Hi folks - The past many sends of this newsletter have found Usman in Dubai, and Aki in Singapore. But by the time you read this, Usman will be back in Singapore, and Aki will be in Dubai with family for his kids' spring break. But we're looking forward to finally meeting up at the end of the month!
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Meantime, fear not -- we'll be posting on LinkedIn and sending the newsletter throughout. Speaking of LinkedIn, a couple of recent posts are here, on fear and vulnerability; and here, on accountability.
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Thanks, always, for reading. Have a great week.
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Aki & Usman

CONVERSATION #1

I've worked for several companies, each with a different culture, but have always assessed for ownership when it came to hiring. Still, ownership can be a squishy concept: we know it when we see it, and we feel it when we get to "own". But it can be hard to bring to life in an interview, for instance; and it can mean different things to different people.

So it's great to have such a well laid-out visual here from Julie Zhuo. I love the way the graphic juxtaposes different behaviors that ladder up to ownership. And the ability it gives us to calibrate on a concrete example of ownership. 🙌🏻

CONVERSATION #2

Last week we highlighted new data on some of the risks to inclusion and equity that hybrid work poses. This week we come at it with a different question -- what impact might the switching costs of hybrid work be having on us? What are the effects of going from a day at home, to the next at the office, and back home again on the third? What will the compounded effects of any fatigue from this be over time?

Sometimes it's easy to forget that we're still figuring so much out. That the downsides -- and the benefits -- of a huge shift like this will take time to understand and play out. Making the need to be thoughtful and vigilant, as we go through the change together.

CONVERSATION #3

Awareness is an under appreciated factor of job, career, and relationship success; of learning and growth; of coping with change.
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So this struck us as a fantastic quote. We especially love what Ann compresses into the last, pithy line: satisfaction as awareness of our growth.

What's something that you recently did -- learned, saw, felt -- that enriched you? The quote suggests that awareness was the link between that enrichment, and any feeling of satisfaction you might have had. We're inclined to agree.

Thanks for reading. 🙏🏻