Ask Why | Start Caring

Working in the cutting edge scene can be overwhelming. One is always inundated with the potentially flashy new trends. A lot of noise and clamoring can muddle your priorities very quickly. It’s important to figure out what do you CARE for and align your activities with it.

I work at a fast paced tech startup in SF. The culture in most companies is a hierarchy; one that is off the org charts as that — The product managers scout customer requests and ask the engineering teams to build it. It’s easy to fall into a complacent rut where one just does enough to build this. The “care” is missing. Care is the additional 5% you bring to go from good to Great! And it’s visible when someone cares.

It takes that additional question

“why do this?”, 
“how does this help?”, 
“how many of our customers actually need this?”, 
“should we really entertain this request?
“is this the best way to achieve the goal?”

The dialogue instantly changes from orders being handed down in an assembly line to a conversation on a roundtable.

Go to work today with a inquisitive attitude. Care for what you do. Care for what you build. Be proactive, not reactive!