These are some of my core values. Most of my successes in my career can be directly traced to the application of one or more of these values, and most of my failures can be directly attributed to failure to live up to them.
Produce more than you consume. Periodically, I engage in a very personal evaluation and ask, “did I deliver more value than what I was paid to deliver?” It’s important to me that, at the end of my life, I produce more than I consume professionally, earn more than I spend financially, and contribute more than I take in personal relationships.
Pay attention to details. The primary thing I learned in the US Navy’s nuclear power program was attention to details, and that has carried me throughout my career. A key component of risk assessment and risk management is having an eye on the sources of risks, and the risks are often in the details. When I am winning, I try to ask yourself, “what could make me lose right now?” Then I try to find it and manage it.
Engage in servant leadership. The higher we move in our craft, the more we must rely on others to get things done. We must be good stewards of our team members’ time and support their success. I try to balance the short term business needs against the long term growth needs of the people who work with me and for me. To the degree that I can, I try to remove as much noise from other people’s work as possible.
Speak the truth. I believe that every time you speak, you program your mind to believe the thing you are saying. The danger of a lie is not just that you may convince someone else that the lie is true; you might even go so far as to convince yourself. Exercise blatant transparency. If we don’t know, we say so. If we disagree, we say so, even as we attempt to find middle ground. Compromise on tactics, but never the truth.
Lead with compassion and empathy. I believe in the good of others and help people where I can. Be available. Try to let annoyance be replaced by empathy, and enjoy the internal rewards that such a life brings. The late Lanny Poffo once summarized this with three elegant points:
- “It’s hard to pour lots and lots of kindness onto others without having some of it spill on yourself.”
- “Your life isn’t judged by its duration; it’s judged by its donation. ‘How may I serve’ is a good mantra.”
- “Everyone says, ‘God, give me a miracle.’ That’s not it. It’s, ‘God, make me the miracle.'”
Respect the grind. Never say “that’s my job.” Expand and contract as needed, and do the detailed work that the program and customer requires. Prioritize efficiency for the organization over efficiency for the individual. While many processes can be automated, some cannot; when they can’t, don’t assume the task can’t be performed. Put on some music and grind out what needs to be done. Be the tortoise that wins.
Pursue relentless incrementalism. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of saying “because we can’t do everything, let’s not do anything.” Sometimes, the larger goal is out of reach; when this happens, every little step forward helps us to bring it back within reach. If you struggle to get things done, you’re not looking small enough.
It’s not about being right; it’s about doing right. The person who disagrees with you believes they are right; they are the hero of their story. While being right is important, most problems have multiple solutions. Doing right involves finding the solution that the team is willing and able to execute. A focus on being right can lead to malicious compliance; a focus on doing right doesn’t compromise integrity in the name of ego. Do the right thing, find out how to move forward, then move forward.
Fail early, fail often, fail cheap. A developer at PAX once said, “if it takes longer to argue about something than it takes for both sides to prototype their point of view, the entire team has failed.” Figure out the smallest experiment you can perform and do it. Build, measure, learn, repeat.
Ruthlessly prune your own work. As designers, we often want our work to be seen. Creators innovate, and we like to show off. However, what we want isn’t always what the customer needs, and not every piece is a portfolio piece. In any communication, get to the core message; in any learning, get to the objectives. Ruthlessly prune away the rest. Less is often more.
Light comes from heat. From the Agile Manifesto, ” Innovation occurs only with the free interchange of conflicting ideas.” Enlightenment comes from heated discussion. Represent ideas vigorously yet tactfully, then look for the win-win.
Accept the double standard. Not everyone is going to live by all of these values. That’s OK; their values are different than mine. I benefit from living these values, so the double standard of holding to them sways in my favor anyway. I get to do work I love, and that privilege is inherently unfair to those who must do work they don’t love. The price of that privilege is the double standard.