At any given time, just about everyone in an airport is either in a rush, or they have time to kill. There’s rarely anyone in the middle. Knowing the difference between the two states goes a long way in determining how each person should be treated. The person who is about to miss their flight wants …
When I first started working, I thought I had to do everything by the books. I was formal in my communication and I was careful not to do anything that came across as offensive. But through this conservatism, I lost some of my humanity. I became someone who I wouldn’t want to work with on …
In a world of Twitter feeds and 10-second Snapchat videos, it’s easy to assume that there isn’t a market for long-form content anymore. Everyone seems to cater to our desire for shorter material that we can digest without much effort. But within this movement, there’s an opportunity to stand out. Take the Dissect podcast as an …
In engineering, as in most things in life, there are several different ways to arrive at a given outcome. During one of my first mechanical engineering classes in college, I took an unusual approach to a challenging homework problem. Rather than following the strict process that had been taught in class, I followed my intuition. …
No matter how hard you try, your work will never be completely “ready.” There will always be nerves when you hit Send. It’ll always feel like you should do one last read-through to make sure you didn’t miss anything. You’ll always know that it’s possible that you could do better. But eventually, you have to …
Two off the first tee. It’s a simple enough concept. Often without adequate time to warm-up, and with heightened nerves on the first hole, it’s common for weekend golfers to allow a make-up shot if the first tee shot doesn’t go well. With this in mind, there are two ways to approach the tee box. …
I wrote last week about how many different things there are that I want to learn. At the core of that mindset is my desire to find a challenge and a learning opportunity in everything I do. It doesn’t matter if I’m at a practice green working on my short game, getting better through practice …
I want to: Learn languages (German, Spanish, Japanese, etc) Practice playing piano Learn to create music Play the guitar Play every sport imaginable Exercise Cook creative foods Read biographies Build things with my hands Renovate my house Become a better woodworker Meditate Do yoga Write and grow my blog Start a podcast Start a business Become …
Within organizations, “firefighters” are often the ones that get all the glory. They step in when a situation has gone awry, and they find a way to fix it. Take Iacocca as an example. His work at Chrysler is shared in business school classrooms around the world as he is credited with reviving a company …
When we feel like we can affect the outcome of a given activity, we often feel pressure to do something. Actively trading stocks feels more productive than leaving money in an index fund. Prodding your coworker or customer for their input makes it seem like you’re moving the process along. But often, the better choice is …