Beautiful piece! One thing stood out for me in 2021 (and more so 2020). Lack of play / obsession over getting it right. Play is such a vital energy, play may lead to failure, but playful minds see things naively, and that failure turns into learning pretty quick. You could almost say that play can facilitate / fuel teams and orgs “getting it right”, yet the obsession over “getting it right” kinda kills play. A fine balance to strike, it’s been a theme i returned many times to over this and past year. Happy 2022!
"we talk about a growth mindset like we do a tree—with sufficient water and sunlight, it will grow tall and could never be felled. A growth mindset, however, is less like a tree and more like a flower, opening and closing depending on the environment. " from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nudging-ahead/201904/nurturing-culture-growth
Curiosity is the first thing that pain kills, even subtle pain like stress or feeling unsafe. Humility is a very close second.
Consultants are sometimes derided as "outsiders." But it's like a doctor being an "outsider" to the patient, including to all the things that made the patient need a doctor.
Let me guess, in that TDD debate both parties confused TDD to be about testing, not software design? :D
I like the Messifesto. It is simple and effective. Thanks for all the stuff you put out, it has been insightful and has inspired me to learn more about product and people.
Great piece, John. "Take care of yourself" is very important. The tech industry moves so quick and there are so many interesting and new things ("be curious") that you can't do it all. Thank you for all your pearls of wisdom, they have really helped me in the last year. Wishing you a great 2022!
Beautiful post, and your experience and reflections resonate with me and my experience. Careful listen and reflect, also with peers, is always helpful to take care about biases and the own settings. Not to despair, but to welcome the tension between knowing and not knowing as a path to grow with confidence and to stay humble in the same spot. Thanks for sharing your insights!
John, great post, thank you for taking the time to write it. Your points for 2022 resonate without me, in particular #1: so many things to learn and so many things we don’t know, staying humble and open minded really is the only path to growth.
It is interesting that your post is in the context of product, because the behaviors you describe seem so intensly human in any context. I sometimes think that in a world full of uncertainty and whiplash-inducing change we dig our heels deeper into our believes. Thanks for calling for curiosity and humility.
Wonderful writing and very relatable. Also reminded me of one of your older writings about being the canary in a hostile environment. Take care.
Thanks for the related-article tip. I'm assuming it's this one: https://medium.com/hackernoon/the-canary-dies-bcfd99912e17
Beautiful piece! One thing stood out for me in 2021 (and more so 2020). Lack of play / obsession over getting it right. Play is such a vital energy, play may lead to failure, but playful minds see things naively, and that failure turns into learning pretty quick. You could almost say that play can facilitate / fuel teams and orgs “getting it right”, yet the obsession over “getting it right” kinda kills play. A fine balance to strike, it’s been a theme i returned many times to over this and past year. Happy 2022!
"we talk about a growth mindset like we do a tree—with sufficient water and sunlight, it will grow tall and could never be felled. A growth mindset, however, is less like a tree and more like a flower, opening and closing depending on the environment. " from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/nudging-ahead/201904/nurturing-culture-growth
Curiosity is the first thing that pain kills, even subtle pain like stress or feeling unsafe. Humility is a very close second.
Consultants are sometimes derided as "outsiders." But it's like a doctor being an "outsider" to the patient, including to all the things that made the patient need a doctor.
A wonderful post.
Hey John. Thanks for 104 weeks (and counting ;)) of great content. No idea how you keep doing what you do, but it’s appreciated!
the best joke is when try to we denied the writing you have done. well spoken :D
Great stuff and wonderfully put together. Thanks.
Let me guess, in that TDD debate both parties confused TDD to be about testing, not software design? :D
I like the Messifesto. It is simple and effective. Thanks for all the stuff you put out, it has been insightful and has inspired me to learn more about product and people.
Great piece, John. "Take care of yourself" is very important. The tech industry moves so quick and there are so many interesting and new things ("be curious") that you can't do it all. Thank you for all your pearls of wisdom, they have really helped me in the last year. Wishing you a great 2022!
great post, John :) i can relate to a number of the shorter stories that you shared!
Beautiful post, and your experience and reflections resonate with me and my experience. Careful listen and reflect, also with peers, is always helpful to take care about biases and the own settings. Not to despair, but to welcome the tension between knowing and not knowing as a path to grow with confidence and to stay humble in the same spot. Thanks for sharing your insights!
John, great post, thank you for taking the time to write it. Your points for 2022 resonate without me, in particular #1: so many things to learn and so many things we don’t know, staying humble and open minded really is the only path to growth.
It is interesting that your post is in the context of product, because the behaviors you describe seem so intensly human in any context. I sometimes think that in a world full of uncertainty and whiplash-inducing change we dig our heels deeper into our believes. Thanks for calling for curiosity and humility.
These are principles we should hold true every year, so thank you John and have a wonderfully curious and fulfilling 2022 and beyond.
Thank you for this. We have been learning so much through your writing this year. Have a wonderful new year!
Thanks, John, for this post and for everything this year.