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Showing posts from March 20, 2016

Autonomy

I read an interesting study the other day. I say “interesting” in this case because it confirmed my instincts. The study was a way of measuring how much people crave power and exactly what they want from it. In sum, the study found that most people don't want to control others, but rather they want power so they have autonomy, i.e. they get to control themselves. I've thought about this for years. While I would love to have a VP title to round out my resume, I have not wanted to be anyone's boss in a long time. I like the prestige that can be conferred by the title, the possible perks and greater autonomy, but I don't necessarily want to tell others what to do. My experience managing 50 people when I was in my 20’s was a lesson I learned well. In fact, I am now suspicious of anyone who actually wants to be a boss. That's not to say that I don't like being a coach and helper to my colleagues. I often enjoy these types of positive engagements with people and

Know Yourself

Here are some things that I know about myself. I learned them through some type of quantification, either formal or informal. My average weight over the past three years has been 151 pounds I can subsist on 24oz per day of water, assuming moderate physical activity and 80-85 degrees temperature I can survive for 3-4 days with no food with minimal impact to my energy or mood. I typically sleep 7.5 hours per night. I almost always wake up at 5:30 AM.  My mental state suffers at less than 6 hours of sleep. The result is typically slower reaction time, mild depression and irritability When I travel, I sleep less. I am also more depressed My stress behavior is typically to want to connect MORE, rather than less with others What do you know about yourself? How do you use this information to be more self-aware and manage yourself more effectively? Know your limits. Know what you can do with yourself. Test yourself before you're tested.