Friends of Dave #208: florida bird eats gator
Kinetic energy = .5 * mass * velocity squared
If you know me personally, you know that I am generally one of those people that others would describe as having "a lot of energy."
I've always been that way. My parents have told me that basically the day I learned to walk was the day that I also learned I could run.
And I ran....a lot...I'd see something I wanted or somewhere I wanted to be and, like a honey badger, I would lock in on it and just go.
I was seldom aimless or out of control, just focused. I'd careen into walls, furniture, fences or whatever happened to be in my way at any given moment along the way.
I've got plenty of scars to show for all of this. But I always seem to pick myself up, shake it off and get back to my moving around at an intense pace before too much time passes.
I know this must have worn out my parents when I was young. And if you have worked with me or known me long enough over the years, I'm sure I've probably worn you out at some point too....don't think I don't see some of you nodding.
People often mistake this trait as "high energy," or "frenetic energy" but I don't think that's what it is. The energy is what is being created by all of the running around, activity and excitement or enthusiasm about the possibilities.
I had a business connection accurately pin point it a number of years ago. We were talking over lunch about where I was thinking I may want to go with my career and he said "Dave, you really are someone who puts velocity into things."
He didn't know me very well, so I'm not sure if he was giving a complement or was just reacting to being worn out by whatever I was saying at the time, but it stuck with me.
When you look at the equation for kinetic energy, you see that the amount of energy that is produced is a product of half of the mass of what is being moved and the amount of velocity that is being introduced squared.
Basically, you take something small and put intense, focused velocity on it and it can create a lot of energy. Put that same amount of intense velocity on something bigger and even more energy is produced.
It's reasonable to think it's the energy that makes things happen -- but it really is velocity that activates the energy.
We all know "high energy" people. We work with them. We are friends with them. We may even be partners with or married to them. They are hard to manage. They bump into and break things. They can annoy you or wear you out from time to time.
But remember this: when you want to get something done, these people are the velocity that can be applied to a task to make it successful. These are also the people, if mishandled or misapplied, that can make a project go in an unintended, negative direction.
A smaller task combined with a concentrated source of velocity will get done much faster. A task with larger mass, it make take a little more time, but the output can produce significant energy.
So the smart people, partners, managers and leaders are the ones who know just how and when to apply the right amount of velocity and manage it so they can create and harness the desired energy output.
Don't roll your eyes and dismiss those honey badgers you have around you. Stay patient with them as they run around bumping into things as they try to find things that need their velocity.
It may take a little more work on your end, but they may just be the missing part of the equation that you need in order to generate big energy and bigger results....
Two more issues left in this a**hole of a year, Friends. I'm not sleeping on the links, so neither should you -- good stuff below. Check them out.
Enjoy!
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
If we accept that complexity is a constant, we need to always be mindful of who is bearing the burden of that complexity.
We’d all like life to be simpler. But we also don’t want to sacrifice our options and capabilities. Great look at how we need to rethink the relationship between simplicity and complexity. WARNING: it's a longer read, but it is Farnam Street, so you know it is good.
For Your Day Job...
19 Business Moats That Helped Shape The World’s Most Massive Companies A business moat is a key competitive advantage setting a company apart from its competitors. See how Amazon, Uber, Starbucks and 16 others built and defend their moats.
The Growth Strategy Snowflake Used to Get to a $70 Billion Market Cap
Too many technical founders think that having an excellent product is enough — it’s not. To build a company out of a great product, you need a great team to take it to market.
Great takedown of the very simple operational and cultural keys that make Snowflake
Communicating but Not Connecting
One of the biggest challenges directors face in a world of virtual governance is getting access to independent information beyond what is filtered to them by management.
Unable to meet in person, boards are struggling to adapt to keep up with their companies’ responses to everything from pandemics to civil unrest.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
How Holiday Spending Compares Around the World — www.visualcapitalist.com This graphic compares holiday spending around the world and explores some of the most anticipated retail events that contribute to it.
Florida bird caught on video swallowing whole alligator
Are you kidding? I had you at "Florida"....you know you want to see this......
Amsterdam's War on Tacky Holiday Lights, Explained
"Where do you think you live, New Jersey?" one local official was overheard telling a townsperson.....
Laugh now, but you won't be laughing when the whole "East Coast Robot" vs. "West Coast Robot" thing comes up again.....
And The Last Word....
How KFC Won Christmas in Japan. — medium.com
If you look up Japanese Christmas traditions, you’ll likely be surprised at the top tradition celebrated by most families across the island nation: Kentucky Fried Chicken.
My brother in-law lived in Japan for a number of years, and I can confirm that yes, this is definitely a thing.
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