I’m reminded of former job I had where our strategy included creating a product whose only competition was one of our own products. And our status reports included color codes based on traffic lights.
Larry Lessig at TED: How creativity is being strangled by the law
Lessig presents his thought on copyright in the digital age and why our current set of law need to be changed.
One of the most elegant use of slides I’ve seen.
These leaves won’t leave me alone
I don’t know how many leaves have fallen off our tree in the backyard, but it seems like 20 million. I’m sure it’s at least that many because every time I look outside I catch another hundred or so falling ever so gently towards my newly raked grass.
Last year I decided to wait until all the leaves were off the tree before I started raking. There are a couple of problems with that strategy:
- Lots of leaves = dead grass
- It rains in Seattle. A lot
It was well into November of last year before I started raking. I was stunned when I realized we’d filled 18 bags full of soppy wet leaves.
So this year I figured I’d take the same approach I do with email: handle things as they come in in order to avoid an overwhelming amount all at once. Three weeks ago I was happy to get two large garbage cans full of leaves off the ground. The next week it took two more garbage cans. Ditto for this past week. I coaxed my kids into helping me by turning them into”leaf smashers”. When the leaves would fill the can, I’d hold one over it while their little legs pushed the leaves downward, making room for more.
I feel like the leaf Gods are teasing me as they drop just enough to keep me busy but not enough that I feel like I’m making any progress.
Today I looked outside and, for the first time, I wasn’t stressed out as I watched the many leaves fall from our tree. I just sat there and enjoyed it. I opened the screen door and listened as they landed on top of each other. Sometimes a small gust of wind would blow a handful into our neighbors yard (YES!) but most settled not far from the tree.
If it doesn’t rain over the next couple of days, I’m going to rake the leaves into a huge pile. Then I’ll call the kids over so they can jump in them. If I can’t beat them, I might as well join them.
What makes a happy employee?
I don’t have the answer but I’ve given a lot of thought to that question lately. In my current job I have the opportunity to speak with a lot of young employees, many of which this is their first job out of school. The job market is still quite good in Seattle and these people have a lot of opportunities presented to them. Some leave our company and go to work for Microsoft. Some go back to school. A few decide that technology isn’t the right field for them. And I’m sure some leave for money while others tire of the required travel.
From my experience, younger employees tend to focus on the employer as much as they do the job. The lure of going to work for Microsoft is too much to pass up. The excitement of being recruited makes them feel as though their skills are valued. They feel special.
And I think this is fine as long as the person understands that it’s really the job that will bring long term happiness, not just the company. Having a well known company on your resume can’t hurt but it’s the skills you gain in the job that you keep and take along when you leave the job.
I think back to one of the first jobs I had after college. I went to work at a local ISP in downtown Seattle. Most everything was Unix based. Even our desktop workstations were NeXT machines. That made it hard at times to get basic computer tasks done, but the skills I gained were invaluable. The company was small and didn’t have a lot to offer as far as benefits. But the employees were excited to be there and the skills I gain in that job helped me land several future jobs. In fact, the skills I gain working at Wolfe Internet are those that launched my career in technology. Without that opportunity, I’d probably be teaching German somewhere in Utah.
Yet whenever I’m asked where I’ve worked, they inevitably focus on my tenure at Microsoft where I learned very little compared to my time at the ISP. What I learned at Microsoft too was very valuable. I learned that I would never put my work before my family. I learned that having a good manager can shoot your career off in the right direction while a bad manager can do just the opposite. I saw a lot of people with a lot of money who still seemed very unhappy. Looking back the best thing I gained while working at Microsoft was the network of people I’ve kept in contact with over the years.
So I’m not certain what makes an employee happy. Maybe the question is too general. I’m a bit more certain what makes me happy: challenging work, flexible schedule, great manager, fun coworkers, and fair pay.
I try to keep those things in mind when meeting with my group. Anything I can do to keep them challenged and keep them happy hopefully helps me keep them employed with us.
Microsoft fires CIO
Why did Microsoft CIO, Stuart Scott, lose his job yesterday? The Digg gang weighs in. My two favorites:
Fired for producing drivel like this:
“to help the company think through and define its strategic priorities, then deliver the business-process capabilities and solutions to achieve them….
He took home a backpack full of the free soda.
Valleywag chimes in with the rumor I heard at work today. How sad for his family if this is the reason.
Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Stuart Scott
Car & Driver Comparison: RS4 vs. C63 vs. M3
The Audi RS4. The Mercedes Benz C63. The BMW M3. The comparison tests from the German countryside.
Three great cars. But only one winner.
–Link to comparison test at Car & Driver – “this latest M3 offers the purest, least diluted, most involving, and best-in-class driver-and-machine relationship”
–Link to comparison test at Motor Trend -“The BMW propeller points to your heart from the wheel hub. This is appropriate; BMWs are at their best when they play with your emotions, entice your senses”
More Random Thoughts
Don’t burn bridges. I don’t understand why some people don’t understand this concept. If you’re on your way out of a company, don’t bad mouth your boss or your coworkers or the company. It makes you look like a schmuck, not the company.
How soon till Microsoft pulls the plug on the Zune? I give it 12 months at the most. It seems like the next Ultimate TV. Years ago when Tivo and Reply TV started making a splash, Microsoft decided that need a piece of the pie so they created Ultimate TV that wasn’t a bad product but it wasn’t better than Tivo. It was met with a lukewarm reaction. The Zune seems to be following the same path. It’s not a bad product but it’s no match for the iPod. It needed to be revolutionary. It isn’t.
I find myself using RSS readers less and less. There is a perspective I gain by visiting the writers website that isn’t as noticeable in Google Reader or Bloglines. The writer’s personality is on display. It reflects their style. RSS Readers take that away and makes the content feel septic.
Along those same lines, if you decided to pursue another position outside of your company, never ask your boss this question: “If it doesn’t work out, can I have my old job back?” This is like asking your girlfriend if you can date her best friend but come back to her if things don’t pan out.
It takes four days to stop sugar cravings. Ok, this isn’t scientific and it may only pertain to me. The first three days are no fun. If my body is used to having sugar, it wants more. But after four days, the sugar is gone and the craving is gone. Now it’s easy. Take all that Halloween candy into work for the young guys. Just get it out of your house and remove the temptation.
One of my best purchases in the last five years was a good quality shredder from Costco. I’m serious.
Two best times of the day: Going into each of the kid’s rooms and kissing their warms cheeks before I go to work. Arriving home and getting mauled by same kids.
How a company handles paychecks and expense reports is a good gauge of how it treats its employees. Is the process seamless with a quick turnaround? Or is it littered with senseless rules and turnaround takes weeks?
Whenever I install Windows I’m reminded that my job is safe for another ten years. The process hasn’t improved much since the Windows 95 days with endless floppy drive swap parties. Computers are still far too difficult to use and require way too much babysitting.
On the subject of Windows, how is it possible that Windows doesn’t include a simple backup program for moving important files to an extra drive?
The people you work alongside are oftentimes more important than your actual job. The sooner you figure that out, the happier you’ll be.
While driving in traffic, I always feel better when I slow down and let someone in rather than speeding up to cut them off. Many drivers seem downright shocked when I do so in my BMW.
The Sunday Evening Test
Over the years and many jobs later I’ve come across a method to help determine if I should stay in my current job or start looking for something else.
After an enjoyable weekend as things start winding down on Sunday evening, I ask myself, “Am I excited to go into work tomorrow?”
If things aren’t going well, I’ll feel nervous, uneasy and sometimes even a bit sick to my stomach. A few weeks of this and I know I’d better start looking around.
But if I look forward to going back to work on Monday morning, that’s a good indication that the job is a good fit.
As I arrived at work this morning at 7:30 am, I sat at my desk, fired up Slacker radio and thought to myself, “I love working with the techs. This job rocks”.
My Windows XP Desktop
I don’t believe I’m giving up anything in the way of elegance by not running Vista. This is XP with the Zune theme. I don’t keep files or a ton of folders on my desktop. I’m a minimalist who is a bit fanatical when it comes to keeping my computer organized and optimized.
I’m using UltraMon to manage the dual monitors. I also use Google Desktop Sidebar which I’ve hidden in the picture below. It does what the Vista Sidebar does doesn’t use much memory.
If you’re not using Twitter, you’re missing out
There, I said it. I use Twitter as an outlet for my thought that aren’t worth blogging. But the reason that keeps me coming back is hearing so many different viewpoints. Of the 316 people I’ve met fewer than 30. Yet that’s what makes Twitter so fun. Some are serious. Some are witty and others are so very random. Many I don’t agree with but some make me think. There are some very smart people on Twitter.
You never know what will come across your Twitter stream. Sometimes it’s a funny thought or a sad experience. When a thought is limited to 140 characters, there’s no fluff. People get right to the point. Few words are wasted.
When I tell my friends about Twitter I hear the same excuses I hear when discussing blogging: Not enough time, nothing to say. Lame.
And if you happen to run a company, you should be tracking what people say about you on Twitter the same you do with blogs. And if you’re really into pleasing your customers, do what John Ballinger does and answer tech support questions using Twitter.
Seriously, if you don’t Twitter, you’re missing out. And if you’re interested you can check out my feed here.
Nordquist Blog 