The Greta Thunberg In You
You must have heard/read it: this year Time magazine has handed an award for global impact to Greta Thunberg, the teen climate activist. The news has collected many likes in Twitter, and some politicians have even used the occasion as an opportunity for “head-swapping”, a skill they’ve become apt at since as far back as in ancient Rome. As a side note, it is for that reason that they excavate more heads than torsos in archaeological findings, according to what Mary Beard, the renowned Cambridge historian, says in one of her documentaries. And, it occurred to me that… it takes something else to be regarded as a rebel and as a fighter for the right cause these days, as compared to, say, the 1960’s when the label of a rebel went with those folks who were into “drugs, sex, and rock-n-roll”. Or, well, as compared to those times when they actually beheaded kings, e.g. in England and in France.
Paradoxically, a modern rebel and a fighter for the right cause doesn’t have to drink or drug themselves to death, nor to kill anyone. They only have to have the courage and inner power to do the following: speak up and appeal to humanity, long-term common sense, and Big Picture pragmatism. And, speaking up might not seem that easy these days, because — here’s another cool reference to antiquity — the choir of frogs, as in the Aristophanes’ comedy, produces an insurmountable volume of croaking and brekekekéx-ing (guess the allegory).
Now, as we all look back at what we’ve accomplished in 2019, and give our thanks, I thought that this pre-Christmas week would be a fitting time to express my gratitude to Quandoo and to someone much loved at Quandoo, in particular, for helping me tap into my inner power and courage by providing a soapbox for Greta Thunberg in me to speak up in an attempt to regard herself not as an ugly duckling, but as another winged creature.
And, I thought I’d serve you a collection of excerpts from my posts (all the more since I’m currently putting together an annotated guide to them, for easier navigation), on the subjects that I’ve looked at from a “pragmatically rebellious” perspective.
On proper timing, reckoning, and accountability:
“One of the life lessons that I’ve learned is that we have to wait for the right time to have our visions manifested. Back in 2014 I wasn’t in a strong position, advocating thoughtful care for people at a technology company, so I probably should have given up my attempts to cast pearls before… certain creatures, other than lambs. But since then the ethos of humanity in technology has been gaining momentum; and this tide can not be halted, not anymore. Some technology executives who burn not only themselves out, but people they work with as well, are currently regarded not as heroes but as… sacrificial lambs. As they grilled Mark Zuckerberg in Congress earlier this year, it occurred to me that if a tech executive is questioned for failing their users, then why the tech moguls of all calibers emerge unscathed from their failure to establish sustainable working environments and practices in their companies? They speak of people shortage in tech a lot, and — aside from the educational facet of the problem — what if it’s more about sustaining and organizing, than feeding more people into the mess-at-work treadmill?” — “Tides, Lambs, and Technology”
another one, related:
“… I was profoundly impressed by the personal accounts shared in the documentary [on Harvey Weinstein], and asked myself this: “If we scrutinize the tech industry — startups, in particular — which effect, behavior or routine of the tech higher-ups that is now silently accepted might turn into… a case punishable by law, in as little as 20-years’ time?” So, I turned my visionary eye on, and here’s the answer that I came up with: it’s about the responsibility for inflicting burnouts. Or, speaking broadly, all kinds of health problems that people end up with as they are thrown ashore like a dead fish after burning themselves out for years in the work environments… that have been anything, but wisely and thoughtfully designed to sustain not just productivity, growth and/or business success, but, most importantly, people’s health and well-being. “ — “The Vocal Villains and The Silent Fears”
On blog writing:
“Many use social sharing these days, and if someone in your team tweets links related to a problem at work, this person might be encouraged to plunge ahead and share their thoughts in writing. Throwing links will not take them far in expressing their own thoughts and ideas. There’s one other important thing. If writing is a part of company’s culture, then writers will need their peers as readers. Posting to an internal company blog may come first, then there can be a public blog. Posts can include logical discourse pieces that explain how this or that technical or strategic challenge was resolved or can be resolved; stories that software developers usually share on forums; essays and insights about company culture, what can be improved, what’s trending, etc. Sky is the limit. From the learning perspective, it doesn’t really matter what people write about. What matters is how they write and how their thoughts and ideas resonate with the readers. “ — “Why Is It Right to Write?”
On people:
“Sharing a company of people that we like plays up not only to the little idiosyncrasies. Software development organizations pay much attention to the technical infrastructure: computers, servers, all things hardware and software. Co-workers form a human infrastructure, the peopleware, which is as essential to the work outcome as the technical one, if not even more. The goal of any infrastructure is to facilitate the productive flow. The less bumps in routine interactions, the more energy goes into the creative work, the stronger the flow. “ — “People We Like ”
On women in tech:
“Do you by any chance happen to recall a motto at Facebook? Move fast and break things. It appears that there have been many such fast movers and thing breakers who… needed a mom to clean after them, and who never cared to acknowledge her input. They mostly speak about glass cliff in relation to higher managerial positions, but … there are many kinds of glass cliff walkers out there. A QA manager who continuously points out a crucial root failure which produces more and more bugs with each new release, and her male colleagues just shrug her off, until one day… she is labelled as someone who hasn’t attended to the core issue. A product manager who puts all her heart and care into a product, neglected by a frat boy founder, who has lost interest in the product and proceeded to some other toys. Or, a certain multi-billionaire — the original “fast mover” and “things breaker” — whose toy is now in need of legions of moms for the mess to be cleaned. Guess what? There’s nothing easier than moving fast and breaking things. Any toddler can do that. And — back to serious talk — women, by their gender imprint, if you will, are better fit for attending to things put into their care in the long term. Moms will clean the mess, no worries. All they need to do their work is respect and support. The organizational environment and culture that acknowledges their input. “ — “To Glass Cliff Walkers with Love”
On org management:
“I want to make null and void any methodologies except “use your guts”. There’s no such thing as a success of a one part. Success comes as a whole, and for that success to happen, unfortunately (or fortunately), there’s no other way as to think outside-the-box, sometimes even forcefully blocking the trendy how-to’s. One can read tons of books, or follow gurus, or “best practices”, but these activities are secondary as compared to independent thinking. Sometimes, it’s a surprising and a pleasant side-effect to discover that you have arrived to the same conclusion as some renowned guru did, but by yourself, in your practical context. And this is a lot more precious and effective than copy-pasting a technique with no deeper understanding.” — “A Manifesto for Big Picture Pragmatism”
On org management + leadership:
“In one of my previous articles I scrutinized the use of the word “tech leader” in organizational contexts and made a pledge to keep dissecting false buzzwords, one after another. The buzzword that I want to dissect today — and it makes me cringe even more than “tech leader” — is … trained. This is about the difference between the words “educated” and “trained”, and when I hear: “he is trained as a leader”, or, “he is trained as a lawyer”, this just produces an exorbitant amount of dissonance to my ear. Well, language reflects reality, and this is not only about the choice of words. We have come to live in a society which believes that leaders can be “trained”! In short, the one who is trained is only able to pick ready-made answers inside a box of a test question. And, the one who is educated knows how and when to apply their critical thinking for their unique practical purposes. And, as I wrote yesterday, since all organizations are unique, do we need more of those who are “trained” or more of those who are “educated”, for our organization?” — “The Roots of Copy-Pasting”
On info management and health:
“As it goes about information, it appears that humans haven’t yet arrived at a stage where everyone hires a personal info dietitian to provide personalized recommendations for consuming information safely. There are AI-algorithms, of course… but it would be an understatement to say that they are doing a very poor job as personalized info diet consultants.
The good news is that it is entirely in our powers — if we are ready for that — to take the lead and tackle the problem of not getting what we want despite processing too much information hands on, at our organizations. The cultural change takes time, and re-framing our minds from a certain bias takes time, too. The competitive edge stays with those who are the trailblazers. Quite some courage and grit are required to withstand those many pairs of incomprehensive eyes, or the ignoring audiences, but… it will all be worth it, once you realize that you were the first to discern a cultural pattern or a trend which the others have only started wrapping their mind around. “ — “The Dietitians of Info-Sharing”
On self-care:
“…Here’s another example: the added value of owning a car entails a lack of natural movement, which means that you end up paying for gym, etc. Going to a gym, in its turn, brings along an array of more added-value goods and services that turn out not to add but to lessen value, since you pay for what you could do naturally. This is before we even start talking about the carbon footprint.
Take organic products. Now they’re added value. 100 years ago who could have thought that something natural adds value? Now, there’s a rollback. Simple and natural things cost more, but, ironically, they are of less value as compared to the original added value concept for that matter.
.. and the cycle goes on and on. They want to convince us that it’s their thing that adds value to the way we live. The trickiest job, however, would be to step out, disengage, and use our own discernment to figure out what is it actually that adds value to our lives.” — “How Less Value Turns Into Added Value”
A bit of Greta Thunberg lives in all of us, and she demands that we return back to sanity and discernment. To quiet and joyful ways of living. To quiet work. To doing our job, and knowing that what we do matters. To knowing that we’ve got the power to call every day of our lives well-lived, not stressed out, or burnt out. The Greta Thunberg in us wants less of hype and more of common sense.
What about actionable items, you’d ask? Appeal to sanity wherever and whenever you feel the urge to do just that. Speak up and write, for your team, for your organization, for those who hear you. Don’t be scared to bring up scrutiny to check on the practices that take a lot yet contribute little. The elves will thank you, and Santa will give you a joy ride!
