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January 30, 2023

Shoutout @anydistanceclub for getting me to be more active this year!

January 30, 2023

After the @WSJopinion piece called “Are there too many Asians?”, I’m seeing a piece called “Are French People just lazy?” in @nytopinion today.

…Which begs the question: are there any good editors left?!

January 28, 2023

The Guardian, on AS Monaco’s youth talent factory!

Really enjoyed this piece on my childhood club: AS Monaco 🇲🇨

The Monaco academy boasts a star-studded list of alumni: World Cup winners Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, Lilian Thuram, David Trezeguet and Kylian Mbappé all graduated from the club. When Monaco tinkered with their successful formula of youth development, signing Radamel Falcao and James Rodríguez for big money, they won Ligue 1 and reached the Champions League semi-finals

[≠]

January 28, 2023

Tech Layoffs, myself included:

Shoutout to employers making missteps

Layoffs are among the most challenging life experiences, causing more psychological stress than even divorce, according to one study. Losing a job can upend workers’ finances and their sense of self, and layoffs in the world of remote work have in many cases been especially destabilizing, with employer missteps fueling uncertainty and unnecessary unknowns.

[≠]

Felt this part a lot too: > Last year ended with job cuts across tech behemoths […] For many of these companies, these cuts followed years of free-flowing perks and flexible work arrangements that were part of what was called a “war for talent.” “That is one of the great contradictions of corporate life,” Ms. Sucher said. “All corporations say ‘People are our most important asset,’ but they don’t really seem to believe that.” “Calling someone ‘talent’ is quite different from calling them a person,” she added. “People aren’t a resource that can be depleted over time.”

Contrast being told “imma checkin with you and share your profile with my network” and never hearing back with how Nokia did it, at scale:

Actions > Words.

Nokia, when it was restructuring in 2011, gave the roughly 18,000 people who would be affected about a year of advance notice and offered them several pathways forward: The company would help them find new roles internally, get new jobs externally, start their own businesses or begin an educational program, among other options. Nokia’s success metrics were whether people had a job lined up when they left the firm, and whether they were leaving with a positive enough impression that they would be open to returning in the future. Nearly two-thirds of people who left knew what their next steps would be. “This is going to be the lasting impression that sticks with your previous employees, your current employees and all future employees,” said Tanner Hackett, chief executive of Counterpart, an insurance technology company that helps small businesses.

One of the most frustrating part is being told “what a great person you are”, “what a wonderful positive energy you bring”, “how much we value working with you”, and “if things were different we’d hire you again right away”…

But you’re still showing me the door so… 🚪💥 🤷🏻‍♂️

I do believe that good vibes/energy pay(s) off in the long term in terms of good reputation.

But short/medium term I’m yet to find a leader that values it at the point of backing someone when times get hard(er)

January 24, 2023

Had to run an errand early morning today and rewarded myself with a long walk back, via the Canal

January 22, 2023

🇻🇳 Chúc mừng năm mới! / Happy Lunar New Year 🧧 🎊

January 12, 2023

Wearing my “Friday The 13th” Vans slip ons (along with my ”Nightmare On Elm Street” tee) on a day that a surgeon went to town on my back with a little scalpel… Too on the nose?