Posted inPhilosophy

Empowerment and Office Culture

By Keith

Have you ever worked with someone who can’t seem to do things on their own, someone who needs their hand held all the time? What about someone who questions everything that crosses their desk? Or maybe, you’ve experience the opposite end of the spectrum; someone who never asks for permission and is always begging for forgiveness? Or the micro-management type, who needs to be involved with everything at all times.

I’ve worked with all these people, and I’ve been them at one time or another. In my mind none of these ways of working is very healthy to a team environment and they’re almost always a roadblock to getting valuable things accomplished. Now, I’m not 100% sure how these behaviors start, but my guess is that it starts with trust.

Or lack thereof.

Posted inPhilosophy

Take Time Off!

Life and the Web are funny at times.

At any given moment I’ve got from 5 to 20 posts in some kind of draft form. Usually that form is notes with a title. I keep these around for times when I’m at a creative low and have nothing to talk or write about. This post was one of those that had been lingering in my drafts for a few weeks.

But then I came across this article via Lifehacker and I knew I had to come back to this issue and get this post out to y’all.

It’s all about the work/life balance and how time spent away from work can make you a better worker.

Posted inMotivation Philosophy

Confidence

One of the things I alluded to in my last post was confidence. I talk about “owning” something and having the courage to follow through. I realize, however, that this is not always easy. For some of us confidence comes harder than for others.

I was always envious of those folks who could just get up in front of people and “own it”, you know? The people who are totally comfortable in front of crowds? Those who always seem to speak with confidence and always know what they are talking about? I mean, I bet they never feel like they don’t know what they’re doing, right?

Wrong.

Posted inPhilosophy

Geek To Live

A week or so ago I was laying in bed working on my Powerbook. My fiancee, Staci, leaned over to me and asked, in her cutest 5-year old girl voice, “Are you going to snuggle-buggle with your ‘puter-wuter all night?”

I chuckled and replied, “Yeeeah. What of it?”

She went back to her book, good-naturedly mumbling something about “what a geek” and I went back to my business, content and happy. I got to thinking about this interaction a day or so later and that train of thought took me all over the place and dropped me off right here.