** Staying Connected No. 7

"February is the shortest month, so if you’re having a miserable month, try to schedule it for February." ―Lemony Snickett

February has been a strange month for me. The whole month felt like a Wednesday. It rained and snowed in Istanbul and my 7-year-old captured the mood perfectly when he said “I feel cloudy.”

I have clung to my routine as best as I could, finding rejuvenation in conversations with friends and cycling around Istanbul, which becomes an eerie ghost town during the weekends due to the quarantine.

As I sit down to write this on the last day of the month, the sun is finally shining brightly as if to remind me of what author Neil Gaimon said of March:

“By March, the worst of the winter would be over. The snow would thaw, the rivers begin to run and the world would wake into itself again."

For this month, here are some ideas, hacks, and mental models to think about:

  • Salesforce Has Declared the 9-5 Work Day Is Dead
  • Google's Project Aristotle on Team Effectiveness
  • Fascinating Video About Agile’s Origin Story
  • Too Many MBA’s Are Ruining Your Company
  • How to Train Your Model and Dragon
  • Create Your Own Boot-up and Boot-down Sequence
  • Must Watch: The Most Complicated Word in the English Language

** Salesforce Has Declared The 9-5 Work Day Is Dead

It seems that an exec at SalesForce read my last newsletter :) Salesforce announced a hybrid model that embraces remote working. They have further recognized that the 9-5 schedule does not reconcile with a remote workforce. The quicker other companies realize this, the sooner their staff can suffer less. (Link (https://www.salesforce.com/news/stories/creating-a-best-workplace-from-anywhere/) )

** Google's Project Aristotle on Team Effectiveness

Google’s Project Oxygen has been circulating for a while now covering manager effectiveness. They have followed this with another study around team effectiveness, Project Aristotle. Their study finds that the number one cause of effective teams is psychological safety; that members can be vulnerable and take risks around each other. (Link (https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/) )

** Fascinating Video About Agile’s Origin Story

The word Agile is both ubiquitous, overused, and overloaded. Alistair Cockburn, one of the original Manifesto signatories and cliff diver gives a refreshing origin story of Agile. Highly recommended. (Link (https://youtu.be/fG6N-QNDblM?t=422) )

** Too Many MBA’s Are Ruining Your Company

One of the constant themes of my class and my work is that leaders should be focused more on the products and services their customers purchase. They should spend more time with those folk building those products and services than in meeting rooms. In other words, go to Gemba. (Link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6P8qdanszw) )

** How to Train Your Model and Dragon

My daughter (12) is currently taking a course in Machine Learning and I decided to join. It’s a brilliant introduction to ML and a great bonding exercise. (Link (http://clevered.com/aiforkids/) )

** Create Your Own Boot-up And Boot-down Sequence

My morning and night-time routine has become a necessity during Covid to keep me grounded. I encourage you to create one of your own. Here is mine. (Link (https://www.ahmadfahmy.com/blog/2020/11/30/american-egyptian-psycho-my-covid-routine-to-stay-lean-and-sharp) )

** The most complicated word in the English Language

As a native English speaker, it's fascinating to hear my language through the lens of non-English speakers. In this video, you can hear an exploration into the most complicated word in the English language. (Link (https://youtu.be/RAGcDi0DRtU) ) Wishing you a brilliant and sunny March. Until next month, Ahmad