Vignettes

Not a Reason for Return to Office

Not a Reason for Return to Office

With the sweeping changes in US Government positions to return to office, it’s just a matter of time before additional Corporations follow suit. This is in addition to Amazon, AT&T, Boeing, Dell Technologies, JPMorgan Chase, UPS, and The Washington Post, which have already implemented an RTO mandate. And though Tech vs Humans is very much against RTO, we also want to voice concerns about constant Zoom calls and how to resolve the main challenges with them.

According to Stanford University, there are four causes of Zoom fatigue (and we feel every one of them).

  1. Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact is highly intense.
    • Solution: Reduce the size of the window, making it less likely that you’ll focus on eye-contact
    • Risk: Reducing the size of the window can help, but it can also tempt you into trying to multitask. Don’t.
  2. Seeing yourself during video chats constantly in real-time is fatiguing.
    • Solution: Most applications now have a hide “self-view” option. Use it.
    • Risk: Without a self-view, there is a risk that you’ll forget you are on camera.
  3. Video chats dramatically reduce our usual mobility.
    • Solution: Invest in a Bluetooth headset and be ok with turning your video off during calls to move around.
    • Risk: Video calls usually require video, so please ensure you have a shared understanding with your audience about when you can or cannot be on video.
  4. The cognitive load is much higher in video chats.
    • Solution: Force breaks in your day or add audio-only calls if breaks are not an option.
    • Risk: Audio calls aren’t the same as video calls in terms of connection, so you’ll want to ensure you mix up how often you do audio vs. video so you don’t lose that connection.

References and Resources

The Official List of Every Company’s Back-to-Office Strategy by the Hubble Team; Type: Article

Stanford researchers identify four causes for Zoom fatigue and their simple fixes by Stanford University; Type: Article

The Candidate Experience Survey

The Candidate Experience Survey

The “Candidate Experience” is the latest trend in recruitment, and it’s an odd concept that shows how quickly we, collectively, are losing our touch with humanity. The “Candidate Experience” is intended to measure a company’s recruitment process by asking potential candidates for feedback. Fundamentally, however, it in itself lacks humanity and balance. For example, I received a questionnaire after not proceeding to the next round in an interview process. First, a question – why would I fill out this questionnaire? What’s in it for the candidate that didn’t get moved on in the recruitment process? But, lets continue, the first question in the questionnaire is: Based on your experience interviewing, how likely are you to encourage other people to apply?

On the surface, that may seem like a fair question, but here’s the issue.

  1. I am still trying to understand why I was not moved to the next round. I have yet to receive feedback. Why would I bother giving the company feedback when I received none?
  2. I gave the company hours of my time, and now they want more of my time. (In other words, they are asking more from me than they were willing to give me…and I’m not talking about a job; I’m talking about the time it takes to write feedback (or give something other than a form response) – something I can learn for the next opportunity.
  3. The Survey itself is flawed—I don’t know how I could score higher than the lowest score, as I’m not interviewing for the experience of interviewing but for the job, which I didn’t get. And I wouldn’t want anyone to have an empty interview with no feedback or discussion and, as far as I know, no chance of landing a job.
  4. I’m not submitting the survey for the above reasons—which is the best I can do for this Company. So, if my experience and rationale are consistent with all other candidates who didn’t get moved on, the only survey results they’ll receive are people who did get the offer—which completely skews the actual metrics this Survey is trying to obtain. The candidate’s experience is not represented in the survey; the future employee experience is.

Learning: Companies are attempting to ask more of candidates while giving them less, calling this “The Candidate Experience.” If you want to improve the experience, talk to the consumers of that experience. If it’s more than just the illusion of caring, that is.

LinkedIn Translation

LinkedIn Translation

LinkedIn is a fun place. It’s a mixture of people doing well and showcasing (in various ways) that fact. And of people who were just laid off or have struggled to find the next opportunity. One particularly “helpful” post that we believe falls into the masked braggadocios category is the “Everyone always asks me…” post. “Everyone always asks me how I got $1M in revenue in 6 months,” or “Everyone always asks me how I converted 50% of my leads into opportunities.”

When you see these, use the following filter to amend the post.

Everyone always asks me TRANSLATES TO Not a single person has ever asked me.

Once you have that mindset, the information provided takes on a more realistic meaning – here are my thoughts on the subject. And if you know that person and trust that person, it may be great information. However, 9 times out of 10, it’s just noise.

Humans and AI

Humans and AI

I recently wrote a blog post about AI, and the comments varied wildly. They ranged from “You are overblowing your concerns” to “AI is terrifying.” I fully recognize AI’s potential benefits and dangers, but the primary concern is the easy access to both. All you need is the internet, a laptop, and a GitHub or Reddit account to leverage AI’s power. Heck, I used AI to write a book on content that I wrote over the course of 4 years. It was amazing. A horrible book, but still amazing that it could pull 150 blog posts into a 220 page book.

Learning: In the end, AI has incredible benefits and it does no good in being a doomsayer about it’s dangers. As long as human controls exist to manage AI and those who leverage AI in a damaging way can be punished, we have no reason for concern.

Solve it like a Toddler

Solve it like a Toddler

In Consulting, jumping to the solution with a partial understanding of the issue is common. It’s a well-documented pitfall in Consulting. I’m talking about Root Cause analysis in action – precisely Steps 1 and Step 2 of Root Cause Analysis.

We often don’t spend enough time on Steps 1 and Steps 2 because we want to speed to Step 4, “Find Solutions.” Solutioning is also incredibly seductive and is a perfect example of Action Bias – we, as humans, often favor action over inaction (or perceived inaction). However, a fantastic tool is the ‘5 Whys’ when you want to get to the core of an issue. Understanding the problem and the causes often requires asking Why 5 times or until there are no more answers. Once you have no answers to the Why question, you have effectively found the Root Cause. Note: It doesn’t mean that the other answers aren’t important, but to get to the root of an issue, your curiosity needs to take over.

I highly recommend reading the article below by the Lean Enterprise Institute to learn more.

References and Resources

5 Whys by Lean Enterprise Institute; Type: Article

Business Jargon that Proves You’ve Never Gone Camping

Business Jargon that Proves You’ve Never Gone Camping

“The long pole in the tent” is a metaphor with multiple meanings:

  1. The most important aspect of a problem. The most crucial thing that needs to be addressed first for a project to be successful. For example, it might refer to a key decision-maker or department.
  2. The most intractable part of a problem. A component of a project that takes longer than others. For example, in a project, “XYZ work is the long pole in the schedule.”
  3. The critical path: The longest path from start to finish that determines the overall duration of a project.

Although it can be annoying to keep up with these metaphors, this one is a solid addition. Though “critical path” has been historically used, it is less comprehensive than this metaphor. Critical paths often neglect department and human levels, frequently where many implementations stall.

References and Resources

A hot metaphor emerges by New York Times; Type: Article

The Secret to Dealing with an A$$hole at Work

The Secret to Dealing with an A$$hole at Work

Toxic work culture is everywhere, and plenty of data supports that. The likelihood that you have to work with an asshole is pretty good. But it’s also become the easy out for many because our perceptions are incredibly powerful. Blame, even if warranted, usually indicates a pattern. Each person has a choice to try to solve the culture problem or leave the culture problem behind in search of something better. But before you do jump ship, ask yourself this question: What if you were doing something that contributed to that asshole dynamic? Is that even a possibility?

The single most influential book I’ve ever read on the topic and have recommended many times is Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute. This book will challenge you to answer these questions. And if you feel after reading that book that you are not contributing to the issue – then you have your answer.

Note: I’m not talking about environments where the following behaviors are enabled: harassment, disrespect, or abuse. Those companies (and ones that are deliberately non-inclusive, unethical, cutthroat, and generally toxic) are asshole curators, and if you don’t feel safe, plan to leave.

The Real Victims of Spam Texts

The Real Victims of Spam Texts

Like many people, the amount of spam texts that I receive is increasing. Some are pretty basic, others are creative and almost appear real, and some are just half-assed. I almost feel sorry for the half-assed spammers who are mailing it in – just a hotmail address starting with a string of random letters and numbers trying to pull off a fake “UPS” or “Amazon” scam. But, somewhere in the back of my brain, I wonder if there really is a person named XYGF2HLNU with the email address XYGF2HLNU@hotmail.com. And if there is, I’m sorry.

Note: To be clear, scammers exploit others for personal gain. There is absolutely nothing redemptive about these people who cause so much harm and pain.

If People Knew the Truth

If People Knew the Truth

If people knew that the North Star was such an ass, I would hope they would stop trying to get to it.

In business, the term “North Star” represents a company’s strategic focal point. In many cases, a key metric is created to support this strategy and keep the company focused on improving its services, products, support, or anything else that helps improve that metric—which usually involves a customer. This approach is often used to help align companies and teams toward a single goal and is often very helpful for organizations that seem to be very fractured and siloed.

Learning: “North Star” is a visionary goal. It’s like a BHAG but less hairy. That’s about it. If you’d like to read more, click the Indeed article below.

References and Resources

What Is the North Star Strategy? by Indeed; Type: Article

Objects are Closer than they Appear

Objects are Closer than they Appear

“You’ve been made redundant.” This phrasing is very common, and it needs to change. We are doing this to ourselves. Humans dehumanizing humans is not okay. It’s not okay to do this with your “enemies,” and it’s certainly not okay to do it with people who were your coworkers yesterday. Corporations are nothing without humans. That may not always be the case, so let’s not rush into this, shall we? If you must let go of someone, take the humane path and don’t call them “redundant.”