Your client when you tell them no "That won't work" is the worst thing you can say to the client when they suggest an approach or solution to something. No one likes being told no, especially clients, and especially by their contractors. Instead of saying "that won't work," you should 1) Acknowledge their approach as one way to do that, 2) Suggest two or three alternate approaches along with your reasoning, and 3) Recommend one of them and say why This feels less "hostile" and gives the...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Being a people person makes you a target for PIPsSource The WSJ had a great article about how companies use "Performance Improvement Plans" or PIPs as a pretext for firing people. The Most Hated Way of Firing Someone Is More Popular Than Ever. It’s the Age of the PIP. -- In the messy business of getting rid of employees, the PIP is having a moment. A performance improvement plan is usually a list of tough-to-achieve goals to be completed within 30 to 90 days. Can’t shape up? You’re out. The...
5 days ago • 1 min read
You're not fooling anyone robot...Source Yesterday I wrote about the advice ChatGPT gave me to navigate government bureaucracies as an "ideas" guy. It was good advice, and I was pretty impressed how it was able to link the concept of personality with a somewhat specific work scenario. But still, some things are going to require actual humans, and my guess is that society will value human authenticity even more once most things are done by robots. Here's an article describing what happened...
8 days ago • 1 min read
AI professional advice is here I asked ChatGPT for advice on how to work in a government agency as an "ideas" guy, specifically, with the "Wonder and Invention" strengths in the Working Genius assessment. The advice was actually decent! Specifically, I've used 1, 3, and 7 in my work. The thing is though, my nature will always clash with working in a large bureaucracy. There are some projects that are better than others for me, but it's not sustainable long term. This is why I must pursue...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Even Homer Simpson can't tolerate bureaucracySource The WSJ had a funny article about the Chinese government being frustrated by its own bureaucracy. China’s Plan B to Save the Economy: A Crusade Against Busywork President Xi has mandated that its various government entities stop being so focused on things like daily reporting of their work, vanity projects, and nonsense activities in order to actually do, you know, real work. "The directive to supervisors: Hold fewer meetings and make them...
10 days ago • 1 min read
The unreliable narrators in your brainSource If you're worried about if you're "good enough" to go 1099, you need to look for external indicators of success in your career field. Do your clients praise your work? Have you been offered raises/promotions? Are you regularly taking the lead on difficult projects (and succeeding?) Is it easy for you to get a job offer for another company? The voice in your head may not be an accurate one. You must weigh that voice against concrete and external...
11 days ago • 1 min read
When you and your client have mismatched personalitiesSource Your government client is the main person you have to make happy. But to do that, you have to have a compatible personality. If you're not a detail oriented person, and the client is extremely detail focused, you probably need to get a new project. All your small errors will just annoy them and eventually you'll be asked to leave the project. The worst type of client for me is the "mid-level manager" personality. They require things...
12 days ago • 1 min read
Maybe government employees/contractors will be able to smoke weed under Elon!Source A few people in my industry have asked if I thought Elon Musk is going to greatly reduce contracting opportunities. The truth is I have no idea. But my hunch is that government bureaucracies are actually much stronger than even Elon Musk. There are too many vested interested in maintaining the bureaucracy and keeping the government dollars flowing. I'm actually a little optimistic that he might make the...
15 days ago • 1 min read
Sonic following his energySource Following your energy sounds like "woo" advice but I've actually found it to be incredibly useful in several ways. It gives you clues to what activities you should pursue, and most importantly, the activities you should stop pursuing It makes you more productive naturally, without crazy productivity systems It will make you feel better If your W2 job drains of you of energy, that's a clue something needs to change. This could mean going 1099, if that idea...
16 days ago • 1 min read