Last night at the end of our soccer practice, our coach grouped us into
three groups of 6 for sprints. Each group of 6 had to do 4 field
lengths at 80%, and this was repeated 3 times. The two groups before us
split up quickly according to speed and how hard they were pushing, and
by the end there was a difference of about 50 yards between the first
and the last of the 6. When my group went, we decided to stay together,
as a sign of team unity, togetherness, and we finished all within 1
yard. By the second and third round of these sprints, I wanted to be
pushing more, wanted to challenge myself, and on the last field-length,
I pulled ahead by about 15 yards. One of the guys was upset, because I
wasn’t showing teamwork. He felt it was better for the team to stay
together, for the slower guys to push themselves harder to stick
together, for the faster guys to set the example and lead the pace, but
not necessarily leave everyone behind.
That got me thinking, about what teamwork is. I could see both sides of
the argument. One one side, we should stick together, push each other,
not leave the weak ones behind, have no superstars, nobody faster than
the other. But on the other hand, each of us should give 80%, which is
80% of a maximum that is different for each person, so if I’m giving 70%
to stick with a teammate who is giving 90% we’re both cheated (I’m not
working hard enough, he’s working too hard), and then resentment builds
because we’re not each giving what we should be.
After thinking about it for a while, I felt right about pushing myself
and going out in front. I don’t think holding back for the sake of
slower ones helps anybody. It doesn’t help me in my training, it
doesn’t help the slower ones who either think they are the same speed or
feel resentment for working hard. It doesn’t help the coach see who is
working hard or who is actually faster. It doesn’t help the team by not
getting the most out of each individual.
I had a similar issue at work today, a dilemma on teamwork. We are in
the process of a re-certification for ISO/TS 16949, which is widely
regarded as somewhat of a waste of time and having forms and
beauracracies that are not needed in day to day operation, but is
nevertheless important in terms of supplying directly to the OEM’s in
the automotive world. There are lots of processes that have to be well
documented to prove that you are worthy of this 16949 certification,
some of which are useful, some of which aren’t; some of which are
regularly maintained as they should, some of which aren’t. And it’s
this latter category that caused the current dilemma.
There are many documents that must be signed in order to acknowledge
they were read, or some activity was done, etc., and with the signature
comes a date. In the past week, throughout our company, we have signed
many things with dates several months prior. It was a necessary thing
to achieve the certification, and our understaffed and overworked
company realizes this, so signs anyway.
One last signature pushed me over the top, and I committed to not
back-signing any more documents for any future certifications. My
direct engineering boss said that one has to be a team-player, that one
has to understand the needs of certification, that one’s principles
cannot jeapordize the company’s certification. I responded by saying
that it was my signature to put where I saw fit, or to refuse to put
where I don’t see fit, and that if I give everybody enough notice (i.e.
one year until the next certification), they have plenty of time to
react accordingly and get my signatures in time.
Once again, the best team player does not necessarily wait for the slow
ones to catch up, but pushes on, pushes others, and most of all, pushes
themselves.
The best team is a result of good and deep teamwork, but to achieve the
highest possible teamwork, each individual musut be performing at their
individual peak, or the team will suffer. This is not to say that
brilliant individuals will always make brilliant teams (see USA
basketball), but brilliant teams will never be made by less than top
performing individuals. And the latter is something each of us can
control individually, and then make it all come together.
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A big misconception that people have is that escalators are meant for
standing. They’re not, they’re made for walking. No matter how tired
your legs are, make it a habit to walk up escalators, even if it means
asking people to move to the right (this will also help reinforce the
idea of stand on the right, pass on the left, which is annoying in and
of itself when people don’t follow that simple convention).
Walking up the escalators is a small reminder of being proactive, not
sitting there along for the ride. The escalator is a tool to help you
walk up the stairs faster and easier, but it shouldn’t be a free ride.
There are elevators for that.
Along that same reasoning, life is full of opportunities, hindrances,
and challenges. But one thing is clear, there are no free rides. If you
come across a metaphorical escalator, don’t be relieved because you
don’t have to walk up the stairs or do the work yourself, but rather be
grateful for the support to reach the top much faster, with the same
amount of work. Don’t get lazy, get proactive.
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That’s right, I don’t want to win the lottery. I’m not talking about
not playing the lottery (which is a simple conclusion that anyone
with basic math skills should come to on their own), but I’m
literally saying I don’t want to even win it. Even if somebody gave
me the winning ticket (the odds of that are even less than actually
winning by playing, but you get the point).
Many points to this effect have already been made. Things like the
state of happiness and depression of people who win the lottery,
after an obvious short term uplifting, usually returns to the state
they were in before they won the lottery. This idea has been around a
while, and been written about extensively, but just take a moment to
think about that. Winning the lottery won’t make you happier.
Now, not only will it not make you happier, but being overexposed to
money, being able to satisfy your heart’s content without knowing you
earned it, makes everything feel cheap. And you’re likely to run out
of money too quickly if you’re not educated about what to do with too
much of it, which means you’ll end up with as much money as you had
before you won, but you’ll have the added bitterness of having had so
much more, like the pain of a gambler who loses a hundred thousand
dollars in one hand even though he only started with one thousand.
Aside from that, my actual lifestyle wouldn’t even change that much.
Maybe I’d drive a nicer car, have a slightly bigger place, eat out a
little more often, but really, I’m pretty happy with my standard of
living. For now. I’m not saying I’ll be happy with it in 10 years,
but I want to get to that point on my own.
Admittedly, there would be some nice things about winning the
lottery, such as paying off my mom’s house and my dad’s condo, buying
some property as an asset, putting some away for retirement. But the
energy I waste wishing for it and thinking about it is just not worth
it. When we fly, we don’t think about the chances of being in a plane
crash (btw. much higher odds than winning the lottery), because it
would drive us crazy. We expect that the chances are so low that it
simply won’t happen. So it becomes hypocritical to wish for
something with tiny odds on one hand, and at the same time expect
something else with small but greater odds simply won’t happen.
Finally, the main reason that I actively don’t want to win the
lottery, is because I want to earn what I get. I want to go about my
life as a challenge, and see where I stack up. I happen to have a lot
of confidence and a very positive outlook, and I’m going to go out
and see what I achieve. It’s about control, not expectations. It’s
about making your own decisions, not waiting for destiny.
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Welcome to the Generation Echo Blog
This is about the thoughts, goals, dreams, habits, lifestyle, and
reactions of Generation Echo: the Echo Boomers generation, children
of the Baby Boomers.
There is no doubt that the future of business, politics, and culture
is dependent on the direction of Generation Echo. With our influence
through our ever increasing purchasing power, being the unquestioned
locomotive of the Web 2.0 push that will change the face of society,
and demanding more of politicians and corporations, we can influence
the world to come.
But those are the lofty, long off goals (never to be forgotten), but
the day to day will focus on smaller issues, ranging from general
thoughts and reactions, to reviews of products that are missing the
boat. After all, if products and businesses are not appealing to us
now, they are doomed for the future.
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