The marketing consultant told the client that they have to post three times a day on LinkedIn. “It doesn’t matter if it’s good.”
The SEO consultant explained that the website had to be loaded with keywords, and that a big budget needed to be set aside to develop inbound links.
And the job seeker is instructed to make sure that the resume is AI-friendly and checks every possible box.
Feeding the algorithm works when you’re the only one doing it. It works when you seek to fit right into the middle of the lane. And it works if you’re willing to outfeed everyone else–at least until the algorithm changes.
But while someone is going to win that lottery, it’s probably not going to be you.
The alternative is to be uncomfortable. To create remarkable work and leave scale to others. To figure out how to show up in a way that is generous and distinctive, and to refuse the bait that others take when they decide that feeding the algorithm is their best option.
They call it ‘crowd control’ for a reason. If you’re in a crowd, it’s quite likely someone is trying to control you.
If you’re posting on social media or any platform with an algorithm, the real question is: do you work for the algorithm or are you committed to working for the people who want to go where you hope to take them?
September 6, 2024
… is almost as difficult as empathy up close.
That person that’s not like you, from way over there, the one that’s on the other team–it’s hard to imagine what they’re dealing with. They don’t believe what you believe, they haven’t experienced what you’ve experienced.
And the person right next to you, the one you’re sure you know so well–they are also dealing with a story and a situation that you can only guess at.
Empathy is really difficult. It’s generally worth it. Because empathy is the key to connection, trust and community.
September 5, 2024
Perfect is useful. It’s an absolute measure, a north star, a chance to improve our work.
But it’s also a shortcut to persistent dissatisfaction.
Compared to perfect is helpful when we’re creating something.
But it’s also worth noting that perfect is unattainable. What’s on offer is never perfect, but what’s on offer might be exactly what we need right now.
September 4, 2024
Give credit, take responsibility
Get aligned on timeframes
Insist on a spec, write one, improve it
Agree on a budget
Keep a calendar
Don’t hold a grudge
Speak up clearly and generously
Show your work
Share your fears
Make promises and keep them
Do the reading
Talk about people only when they’re in the room
Eagerly find someone more skilled than you to do a given piece of work
Don’t hoard information
Wash your own coffee mugs, and someone else’s too
Celebrate in public, criticize in private
Don’t hide in meetings (especially the ones you call)
When you’re not sure, ask
Say back what you heard to be clear you understand
Don’t be late
Say please and thank you
Find and offer dignity
Ask what if
Ask why
Don’t tolerate bullies
When solo work is better, insist. Otherwise, pitch in or ask for help…
Support the people you believe in with honest enthusiasm
Pick your team with care, invest once you do
Relentlessly seek better
September 3, 2024
Solo mediocrity is rampant, of course. We know that toasting the bread before making the sandwich makes it more delicious, but in service of convenience and speed, we skip a step.
It becomes a conspiracy when more than one of us is involved.
The freelancer who offers cheap and ordinary work finds customers who willingly engage with them.
The small company that gets worn down by the constant pressure to simply do a bit less and care a bit less, and decides to follow the mass market where it seems to want to go.
The thing about these conspiracies, though, is that many people have to go along for them to work.
In a big car company, it might take the agreement of 30 or 50 people before the new line gets to be a bit less magical. If just one or two folks stood up and said, “not on my watch,” the conspiracy wouldn’t work.
Like most conspiracies, this one isn’t a secret, nor is it well organized. It’s simply the result of short-term market pressures pushing individuals who used to care a lot to care a bit less.
September 2, 2024
Here’s a useful habit that’s more than a hack…
The next time things are going well, when a project is about to launch, when a meeting has been successful, when the sun is shining… take your phone and go for a walk.
Hit record on an audio app and make a twenty-minute audiobook. Talk about what you know, what you see, what you hope for. Talk about the change you seek to make and how you’re going to get there.
And then save it.
Save it for when you need to hear from that person who recorded it.
It might become the best audiobook you own.
September 1, 2024
Without salt, human beings don’t survive long.
But it’s possible to eat for a month without tasting an herb. The food will sustain you.
Herbs are an expensive non-obvious addition, while also being a bargain if the goal is to create delight, interest or satisfaction.
As we digitize our interactions, the first thing to go are the herbs. We strip away anything that’s not obviously functional.
The first 100 interactions you have with an AI will leave you amazed, and then a bit empty.
And when a skilled user experience professional arrives, the first thing she does is add back the herbs. Tiny speed bumps, moments of tension, opportunities for traction or surprise.
August 31, 2024
When a non-expert brings a strong point of view to a complex discussion, the words might not mean what they seem to mean.
What might be being said is, “I’m worried. I’m afraid. I don’t understand. I am looking for solace.”
Answering emotional word salad with logical insight doesn’t do anything at all for these feelings.
If the argument you’re hearing isn’t based on what we know to be true, and doesn’t lead to a logical conclusion, it could be because it’s not actually seeking to be a productive discussion.
It’s awkward to say “yadda, yadda” but that might be what’s on offer.
When in doubt, look for the emotions and desires behind the words. People often don’t want their arguments to be heard as much as they’re hoping their emotions will be.
August 30, 2024
Pharmacists used to mix chemicals by hand to create prescriptions.
Opticians used to grind lenses from scratch.
Lawyers used to start with an empty page.
Graphic designers needed to know how to draw.
All of these jobs are still important. None of them are the same as they were thirty years ago.
In your work, are you fighting the change or leading it?
It’s hard to see us going back.
August 29, 2024
(just by leaving it)
Moving into your kid’s college dorm isn’t going to make the experience better for anyone.
A smart founder leaves her company in a moment when it actually does better without her.
The expectation that secession is failure causes a lot of damage. If you really care about the mission, it might be better to change the system in a way that allows it to thrive.
August 28, 2024
