. It could be because of a traumatic event or shock or challenge that we couldn’t overcome at that time and so that… Continue reading Stunted
The Power of Taking Notes
I’ve often wondered why the people who are the most productive tend to be those who carry around notepads and take notes. I would say it isn’t necessarily the fact that they take notes and can refer back to them later. Or that they have an easy to follow checklist to keep them on track.… Continue reading The Power of Taking Notes
Making an Impression
The way you make an impression isn’t by doing things that are expected, it’s by do things that are unexpected. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it has to be hard or extremely difficult. Or that you have to solve big complicated problems or travel to uncharted territories. It means that you have to do something… Continue reading Making an Impression
Building Room for Surprises
People can surprise you, if you let them. If you give them the opportunity to. If you give them the space to try and do it their own way, even if it isn’t the way you would have done it. If you understand that what you are actually trying to instill in them is ownership… Continue reading Building Room for Surprises
Why Should I Hire You?
As a job applicant, we usually know why we want a particular job. Even if we can’t articulate it to other people, inside we know. It could be status, money, respect, stability, furthering our career, work/life balance, or a myriad of other reasons. And so we build our resumes, interviews, and overall focus on that.… Continue reading Why Should I Hire You?