Wanderer Photography

So, I started gathering a couple of articles that I really wanted to read over the week and just got to them now.

First, there is this article by the NYT… it tells the story of a “money addict” working on Wall Street, the importance of money and power that comes with money. And in general, about the vibe of the city – money, power, but also a lot of competition and greed. I like the good outcome (so read all the way to the end), but I believe that I would like to experience that sometimes, while I still can – so I can appreciate the little things more. I found this quote, but can’t remember who it belongs to: “A smart man learns from his mistakes, a wise man learns from others’ mistakes” – I think I have a case of “I would like to have the money and not repeat his mistakes”.

The second interesting article that I have found is from Paul Graham, founder of Y Combinator, one of the most successful startup programs. The article talks about the vibes in each city and how they might affect you. Reading it just after the first article opens your eyes even more (and confirms the first article’s theories) about the lifestyle and values of (most) people in New York. I like the idea of living in multiple cities while still young, but what happens when at the next interview you get the question “Why did you leave the last company?” and the (most likely non-asked follow-up): “How do I know that you won’t leave my company within 1 year, rendering all of my investment in you useless?”. It is a tough problem that might be easier to answer to / solve if you live in the US starting at least with college and you have a “safe spot”. I still wonder what kind of vibe Seattle / Bellevue gives out – I have been here for little more than 1 year and I have some opinions, but I can’t commit to them.

I don’t have a lot of experience working in a company (especially in a big one). I believe I do have a fair amount of common sense and respect for others. Still, talking to people in higher positions is something I try to get better at, but this StackExchange answer hits the nail on the head and should be read by everybody that has a superior they have to talk to every day.

On the business side of things, I have read 2 interesting articles. The first article is about sincerity and how to grow your business without telling lies to your customers. There are 2 mistakes that you might do, though they do not necessarily surface from the article:

1) Don’t sign up for more than you can take – the general rule of avoiding lies to your customers is all nice and good, but from the other perspective – you are at the beginning of a new project, you have only a rough idea about what the requirements are, what problems might show up in the future and so on. While shooting for the Moon is a great idea and that will keep you motivated, at some point you might want to shoot for Mars and lose your focus on the Moon.

2) Be a master of communication with your clients. If you do the first mistake, most things can be rectified by showing care for your customers and talking to them periodically and trying to attend to (most of) their needs.

Last, but not least, if you do get to be a CEO – or you just have to fit both family and work in your life, this article sets some great examples. Again, communication is key and knowing where to draw the line will help. I really appreciate people who say “I can’t help you because I need to have dinner with my family, but I will get back to you tomorrow”. It just shows that they know what their priorities are and have a good balance (and are most likely happy).

Over and out,

/cd