Archive for 2013

Potential Client: “We hear you offer pro bono work for nascent start-ups. We have an MVP we were wondering if you’d be willing to help build. We need a full-time mobile engineer for about four months to help us get this thing launched.” Me: “You are a 12-yr old real-estate company with revenues somewhere North…

If you’re posting “solve if ur genius” posts on LinkedIn, I can come to three conclusions. If you post them, I know you are willing to waste everyone’s time. If you respond to them, I know you are willing to waste your own time. If you get the answer wrong, I know you are going…

Rarely do your critics stick around. Critics and criticism needs to be fashionable to be relevant. All you have to do is wait for the fashion to be critical of your creative effort to pass by, and you can go about making that meaningful contribution.

Don’t try and change those people who can’t be changed. Don’t change those people who are a waste of time to change. Employees. Customer habits. Clients. Making a lasting change in anything is hard (and often worthwhile (and often important)), but there are some things just not worth changing.

The rules of a business aren’t constant. The rules of an organization aren’t constant. The rules of a sports game aren’t constant. The rules on how to get an education aren’t constant. The rules of marketing aren’t constant. The rules of managing employees aren’t constant. The rules of how to make a living aren’t constant.…

I’m an engineer. Not naive.

Don’t you just love it when the strong opinion you’ve held for the past 15 years about the shortage of STEM workers is backed up by an independent government study? This study by the the Economic Policy Institute published this morning shows what I’ve been saying for 15 years, there is no shortage of technology/STEM…

I have built my career on my integrity. It is always interesting to interact with others, in a business setting, who believe they can manipulate me in some way that goes against my core values. It almost always comes down to them handing out an ultimatum which never really goes in the direction they think…

There’s three types of hard work. Physically hard because you have to lift and carry and sweat. Processed hard work because it is the same boring treadmill over-and-over and you never had a hand in designing the process. Possibility of failure hard work because you might not succeed. They are all equally hard, in different…

When you want to defeat your business opponent, think about their strategy, not their individual moves.

People often disagree on the true meaning of a problem because it is terrifying to acknowledge the actual problem and how challenging the solution will be.

I’m not very smart. What I am, is very persistent.

You never settle for what you are given You’re morally strong You constantly explore and expand your horizons You never take the politically expedient path You have passion for what you love You’re life is so full of wonder you cannot spend your time fast enough You have vision even when nobody else can see…

Single, unemployed, penniless, in debt and about to lose your home? And you have the audacity to refuse applying for a $100K a year job because it doesn’t pay sufficient to live on? Evidently you aren’t hurting hard enough yet.