Antonio once heard of an experiment where a rat was put in charge of its own cocaine supply. All the rat had to do was hit a button and cocaine would pop into the cage. In the end, the rat died of a cocaine overdose. Sometimes Antonio feels like that rat. Not with cocaine but … Continue reading Death by dopamine →

The venue will only allow 30 guests. From the tone of the venue manager it also sounded like the max will be strictly enforced. Now, you're faced with the dilemma - who's going to make the cut? The fear of offending others arrives like a freight train and makes you sweat profusely. It's easy to … Continue reading Who makes the cut? →

There's oversharing and then there's being a tight lipped mute under interrogation and between these two extremes I believe is the key to talking about your personal life at work. None of your colleagues want to be subjected to a rant about your failing marriage but at the same time it's nearly impossible to create … Continue reading Personal life at work →

I think a skill for the modern worker is the ability to swim after being thrown into the deep end with no notice and no obvious way out. To be less abstract and more succinct it's probably the ability to deal with uncertainty. 'Billy Bob quit yesterday, you're gonna be doing his reports and I … Continue reading Swimming worker →

I think the modern web surfer is so used to state of the art web design that when they stumble across an archaic user experience, while it could be perfectly safe, it might feel sketchy because it doesn't resemble Amazon's latest iteration.

I think often times the pace of the business world feels like a good enough excuse to drop social niceties. Which would you prefer to receive? Where's the Skywalker file? Or Hey Han, Happy Friday! Was just wondering, do you happen to know where the Skywalker file is? I reckon those who say 'Time is … Continue reading Don’t have time for niceties →

The eager intern came into the meeting prepared. She knew what criteria the decision makers sought, created a shortlist and shared it with the team before the meeting started. So, when the team got to the meeting there was nothing to talk about. Meeting dismissed. Which begs the question - is the intern a genius … Continue reading Meeting of subtext →

I don't particularly want to reply. The conversation is dying but I feel obliged to respond. It feels so rude to do otherwise. So you might say the interaction is persevering out of a strong duty to social etiquette.

After the atomic bomb was dropped Oppenheimer confessed to feeling like he had blood on his hands (at least that's how the Chris Nolan film depicted it). Which raises an interesting question - can you separate your work from how it is used? Are your skills merely making a rich white man richer? Would you … Continue reading Guilty work →

I think a crucial skill/tactic in a relationship is to concede. 'I see where you're coming from' Instead of simply denying the entire time and making the other person feel like they're banging their head against a wall to get their message across whilst you gaslight them, a lil validation goes a long way. You … Continue reading Conceding opinions →