Freedom & Responsibility
By Kevin
I often look into management books for inspirations on personal development. Essentially, while winning in corporate environments may not always be about abilities or qualities but these are important aspects HR look out for when hiring. Their favored traits are often manifestations of something more fundamental in one's attitude and beliefs.
I was delighted to stumble upon Netflix's slides on 'Freedom and Responsibility Culture' not so much because it is a good framework to create a successful culture for a creative, technology driven company but because it contains some wisdoms and elements about living life that we all should learn. I've included it here for all to look through.
I'm particularly drawn to the idea of how you should only give freedom when responsibility is demonstrated. That's not only valuable for firms but also as an advice for parents. Too many kids today are not demonstrating the maturity and responsibility and they get freedom that can be dangerous. Worst, parents are not giving kids the right incentives and showing how they can achieve what they want in the appropriate ways.
Now that firms are learning how to teach and train their employees better, doesn't mean parents can cease doing a good job...
Thinking Economics
By Kevin
Mind Tricks?
People thinks I'm very rational when it comes to making decisions (especially personal ones), but it is really more about thinking economics than rationality. Economics was founded based on the assumption that all individuals are rational and acting on self-interest. Too often, however, we know little about what is really in our interest and worse of all, we have no idea how to put it into the equation. It'll then help to look at the market and what it is doing to decide.
It appears ironic that individuals may peer at the market to learn how to be rational when they are part of the market itself. Nevertheless, the fact remains that while individuals are capable of making good direct comparisons, complex patterns of choice emerge only through the market, which aggregates decision-making of an independent crowd (an important concept I briefly touched previously). The concept of opportunity cost proves invaluable at decision-making - when you can't decide what you want, think about what you are willing to forgo.
I was thinking about how capable kids around me often have parents who are not particularly educated and perhaps not with any outstanding careers. Of course there are exceptions but many smart capable people do have just plainly ordinary backgrounds much like mine. It dawned on me that the question is really how 'ordinary people' make such great parents. Parents who have a great career simply have to sacrifice much more in order to expend effort at raising their kids.
The high opportunity cost simply means that it might actually make sense for them to 'outsource' the work to someone who has less stake in their kids. In many sense, the same principles applies to a kid - for one who expects to be able to live life comfortably and have little expectations of themselves, slacking away poses a lower opportunity cost than one who knows that the alternative to working towards success is deprivation. Of course, I'm assuming that the kid has the level of maturity to consider this and understand the concept of opportunity cost, intellectually if not intuitively.
Eventually, what remains required besides economics thinking would be discipline; and discipline could also be explained by an intuitive grasp of economics and incentives. With the right way of positioning ideas in one's mind, one would be able to accentuate long term incentives while downplaying the benefits of instant gratification. That's what everyone in the west has to learn today.
Fly Away
By Martin See
Away from home
Blogging from a nanotechnology laboratory in Illinois isn’t exactly what I envisioned for my post-ORD trip but reality often strikes us in the most awkward ways. Dressed in a white lab coat and a safety goggle, I shall share with you my holiday experience thus far:
Life was getting boring in hot and humid Singapore. I have just finished my national service in January. Most of my peers decided to find employment, before the start of their university term, to earn some money and to use their time “productively”. I use “” because productivity is a subjective term; while others may think spending their time at work and slogging their guts out for their employer is more rewarding than rotting at home, I think using this time for personal development by broadening your horizons and discovering yourself is far more valuable than being stuck at the work desk. Hence, I decided to venture overseas to move outside of my comfort zone and explore independent living in a foreign country.
My journey has brought me to many places. I admired the skyscrapers of Chicago, walked the streets of Times Square, and relaxed in the slow pace of life in Illinois. Saint Augustine once said, “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page”. So don’t stay at home. Go far away and immerse yourself in another culture of life. Get inspired in another environment. Lose your stress and worries in your new home. And take some time to organize your life.
I hope to come back with renewed vigor and a focused attitude on life. Won’t you say this is a better substitute than sitting at a work desk?