Change can feel like loss – which of these is operating?

• Loss of Control
• Loss of Pride
• Loss of Narrative (how I think of a thing, what the story is/was)
• Loss of Time
• Loss of Competence
• Loss of Familiarity

Activities contributing to happiness

1. Expressing gratitude
2. Practicing acts of kindness
3. Learning to forgive (not much cause)
4. Committing to your goals (list)
5. Cultivating optimism (doing in general)
6. Nurturing social relationships
7. Increasing flow experiences (fulfilling work and hobbies)
8. Practicing religion and spirituality (nature and connection)
9. Avoiding overthinking and social comparison
10. Developing strategies for coping
11. Savoring life’s joys
12. Taking care of your body

First/early 1:1 questions

• What makes you grumpy? How will I know? How can I help?
• How do you like feedback – what medium? Routine or as it happens?
• How do you like recognition – public or private?
• What makes 1:1s valuable for you?
• What are your goals for the year? The quarter?
• What do you need from your manager?
• What do you need from your team?
• What do you need from your peers?

Check in later

• Human learning and growth requires the right amount of four things: new challenges, low ego, space to reflect and brainstorm, and timely and clear feedback. How are these four going for you? Is there one you need more or less of?

Cleanup prior to exit

1. write your job description
2. make sure everyone in your org is leveled properly
3. If not having a single successor, have at least one person who can handle a primary responsibility that will be caused by your absence. Set this up as a primary development goal for that person.
4. Make sure that the vision you have been trying to lean the team and org towards is not only understood by your designers, but by your peers with a sense of commitment towards that vision, as well.
5. Have a heart to heart with your CEO or highest accessible leader about your team. Be specific about people’s value to you, as well as your sense of their potential. Relay your vision for the team and the company based on your lens.
6. Be sure before you leave that there is a development plan in place for all your direct reports.

IDEO evaluation dimensions

• Client – how well you are working with others
• Content – high quality output, useful and usable
• Culture – your contribution to the betterment of the firm
• Commerce – your contribution to business results

Belkin talent management dimensions

• Job performance – delivering results in the job, meeting goals
• Work conduct – manner of working, including attendance, initiative, values
• Customer focus – peers, leaders, customers
• Job competencies – competent to perform the job
• Broad skills – breadth of capabilities beyond strict job requirements

Western Washington University core criteria

• Communication
• Leadership
• Diversity
• Policy compliance
• Customer service
• Job knowledge
• Productivity
• Integrity
• Engagement
• Innovation
• Teamwork

Belkin values

• Pursue the ideal
• Succeed as a team
• Be positive-active
• Maintain your edge
• Recharge

The Home Depot employee values

• Entrepreneurial spirit
• Taking care of our people
• Respect for all people
• Doing the right thing
• Building strong relationships
• Giving back
• Excellent customer service
• Creating shareholder value

How we work together

• Help me understand – People will have questions about how something works, or why something is done a certain way. Understanding it better helps them do a good job
• No surprises
• It’s not about you, it’s about the work – Conflict is fine, even helpful, provided it gets resolved. There’s gold at the root of disagreement. But we must fight fair, about the work and not the people
• We are here to help each other, so serve
• We need help from each other, so ask
• “I understand”
• Ramp down to real – It’s a long way from idea to delivery. Support each other in getting progressively more specific in concept, specifications, estimate, and planning. We move an idea into reality together and in steps
• Learn from last time – Mistakes will be made. Problems will arise. Proper address of these will mitigate not only the short-term effect of an episode, but reduce the likelihood that the unfortunate event will happen again
• Call the ball – If a decision is to be made, make it. Don’t let it linger beyond a reasonable and active investigatory period
• Deliver according to “How we work with users” – Every person, directly or indirectly, plays a part in serving our customers and determining wether their interaction with our product will be pleasant or awkward. Helping them is our most serious obligation

Omiyage: “little gift,” a small happy surprise
Omakase: an experience created by an expert
Lagniappe: a little something extra
Kaizen: continuous improvement through repeated attention
Ideality: considering the ideal unfettered experience, then walking it back to what is implementable
Damn good basic: doing only the underlying, simplest, core thing that must be done extremely well
Genchi genbutsu: go and see

Design everything
Simplicity is a tactic (not a goal, not a strategy)
Content — structure — elegance
Predictability — flexibility — accountability — professionalism
In groups or business you are what you seem to be
Skills, expertise, values, wills and wants; what distinguishes you from others?

Do not change the boss, but learn from the boss; do not adapt to the boss, but find opportunity in the problems of the boss; the boss is still the boss

Did I do my best to set clear goals for myself?
Did I do my best to make progress toward those goals?
Did I do my best to be happy?
Did I do my best to find meaning?
Did I do my best to build positive relationships?
Did I do my best to be fully engaged?