Friends of Dave #26: Hold On Loosely
WARNING: this week's theme is a bit of a continuation from last week.
You may recall from last week's preamble, I mentioned that it is graduation day in our house today (and may be for some of you this week as well). Sure, we've braved a few pre-school graduations, elementary school "soaring up" ceremonies, and eighth grade commencements over the years. And don't get me wrong, I'll go on public record saying that those are all very "important" and "special" milestones, but this one is a big one for us. This is no parenting participation trophy: we're talking about high school freaking graduation.
As we prepare to send our first born out into the adult world for the first time, I feel compelled to try to provide her some sage fatherly advice that I have learned along the way. You know, something that falls on the spectrum between "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" and "Liquor before beer, never fear."
While I was driving this week, I found that a random tune playing on the radio worked it's way into my head: "Hold on Loosely" by .38 Special. Can't say I've ever been a huge fan of the band, but damn if I could not shake it from my brain for some reason. It has a catchy, classic rock guitar riff with a Southern rock, summery feel. And then I started to think about the lyrics, and I realized it kinda resonated with how I have been feeling.
If you are not familiar with the song, it was originally written about a relationship, and cautioned about how you need to stay close to the people you love, but not too close. You have to let them have a "whole lotta space to breathe in." Because if you don't give them the space, and you cling too tightly, you will lose what was close to you in the first place.
No question this is true about romantic relationships, but it also seems relevant for parents to embrace as their kids get older and more independent. Instead of hovering and overprotecting them, parents should believe in them and give them the space they need to figure things out.
I also began to think about the message and how it can apply to life in general. There are times everyone faces in life that are challenging, difficult, scary, and new. It could be going off to college, getting a new job, trying to close a business deal, handling a loss of a someone or something close to us, or tackling adversity when something doesn't go our way. During those periods in our life, our instincts can sometimes be to cling tightly to our fears, our insecurities, sadness or anger. They can consume us. And when this happens, not giving the situation a whole lotta space to breathe in can have a worse affect. We do actually lose control.
So I have decided my advice to my daughter is going to be simple: no matter what life throws your way, remember to "Hold on loosely, but don't let go." While song lyrics usually have a short shelf life, I think this one may stick. Thank you .38 Special for the catchy earworm and the inspiration. I'm just glad it was your song that got stuck in my head and not something like "Mambo #5"....
Enjoy your weekend and this week's selections. This week has some of the best content I have read in a while. If you check out nothing else, I strongly recommend clicking on the breakthrough technologies link. Probably could have been the only one I included this week it has that much fascinating stuff there.
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
The key to jobs in the future is not college but compassion — aeon.co
While many fear the elimination of jobs due to increased automation in the future, all is not lost. Professions that require empathy, compassion and creativity will become more valuable as those human traits cannot be easily replicated or automated. And, interestingly, many do not require a college degree.
Robots that look like humans raise big ethical tech questions about empathy — qz.com
Human compassion can be gamed. It is the ultimate psychological hack; a glitch in human response that can be exploited in an attempt to make a sticky product. That’s why designers give AIs human characteristics in the first place: They want us to like them.
Interesting companion article to the first one. While we understand that machines do not require our empathy, humans are still prone to feel it when a human-like machine seems to be in peril. It's this weakness in the human condition that could one day lead to our downfall.
For Your Day Job...
The Biggest Breakthrough Technologies in 2017 — www.technologyreview.com
While I generally hate these kind of lists, I have to say, this may have been the coolest article (or set of articles) I read this week. Strongly recommend reading this and also clicking through the articles from years past. Fascinating.
Debunking the 'Fintech is Failing' Myth — thefinancialbrand.com
Good viewpoints here from the pro-FinTech camp. Author makes compelling case for attributing "failure" to poor business models and management deficiencies. Not sure I 100% agree, but will leave it to you to come to your own conclusions.
WATCH: How to negotiate the Long, Slow, SaaS Ramp of Death
Posted this to LinkedIn earlier this week -- someone forwarded me an article referencing this talk by Gail Goodman, former CEO of Constant Contact. A little long, but worth a listen (or reading the transcript), particularly for those of you at startups or working with smaller (less than $30mil revs) companies. Lots of great insights on customer experience, partnerships, sales funnel, marketing strategy, product fit, etc.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
No doubt you have flown before. Here's the unwritten social code by which we all must abide to survive.
'The Greatest Grid' displays old Manhattan farms — www.businessinsider.com
FACT: back in the 1800's an Uber ride from Battery Park to the Upper East Side took like an entire day. And no one complained.
Why Would Aliens Even Bother with Earth? — lithub.com
Bigger question: what would they think of fidget spinners? Would it freak them out?
And The Last Word....
Hold On Loosely -- .38 Special — www.youtube.com
In relationships or in life, if you cling too tightly, you're gonna lose control. And if you click to play this, don't blame me if it is stuck in your head for the rest of the day. You've been warned.
Got feedback? Questions? Suggestions? Email me: dave@slingstonegroup.com