Nowadays, every piece of work needs a marketing sparkle as, if slapping buzzwords on everyday work would make it more meaningful.
“Strategic Excellence Month,” “Transformative Innovation Week,” “Enhanced Stability Sprint,” etc., are bullshit titles for work that already has value.
Read full post “Rebranding the obvious”
Artists don’t paint by numbers. Yet we keep pushing smart people to stay within the lines and stick to the template.
Connecting dots does not teach you anything, it makes you predictable and dull.
Read full post “Painting by numbers”
We’ve been told time must be “invested” or “spent wisely.” Even free moments get hijacked by the guilt of productivity – learning something, working on side projects, or “catching up” on errands.
Find time to do nothing. Not the fake nothing where you scroll through your phone while half-watching Netflix. Real nothing. Staring at something, watching people go by. Letting your mind wander. Sitting in silence.
Read full post “Do Nothing”
Killing yourself to become irreplaceable at work makes you a prisoner. You’re slowly trapping yourself in specialized knowledge that’s only useful where you are, and while that may give you a sense of security, it takes away your freedom.
Read full post “Focus on being free”
The rule of raising hands before talking is a reflection of dysfunction, not order. It tells you there are too many people in the room, most of them just waiting for their turn to speak instead of listening. Read full post “Raising hands is dumb”
The next promotion, the next chance to earn more, gain influence, or power. Ambition is just another measure of worth at work. If you’re not ambitious, someone else will snatch your job away.
We’ve been fed this bullshit for years. Being comfortable is seen as laziness. We stigmatize those who reject the corporate ladder, ignoring that they might be the ones who truly understand what it means to have enough—something you’re never taught growing up.
Read full post “Comfortable is OK”
If you’re going to judge someone’s work, you owe them clarity. Set expectations upfront and be consistent.
Grading work without a clear rubric is a joke. It’s unfair and meaningless. Without standards, nitpicking after the fact is nothing but a power trip.
Evaluations should help people improve, not feed your ego.
Read full post “Set expectations upfront”
Learn to accept risks and live by them. Removing every possible risk results in bland, uninspired work that aims to offend no one.
De-risking everything makes you ship average shit. The fear of failure and making mistakes leads to a culture where safety and mediocrity become the norm. You’re left with something so sanitized that it fails to compete, yet you think it is great.
You should be embracing risks, not removing them.
Read full post “Embrace Risk”
If you find something broken, ask ‘why’ instead of ‘who’. Then, fix it and move on.
‘Who’ involves blame and diverts energy from progress. Instead of indulging in ego, channel your efforts into the repairs.
Taking responsibility in silence is a testament to leadership and sets a precedent for others.
Read full post “Call Dibs”
I’ve never met anyone who burned out from working too much on something they love.
Burnout isn’t about the hours. It’s about the soul-crushing feeling of being undervalued and overwhelmed by things that don’t matter – the bureaucracy, the finger-pointing, the lack of autonomy, and endless processes.
Read full post “It’s not about the hours”