365QOD- Day1120

Not Worth a ____

"There are two kinds of players that are not worth a damn: ones that don't do what you tell them to do, and ones that do exactly what you tell them to do"- Bum Philips, NFL coach

I asked a wise co-worker, Mr. Kevin Cotton, for a quote and h gave me this gem.  I love it! Let us take it apart.

First type of player are the ones that don't do what you asked them to do.  This could be because of a legitimate reason(thinking about it) or because the don't 'feel' like it.  In the end these types of people are the thinkers and non-doers.

Second type of players are the ones that do exactly what you ask them.  They do no more, no less.  Literally they give you exactly what you asked for.  Unfortunately, while they are just doing it, the conditions might have changed and the requirement is no longer valid.  So the problem is that they are not thinking BUT just doing.

In the end, based on this quote the only useful players are the ones that are adaptive thinkers and doers.

Today's question is:
"What type of player are you?" 

365QOD- Day1026

Nonlinear Life

“Step A then Step B then Step C…”- - the linear plan

As humans we like to plan our lives.  We even like to plan the lives of our children.  If little Johnny goes to this school, followed by this high school, followed by this college, and then gets a job with a great company he will be set for life.  This is an example of linear thinking.

Unfortunately, life is rarely linear.  It often forces us to do multiple things at the same time and it feels like our lives are chaotic.  This is an example of nonlinear life.  In this type of a life, step A does not lead into step B, step B might have to be done in parallel with C, next going for E before backing up to do step D.  Most of us fit this type of a life.

So is it wrong to think linearly?  Nope.  Even in the most chaotic nonlinear life there are linear subsystems.  As a matter of fact, while doing my masters level work, I learned that often science tries to treat nonlinear problems by linearizing them.  In other words, for a certain range the system is linear.  Once that assumption is made and verified then it is easy to use many linear techniques to solve the problem.  (The way to visualize this is to think of a curve which on a certain range looks like a line.)

Why is this important?  Well, often we feel overwhelmed and in the midst of chaos.  Stopping for a moment to ask if some linearity can be found in the chaos might make it more obvious on how to find the right solution.  Maybe doing things in parallel, multitasking, seems like a great idea but determining if those two steps could be done sequentially might eliminate the stress while not extending the timeframe by too much.

Today’s question is:

“Do you look for opportunities to linearize your nonlinear life?”

365QOD-Day483

"Khan Academy..A place where teachers make what an engineer would make, where the ideas we have can be on display"- Salman Khan

This pisses me off.  It is income envy.  If someone wants to study to get an education degree, God bless them.  But for them to bitch and moan that they do not get paid enough is wrong.

Judging by the folks who went into education, it was not the best of the best.  As a matter of fact some of the biggest party animals in school were education majors. 

I am yet to meet a person who graduated with an education degree that would have been successful as an engineer.  The skill set is just not there.  Most education majors are general and could not teach an advanced math course if their life depended on it.  Put a Calculus book in front of one and see the smoke coming out of their ears.

The line often given is that they teach the future generation and that is important.  The market, even though people do not want to believe it, is not cruel.  It evaluates your contribution and it sets a price for the business to make a profit off of your activities.  If it looses money then it eventually goes out of business and someone figures out how to do it better and more economically.

Everyone has a purpose and a place.  You can not elevate yourself by putting someone else down.  You can not raise yourself by simply wanting it.  It must be followed by meaningful work.

I bet most engineers would take the pay cut to reduce their level of stress or hours they work.

Today's question is:
"How would you like a two month vacation?"

365QOD-Day424

"My boss likes to say , 'I want a totally new idea - and three examples of where that idea has worked before"- boss' request in the article Are you Learning as Fast as the World is Changing

From yesterday's post(habit 2) and the article this quote was memorable.  The author initially dismissed it as silly but later on saw the wisdom.  Just because your field does not have the solution it does not mean that it does not exist in another field. 

Why three examples?  The more I thought about it the only reason I came up with is that by finding three you definatively convince yourself that the solution will work for you in your field.   I also believe that finding only one might not provide enough insight into the solution.

Today's question is:
"Which one of your problems has a solution in another field?"

365QOD-Day293

"Play nice"- a parent's advice to a child

I just got through reading the new book on Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. It is at times not very flattering to the subject.  He comes off as someone having a personal disorder syndrome. 

He is very opinionated and demanding about items and people either were geniuses or not worth the trouble.  He definitely did not play nice.  At times he was very mean and hurtful to the people in his life.

Maybe playing nice is not good advice?  Maybe we all need to be more opinionated?  The people who got the wrath of Steve either did something with the criticism, were asked to leave, or chose to leave. 

I personally think that at times he was an asshole.  You can be critical of people but you must be constructive with the criticism.  Being hurtful on purpose is not necessary.  It does not elevate you or the other person.

Today's question is:
"Did you play nice today?"

365QOD-Day54

"Ever since I was seven, I have demanded more from myself than anyone could ever possibly expect" Dr. J(Julius Erwin)

When I was little I remember watching Dr. J and marveling at his gift to play.  I also remember wondering how Edwin Moses could be so unbeatable.  He had an incredible streak of 122 consecutive wins and setting the world record four time.

Dr. J's quote says it all. If you have a higher standard for yourself than anyone then the only competition is against your self.  Over time you will exceed everyone standard.  This will place you in your own league.  MJ has confirmed this in a statement, "I do not compete against anyone else except myself."  

This is applicable in all aspects of life: work, home, school, relationships, etc.  What a game changer if we started to act this way in all aspects of our life.

Today's question is:
"What do you demand from yourself?"