Tag: Happiness

Delivering bad news

You have two choices. You can wait until someone seeks you out, or you can be forthcoming. If you’re forthcoming you have the opportunity to earn trust. If you wait until you’re hunted down by your co-worker you demonstrate a major lack of readiness for responsibility.

Make a habit of hiding the truth, and you convert your co-worker into a status hunter. This not fun for anyone; neither ambushing you in the hallway, nor being ambushed, is a particularly enjoyable experience.

Either way the news is delivered, and you can’t hide forever, so why not choose to be a leader?

Above all else, it’s about the relationship

Taxi Magic is hiring, and it’s an exciting time to be here!  Given all the interviews that we’re conducting, I thought it would be appropriate to provide some advice (the best candidates might find this blog post, right?)

The average candidate will try to demonstrate how their skills fit the job.  In reality, this strategy is sure to seem bland (all the other candidates are doing it).

The standout candidate focuses on what the job interview is actually about:  demonstrating your ability to be a partner.

Being a partner goes beyond saying that you’re a team player.  It’s about showing that you’re human, and that you care; You care not just about the work, but about the other humans in the room.

Alternatively, you could apply to companies that pretend that the work is completely impersonal (widget, meet cog), but why would you ever want to do that?

Living the Agile Methodology

Most people have never heard of the Agile methodology, which can be a highly efficient approach to software development. As it turns out, the Agile methodology is highly relevant to success and happiness as well. My extremely short summary of Agile is as follows:

1) Take initiative
2) Tackle work based upon priority, in the smallest possible chunks
3) Regularly review what’s working and what’s not working

Apply these principles to your personal life, and I think that you’ll find yourself more productive and successful at the activities that matter most.