I was talking with friends today about the Zen concept of "Beginner's Mind" - where one needs to empty one's mind of extraneous things to be able to make space to learn new things. This is always easier said than done, as we also need to capture and learn from our experiences and not just start every task afresh.
"Beginner's mind is Zen practice in action. It is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions and expectations, judgements and prejudices. Beginner's mind is just present to explore and observe and see "things as-it-is." I think of beginner's mind as the mind that faces life like a small child, full of curiosity and wonder and amazement. "I wonder what this is? I wonder what that is? I wonder what this means?" Without approaching things with a fixed point of view or a prior judgement, just asking "what is it?"
In discussion, it struck me that this is concept could also be illustrated with a parallel in computer storage. It can take terabytes to store every single data point - but maybe only kilobytes to store the rules and principles that they illustrate.
So, one way to add prior understanding to "beginner's mind" is also to continuously seek clarity on rules and principles rather than try to remember facts and figures ...
1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4. Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7. Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
I was asked to expand on what I meant by Quality in respect to diversity and explain a little bit more about Efficacy, Efficiency and Effectiveness so here goes.
How do you create an organisational culture that can cope with continual change? The answer is by embracing diversity. People change, their abilities change and their circumstances change.
If you have an organisational culture that embraces this you have an organisation that is adaptable, makes the most of its employees (from whatever background) and is open to new possibilities.
Focus on diversity to drive, direct and inspire positive continuous change.
Diversity can give meaning to a change or quality drive.
Focusing on Diversity provides a target making a difficult concept more easily definable.
A Diversity focus can help the permanent drive to improve quality ( both personally and organisationally).
It’s important that everyone has a clear concept of quality otherwise they can’t realistically be expected to improve.
This means having clear definitions and if possible measurable quantities.
In addition, feedback is vital. People need to know what the results of their efforts are in the real world.
One popular way of analysing and understanding quality is to use the three E’s
Efficacy – how well something does its job
Efficiency – how efficiently it gets done in terms of time, money and resources
Effectiveness – how well it achieves overall objectives (is it doing the right job?)
The three E’s help you keep a broad diversity friendly focus when setting your quality objectives or targets.More efficient shouldn't mean less human. A process, procedure or activity can’t really be truly effective if it excludes, discriminates or fails to take advantage of the diversity in the workforce.
(C) You can take what I say, quote it, use it and reproduce it, but don’t steal it, thanks Warren
I loved the talk by Barry Schwartz summarised in the last post. My only issue was I felt it didn’t go far enough in terms of advancing practical advice.
After years of both following and trying to implement rules and procedures relating to race and equality, here’s my contribution.
At the end of the day it’s about effectiveness Focus on how well someone does their job not just how efficiently they carry out their tasks.All decent quality reviews consider three dimensions, Efficacy, Efficiency and Effectiveness. It’s typical for bureaucracy to get overly concerned with effectiveness to the detriment of the other two. Strategic decisions focus on all three with the greatest focus being on effectiveness.If you are in an organisation working with or dealing with people (customers, patients, clients etc) then part of your effectiveness will depend on how well you interact with people in your environment.
This rarely shows up directly in performance figures unless it’s a specific element of a job. Even then the real importance of personal interactions and responses to true effectiveness is often underestimated. It shouldn’t be. I think the key is to create more human institutions. This means work built around people rather than abstract job roles. It is not about being less focused on function or skills it simply means being more human centred when considering what’s involved. Real jobs, for Real PeopleWhen someone leaves they create a person shaped hole. No two people are alike. Create job specifications that details what you need and what you would like, then be flexible about how it gets done and consider what unlooked for benefits a new person brings to the table. In reality Job roles shrink or grow over time as people and circumstances change. The focus is always on what the organisation needs now.
This is not necessarily the same thing as what they had before, even if what they had before worked well.
New people mean new opportunities and new solutions.You need to have a person not a calculator making decisions.Many rules coming down from on high are just that rules that must be obeyed no matter what. They often ignore common sense and judgement, they were written by people assuming that those carrying them out are either lazy, stupid or both.If we are going to stop people acting counter to their own common sense and organisational interest we need more courage and more latitude. 9 human rules about rules (well they are really more what you’d call guidelines)
Many rules are written to meet legal constraints, make sure they work towards achieving organisational goals.
If you are trying to introduce a new rule make sure there is a way to ‘suspend and fix it’ quickly if it proves to be stupid.
Look for reasonable behaviour not set behaviour.
Have strict rules when they are needed but also have guidelines that leave room for manoeuvre.
It’s important to focus on efficiency and getting a job done but leave some redundancy and latitude for human interaction.
Be reasonable with how many rules the average person is expected to obey.
Have a person that understands the organisational objectives not just a calculator make the final decision on how or whether a new a new rule or policy should be implemented.
No rule lasts forever have persistent feedback mechanisms that work in place.
Remember its ‘effectiveness that’s key, does a rule or policy still help us achieve our overall objective.
(C) You can take what I say, quote it, use it and reproduce it, but don’t steal it, thanks Warren
Facebook has recently developed guidelines for any promotions being announced or held on the Facebook platform.
With such growth in popularity and participation over the past year or so, more and more brands and companies are joining Facebook to get closer to their employees, customers and peers.
As more Facebook programs have been developed, Facebook now sees a need to establish a few guidelines for brands, agencies and companies to follow moving forward.
Before starting a new Facebook program, be sure to take a look at these new promotion guidelines and talk to a Facebook representative if you have any questions.
Here are 5 things you should know about Facebook’s new promotion guidelines:
1. Promotions will only be considered for review/approval by existing Facebook clients - through either direct or inside sales. (e.g. need to pay for advertising before being considered for Facebook promotions)
2. All promotions (including contests, sweepstakes or competitions) in which Facebook participants are eligible to win must be approved by a Facebook representative (plan for a 7 day approval timeframe).
3. All promotions must be hosted on a third-party site and through an opt-in application developed specifically for the promotion. Promotions using general Facebook features such as photo uploads, wall posts or discussion boards are not acceptable. Winners of these promotions cannot be contacted through Facebook, either.
** For example: a winner cannot be chosen based on their participation in a discussion board or an upload of a photo to a Facebook album - instead, a specific photo sharing application or discussion submission application would need to be developed for this promotion. This application should also include collection of participants contact information, so that the winner(s) can be contacted via email - and not Facebook message. (Facebook is happy to refer you to a number of third-party developers with whom they have worked with in the past to help develop a specific application.)
4. As to be expected, promotions can’t be targeted to anyone under 18 years of age and those under 18 cannot be allowed to participate. Promotion of gambling, alcohol, firearms and tobacco is strictly prohibited. Please note, as of today promotion of prescription drugs, dairy products and gasoline is also prohibited (although is scheduled to be discussed in a Thursday meeting with Facebook’s legal team).
5. Promotions that are hosting completely off of Facebook can be announced on a Facebook page without prior approval from Facebook, however, the term “Facebook” should not be included in the promotion copy, or in any of the promotion’s rules - for that matter. Additionally, all promotions held on Facebook need to include the following disclosure:
“This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to [recipient(s) of information] and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for [disclose any way that you plan to use the user's information].”
Based on these new guidelines - a key takeaway for future Facebook promotions is to plan ahead and allow for a larger promotion budget to include the development of a Facebook applicaiton or a third-party promotion page on a brand Web site.
When developing these promotions, keep in mind that ads driving traffic off of Facebook reach around .1% click-through rate (the industry average), whiles ads that drive Facebook participation usually perform at least 2-3X better. It is my assumption that it will be the same for promotions - with Facebook applications seeing a higher participation rate than sending Facebook users off to a third-party site.
There's two new features that we are launching today: Retweet and Accounts.
Retweet is on the side of every post. Click the Tweet button and retweet it. We are using retweet meme for the retweet service so don't worry when a window pops up asking if you want to link your twitter account to retweet meme (it's not spam). Please retweet tons! The more you tell people about stevesinvites.posterous.com the more invites and other cool stuff I can get you. Right now you are only seeing a very small taste of the future if you retweet and tell other people about it a ton.
The second thing is StevesInvites Accounts!
Benefits of getting an account: You will gain points by signing up for specified invites, you will gain points by sending me beta invites that you have, and you will gain points for retweeting or just plain tweeting about stevesinvites.posterous.com. Those with the most points will be given the limited quantity invites first!
The method of signing up for an account: Send an email to stevesinvites@gmail.com. In the subject line write: Account Signup: "your name". In the body write your name, your email address that you want the account to be linked to, and your twitter handle if you want to gain points by retweeting or just plain tweeting about stevesinvites.posterous.com.
How to earn points by retweeting: Every time you retweet or just tweet about stevesinvites.posterous.com send the link to your tweet from the email address that you signed up for your account with. In the subject line write: Retweet and in the body put the link to the tweet.
Point System: For every Retweet that you send me the link to you will get 1 point (you can only earn points for retweeting once a week). For every beta invite you send me you earn 2 points.
Hope this sounds super cool!
Keep checking back here, people who want a google wave invite, There should be more than one invite posted very soon! :)
Spread the word! More cool features and invites coming soon!
I have been a bit slack on writing for The 6149. I'm sure the eleven people that read this are heartbroken. Since moving to London, my interweb access has been shoddy, at best. Finally we moved into a new flat two weeks ago. New digs means setting up the utilities, TV, phone and umbilical cord, better known as broadband connection.
Pause: as a result, I have had a chance to pause and think about what direction to take The 6149. I'll let that manifest as naturally and transparently as possible.
Make no mistake about it, this blog is not a money maker or a product seller, nor is it soap box. It is a spot for me to talk about music, practice writing skills and provoke thoughts (my own and anyone else who is playing along at home).
That being said, here is what might be my favourite Neil Young song: "Thrasher". The themes, lyrics and symbolism in parts of the song play out here on the blog...and the subtitle of it as well. I love this fucking song.
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OK, back to the subject matter in this post's title.
On two occasions in the recent past, I have guessed blogged on my friend's site, www.yourunemployeddaughter.com, otherwise known as "YUD". YUD and I are kindred-unemployed-spirits. YUD's blog is a great read about life as an unemployed writer/managing editor and New York'er. We thought it would be interesting if chimed in from a similar angle, but from London. For this exercise I am YUP: Your Unemployed Parter. Here is the original YUP post to find out what a YUP is.
Here is my latest YUD contribution with a preamble from YUD, herself:
Today’s dispatch from across the pond comes at a good time. I myself am a little bit down in the dumps about finding a job. Daylight savings time is over, marking the final door-slam on our already closed summer of frivolity, and while I have freelance work, it’s not enough to occupy me. I want more. Challenges! Excitement! Coworkers! I need more. Free Halloween candy in the kitchen! A water bubblah! Money!
And I’m irritated and a bit numb from not hearing back from the one million peoples and places to whom I’ve sent my resume, of feeling like every effort I go to has so little effect, why bother…
Oh, it’s deadening, isn’t it? But we can’t let that happen. Because we are good, we are worthy, we are deserving of jobs. And if those jobs don’t want us, fuck ‘em. It’s onward and upward, my friends.
One step I have not really taken has been going to a recruiter. I know others have done it. Some markets rely on them far more than others. But it’s a step that I may just turn to, next, since the jobs I see on Mediabistro and Craigslist are not doing it for me. ($5 to edit an article? Thanks, but no thanks.)
Let's listen to what YUP has to Say:
It’s time we had that chat. No, YUDites, not that chat. I hope by now you are well-versed in the ins and outs of the birds and bees. The chat I am talking about it the one concerning … recruiters [collective sigh]. Funny, isn’t it, how these two aforementioned topics are related: Sometimes you can get royally fucked by recruiters.
Oooh, that was harsh. Unfair to the entire recruiter community. That being said, there are some whose goal it is to turn you over quickly and put another notch on their bedpost/quota. You know them. They work for the big chop-shop recruiting firms. They shop you around like today’s lunch special hoping they can shoehorn you into a role. They are in it for them, not you.
You meet them in a small, antiseptic, unwelcoming room. They offer you water. They ask you to tell them your story. As you pour your guts out, they are looking right through you, categorically sizing you up. They ask some vanilla questions and say, “I think we may be able to do something for you.”
Yeah, right. Next time you hear from them, check the calendar. I bet you half of my next paycheck (whenever it arrives) it will be toward the end of the month (quota time!).
There are some very good recruiters out there … but you have to seek them out. These recruiters, or career consultants, are a bit harder to find, but worth the effort. They usually work in specialized, vertically aligned recruiting firms. They cover a specific sector. YOUR sector. They have good contacts. They care about placing quality with quality. They care about helping YOU find work.
I usually find three to five recruiters of this ilk. I meet with them and try to give them a very real perception of who I am, what I want, and how I want to go about getting it. This approach is even more important when you are looking in a foreign market.
Here are the Recruiter Rules I use when gathering my posse:
If you want to read on about my Recruiter Rules, head on over to YUD to read the rest of this post and check out some of her other musings on life as YUD:
