Google, the perfect team, and internet comments

The New York Times published What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team earlier this week, and it's worth a read. My favorite part:

What Project Aristotle has taught people within Google is that no one wants to put on a ‘‘work face’’ when they get to the office. No one wants to leave part of their personality and inner life at home. But to be fully present at work, to feel ‘‘psychologically safe,’’ we must know that we can be free enough, sometimes, to share the things that scare us without fear of recriminations. We must be able to talk about what is messy or sad, to have hard conversations with colleagues who are driving us crazy. We can’t be focused just on efficiency. Rather, when we start the morning by collaborating with a team of engineers and then send emails to our marketing colleagues and then jump on a conference call, we want to know that those people really hear us. We want to know that work is more than just labor.

The article reinforces some of the things I've been mulling over, but what I actually want to talk about are the most common reactions other people have had to the article, based on its comment section.

A few thoughts on "work-life balance"

The strange draw of SANS SERIF CAPS

As of this month I'm halfway through my Master's program, and I've been thinking a bit more about what comes afterward. People have already started to ask what industries and companies I'm interested in, but those aren't quite the right questions for me. Where I apply myself is important, but so is how I go about it.

I just revisited Lotte Bailyn is Redefining the Rules of Work and Family, which is a worthwhile read. Here's the hook:

Lotte Bailyn hates the phrase work–life balance. “Work–life” implies that the two exist in separate spheres. And “balance” implies that there’s a trade-off to be made.

Maybe that sounds too close to "you can have it all," which most people recognize as too idealistic, but I think there's an important point here. The goal shouldn't be to find a satisficing middle ground that gives up a little from here and a little from there. The goal should be to structure your life in a way that's sustainable, enjoyable, and fulfilling.

Secretary Robert Gates on leadership

This past week, I saw Robert Gates give a talk to promote his new book about how organizations can be reformed so that they work more effectively and efficiently for both their staff and the people they serve. He argues that all too often, the missing ingredient is courageous leadership. Though he focused on governmental institutions, many of his points are broadly applicable and good food for thought.

Hardly a day passes in the life of any American without having to battle one or another bureaucracy. It doesn't need to be this way. I believe institutions – bureaucracies large and small – can be fixed. Changed and made more cost effective and user-friendly, efficient and responsive, and shaped to meet new problems and challenges.

It's a combination of pragmatism and optimism that of late I haven't seen enough of in government.

More quotes below.