The Principle of Least Astonishment

Last weekend, I drove to NYC to deposit my oldest son and his girlfriend back in Brooklyn after they had spent a nice weekend with us. Up and back through three of the five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. I’ve driven through NYC dozens, maybe...

Parkinson’s Law

Work expands to fill the time available for completion. I hate meetings at work. And you do, too. I know you do.  Long ago, bleary-eyed in the middle of the night, I learned a couple of valuable lessons about meetings. The first is we have way too many....

Goodhart’s Law

When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. “Is this going to be on the test?””What code do I use to ensure this is covered by insurance?””How do you rank me against my peers?” We game the system. It’s...

Two-Way and One-Way Door Decisions

Two-way door decisions are the kind where you can always change your mind, back up, and make the other decision. Ordering a burger is a two-way door decision. One-way door decisions are the kind where you can’t go back once you make it. Jumping out of the...

Not My Job

Customer: Can you help me with this problem?Clerk: Not my job. Manager: Will you help Jane figure this out?Employee: Not my job. Test Engineer: Can you help me understand how this works?Software Engineer: Not my job. “Not my job” may seem like the...

Just Doing My Job

Reporter: What were you thinking when you ran into the burning building to save that child?Firefighter: Just doing my job. Tenant: How could you evict us?Sheriff: Just doing my job. Parent: Why did you help our son and tutor him after school and on weekends?Teacher:...

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