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Tuesday, August 17, 2004


Am I Indispensable? 

I picked up this book just as I started my new job, figuring that I might as well use all the help I can get in setting off on the right foot in my new career. Having read the first two sections of the book, I ranked myself on the key metrics of indispensability as follows:

Qualities of Mind:

  1. Gather broad input before deciding: 3/7
  2. Search for and discern underlying causes of problems: 5/7
  3. Avoid oversimplifying complex problems: 3/7
  4. See interconnections among seemingly diverse factors: 4/7
  5. Switch perspectives easily: 4/7

Organizational and Interpersonal Skills:

  1. Speak my mind directly without attacking: 4/7
  2. Open to input from others: 6/7
  3. Not status-conscious: 2/7
  4. Helpful to coworkers and others when help is asked for and needed: 6/7
  5. Adjust well to change: 6/7
  6. Skillful at mediating disagreements toward win-win solutions: 2/7
  7. Think and act as if I were an "owner": 3/7
  8. Don't compromise my personal standards: 5/7
  9. Respect organizational boundaries and roles (avoid turf wars, delegate well): 4/7
  10. Have a positive, can-do outlook: 4/7
  11. React nondefensively to mistakes or criticism: 3/7
  12. An avid and continuous learner: 6/7
  13. Maintain a satisfactory balance between my work and personal life: 5/7

Measuring myself against these metrics has allowed me to see where I fall short of making myself indispensable. As the next step, I've selected a few that I will focus on right away and defined specific learning targets for each attribute:

Learning Targets:

  1. Be myself around others, relate to senior managers as equals, act with self-confidence.
  2. Be direct and speak my mind without attacking others; be sensitive to others' points of view, backgrounds, and experiences before speaking; not be afraid to take a stand (even if my opinion might be unpopular), if I believe that it is in the best interests of the organization.
  3. Don't oversimplify complex problems; learn to think complexly about the complicated issues. Whenever faced with a difficult issue, do not reduce it to a simple picture, but try to understand all the different aspects, tradeoffs, and perspectives.
  4. See interconnections between different factors; be able to articulate complex ideas and relationships. Be able to express the complexity in addition to being able to understand it. Get across fundamental ideas so that others can understand them.
  5. Gather broad input; get different people involved in decision-making process; keep people informed and in the loop (without overloading them) and don't forget to close the loop.
  6. Think as an "owner"; take initiative to get things done where I see a need. Be proactive in addressing problems or issues. Do not be afraid to bring up a problem/raise an issue.
  7. Keep a positive, can-do outlook at all times. Emanate confidence, energy, and enthusiasm. Be an inspiration to others.

I think that this list should give me a good starting point. I have already begun practicing many of these aspects in my daily work. The challenge now is to always keep these goals fresh in my mind and keep referring back to them in order to check my progress. I will use this journal to do such periodic check-ins regarding my progress towards indispensability. Also, please look for a complete review of this book coming soon (as soon as I finish it!).




Monday, August 16, 2004


The Source of Happiness is Within You 

I have always had a lot of respect for the Dalai Lama and admired the fact that he radiates so much genuine compassion and tolerance despite the many hardships that he has faced in his lifetime. I believe that this book is the essence of this man's being and his outlook on life. It encompasses many of his core beliefs and serves as an inspiration to everyone, irrespective of religious affiliation or spiritual belief.

This book is not written by the Dalai Lama himself, but by Howard C. Cutler, and is based on his numerous conversations with His Holiness. Dr. Cutler provides the "western", science-based perspective on the buddhist monk's teachings. While his naivete gets to be annoying at times, he helps relate the Dalai Lama's teachings to our everyday lives by making them less abstract, more practical and actionable.

"I believe that happiness can be achieved through training the mind... Generally speaking, one begins by identifying those factors which lead to happiness and those factors which lead to suffering. Having done this, one then sets about gradually eliminating those factors which lead to suffering and cultivating those which lead to happiness." These words contain the essence of the entire book. A premise so elegant and simple that it might be easy to dismiss at first, and yet so powerful. The more one thinks about their true meaning, the more one begins to understand that these words, in themselves, hold the answer to the purpose of our lives.

The idea that happiness is the product of our mind, rather than of our objective situation, is hardly new. Yet, this book is able to explore this notion to the depths that I had never comprehended before. In particular, the distinction the Dalai Lama so eloquently makes between happiness and pleasure is especially enlightening. After all, it's the very things that bring us pleasure, that cause us unhappiness in the long term. Therefore, His Holiness says, one ought to always ask oneself before making a choice: "Will this bring me happiness?" I performed this simple practice for just a few days, and noticed immediate results. While I normally would do certain things without thinking, I have now become quite conscious of the effect that my own actions will have on my life down the road. Even such a simple thing as doing the dishes, or making that unpleasant yet necessary phone call, or buying something that we don't really need - each one is a choice that, once made, reverberates through our life and either brings us happiness or discontentment. This simple shift in perspective is a very powerful tool in bringing about real, positive change in your life through small, yet deliberate actions. It is by making these actions a habit that one is able to truly achieve happiness.

Of course, in order to be able to work towards happiness, one needs to understand what it is that will bring them happiness in their personal life. This can be likened to having a mission statement that encompasses many different areas that, when all balanced and fulfilled, lead to a happier life. These ultimate goals, the Dalai Lama teaches, should be used as a compass to align you daily choices with in your pursuit of happiness.

In addition to these very powerful meditations on the nature of happiness, the book stresses the importance of "human warmth and compassion" as integral components of achieving happiness through increased intimacy and deeper connection to others. The book also explores the "demons" that often prevent us from finding happiness, such as pain and suffering, anger and hatred, anxiety and low self-esteem. While you may not necessarily be afflicted with all of these "demons", reading this book will help you avoid them or enable you to help others who are suffering from them.

Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone on a spiritual journey, in search for a meaning of life, or simply looking for simple words of wisdom in our increasingly complicated and materialistic age. This is one book I know I will personally refer back to again and again for inspiration and guidance.



Thursday, August 12, 2004


A New Job: Starting off on the Right Foot 

Starting in a new job is a very stressful experience. Between meeting new people, learning the ropes, and getting settled in, it is easy to become overwhelmed. You desperately want to succeed, to prove that your boss made the right decision in hiring you. You try to get up the learning curve as fast as you can, all the while being acutely aware that the very first impressions that people form of you now will have a direct impact on your future career and will be extremely difficult to change.

Before my first day at work, I searched for any books or articles that would give me some useful tips for those crucial first few weeks on the job. Unfortunately, most advice out there is either directed at someone entirely new to the workforce ("First, find out where the bathrooms are!") or at a more seasoned professional going into a management situation. There is not much help available for someone like myself, starting in a new company at an advanced, but not quite managerial, level. That's why I've developed this list of tips, based on various sources, including my personal experience, as a guide tonavigating those treacherous waters of the first few weeks on the job. I may also update this list over time as I get new ideas.

Ten Tips for Making a Successful Start in Your New Job

1. Make an effort to meet as many people as possible. In those first days people are incredibly open to a new employee and will feel flattered if you seek them out, introduce yourself, and ask them about their work. You will immediately start building your brand and it will make it much easier to approach these people for help when you need it in the future.

2. Build it before you need it. (Your network, that is!) Related to the previous point, take this time to start building your network - connecting in person with your coworkers, people in other departments whom you might know from somewhere else, and most importantly - all the people who've been involved in your recruiting process. Even if you didn't end up in their department, still make sure you send them an email with an update and a thank you.

3. In the first 7 days, schedule a meeting with your boss. Ask her to be specific about what her expectations are for you, both long- and short-term; set specific goals and milestones. Schedule follow-up meetings (first weekly, then monthly) where you can get specific feedback on whether you're hitting these goals and milestones. Try to find out what her management style is - e.g. detail-oriented or more hands-off (and it's ok to ask that directly - she will likely appreciate your openness!) and how does she prefer to communicate: informally, in meetings, or through email. This discussion is extremely valuable as it will cut through a lot of uncertainty and allow you to lay a solid groundwork for a successful and open working relationship.

4. Manage up, but don't forget down and sideways. Don't just try to make your boss(es) like you. Make sure you're building relationships with peers and subordinates (even the receptionist and administrative assistant - they often have the best information and can be extremely helpful in a pinch).

5. Put in the hours. While I'm a strong opponent of face-time, I do believe that in the first couple of months you ought to make a habit of getting to the office before your boss and leaving after. (And believe me, if you're really serious about becoming good at your new job, you won't have a hard time keeping yourself busy).

6. Schedule time for yourself. Don't work on weekends if you can help it; do go out for lunch (which is also a great way to connect with people!). You want to demonstrate to everyone that while you're hard-working and take your job seriously, you also value balance in life and have interests outside of work.

7. When given an assignment, DO ask for clarification, DO ask lots of questions, DO deliver it when promised. This will ensure that you do a competent job and establish your credibility right off the bat. Asking questions is expected and is actually a sign of your critical thinking ability. But missing a deadline or doing work that's insufficient or wrong will destroy your reputation before you've even had a chance to build it.

8. Listen. Even when you think you've got the greatest ideas, keep your mouth shut 80% of the time. Because you can't possibly know enough background information to fully understand the situation, you will either (a). make yourself look like a complete idiot, or (b). end up offending somebody whose previous idea you're unknowingly criticizing. Be VERY careful offering ANY criticism until you know the politics and the power structures. Speaking of which...

9. Figure out the power structures in your organization. Hopefully, you have done this homework before you've accepted the offer and have joined a department that has sufficient power. Nevertheless, it is always important to understand the underlying politics - org. charts, unfortunately, don't always tell you who the key opinion-leaders and power-players are. This is where your new contacts come into place. Try to find out from others about the power dynamics involved - so that you can stay away from them as far as possible.

10. Be yourself. When asked about your background, don't tout your freshly-minted MBA or another advanced degree. Speak about the work you've actually done in the past - this way you won't be labeled as "just another one of those..." Try to be self-confident around your boss and other higher-ups (as much as you can!), don't snivel, position yourself as a partner with them (unless you're in an ultra-formal organization). With that, you'll get more respect and will be accepted as a part of the team much quicker.

I've already started practicing most of these tips, and will share any additional insights here as this new-job adventure of mine continues to unfold.


Tuesday, August 10, 2004


Where to begin? 

... or rather, Where to continue?...

Like jumping into a cold pool, it's always scary to make that first step. And the more time passes, the more difficult it becomes to make that jump back into the water. It has been about three months since my last entry, and in the next few days I hope to fill the gap here with an update on the major changes that have taken place in my life. But tonight I just want to start by addressing what's at the top of my mind right now.

First of all, I'm so tired... tired and exhausted. I have just started a wonderful new job (this is my second week), and I'm already starting to feel the cracks beginning to develop. I feel the weight of incredible pressure on me right now. I don't want to disappoint people who have made the decision to hire me, nor do I want to disappoint myself (and my own standards are, frankly, the toughest ones to live up to). So I constantly worry about dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's, I obsess over each word said or not said. I worry about what other people think of me, that they might not like me, or that I do or say something that will make me look bad. And so I overanalyze each word and each action. Being a very hard-working, responsible, and relatively well-adjusted person, I've never been such a psychological wreck before. But then again, I've never taken any job so seriously before, nor have I ever wanted to succeed as much.

I'm sure that this will pass, and that eventually I will look back at this fretting with a smile. In fact, I have already learned SO MUCH from this experience. I suppose that sometimes I just need to have a self-indulgent rant like the one above in order to relieve the weight a little bit. And I hope my readers will indulge me in that.

*This concludes this special broadcast. We now return to our regularly-scheduled programming.*