I was at the florist yesterday and asked her if she was busy during lockdowns. I was expecting her to say that things had slowed down. Her answer was quite the opposite. She told me that business picks up during lockdowns because people send flowers when celebrations like weddings and birthdays get cancelled. Foot traffic also increases because people are working from home and pop in for some flowers.

“Frequently wrong but never in doubt.”

“Confident and wrong.”

“To seem more competent, be more confident.”

“Fake it until you make it.”

We all conflate competence and confidence. Covid was a good bullshit test. The countries that ignored Covid initially ended up with tragic results either because of over-confidence or incompetence.

Life gets easier when you spot the bullshitters. The good news is that with remote work, it’s getting hard to fake it. Remote working is about delivery. Those who never delivered at work hate WFH.

Legacy incumbent companies focus on provenance and pedigree. They are about maintaining the status quo and are on the decline. “Hiring managers” seek out markers like education, brand names, and network connections.

Companies that focus on people’s output, quality of work, and energy are where you want to work. They are open to hiring rough diamonds. They aren’t scared away by quirky work experience and a history of grit and persistence. They take chances on people and bet on them.

Founder-led businesses and owner-managed places like restaurants are your best bet. It takes one to know one, and it’ll take one to hire one. 

I thought the eggs at the farmer’s market were different colours because of the chicken’s diet. I was wrong.

There are many chickens that lay coloured eggs. Enjoy

Ameraucana Chickens, Araucana Chickens, Easter Eggers are all different types of hens.

Ameraucana, Araucana, and Easter Egger: Blue, Green & Pink Colored Eggs.

Day 13 and one of the buds hasn’t opened yet.

Just because your job suits you, doesn’t mean you suit your job. Be careful of sticking with something just because you are good at it.

A lot of people have realized that they are just as effective or even more effective working remotely. Clocking in from 9 to 5 is something dating back to the industrial revolution and assembly lines. Those days are over for a large swath of the workforce.

Most of the voices calling for people to return to the office are commercial real estate developers, control freaks or people who are in denial.

Remote work doesn’t mean you don’t get on a plane or in the car for important in-person meetings and sales pitches. You still need to break bread with co-workers and customers. There’s going to be some gray space.

The genie is out the bottle. Companies that require mandatory work from the office will see very high employee attrition in the next year.

The toughest competitors are the ones you don’t know about.

Amateurs bang their pots and pans on the street corners to get attention. They talk, pontificate and broadcast big moves. But beneath the bluster and chatter – nothing changes. They are like small dogs with loud bark.

Professionals don’t show their cards. You never see them coming. When they make a move, you don’t hear about it – you see the results.