⫹⫺ Hanlon's Razor
Hello my friends,
Working remotely has eroded all nuance in our interactions with others.
Sure, video chat and instant messaging systems have allowed us to maintain collaboration and decision making, but what they deliver in efficiency they lack in personality.
Looking at the research it’s obvious why this is.
The 7-38-55 Rule of Effective Communication
7% of meaning is expressed in spoken word, 38% through tone of voice, and the remaining 55% through body language.
Whether you’re a camera on or camera off kind of colleague, current virtual communication technology can’t replace the proximity and therefore, trust, of in-person dialogue. (See: The Trust Equation from Issue 009).
Sitting at home, often alone and without the reassurance of physical association, it can be easy to overthink.
“Why did he leave me off the meeting invite?”
“Why didn’t she send me the report I asked for on time?”
“Are they trying to leave me out to make me look bad or further their own career over mine?”
If you’re losing sleep over these questions like these then the philosophical mental model, Hanlon’s Razor, will help you.
Hanlon’s Razor
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”
Applying it to the office setting; when assessing people’s actions, you should not assume that they acted out of a desire to cause harm, as long as there is a reasonable alternative explanation.
Assume positive intent and sleep better at night.
More on vulnerability, meaning, and hearing both sides of the argument below ↓
Let’s get into it,
Last Week's Numbers
Weekly subscribers: +4 (95 —> 99)
Open rate: 55%
Twitter followers: +1 (21)
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Product
Complexity is by default, simplicity is by design. We’re cognitively biased to add and not subtract.
“If you frame Apple AirPods as a startup you’d be valuing it between $50 - $100bn.” As a single product category, they make more revenue than Spotify, Twitter, Snapchat, and Shopify combined.
“Frugal Innovation is diametrically opposed to how we innovate in the North.” Navi Rajou explains the concept of “Jugaad.”
People
Why are some people able to endlessly create? Justin Mikolay uncovers the extreme skills of 10x creators.
This fascinating study on Zookeepers breaks down the calling of deeply meaningful work. Especially interesting as many companies look to retain talent who aren’t driven by compensation.
Transparency, honesty and self-reflection are particularly important while we work from home. Here’s a great guide on building leader vulnerability.
Methods
Chris Coyier’s blog celebrates the medium of e-mail. I like this idea of clearly defining the expectations of cc.
It can be tempting to restrict discussions to peers we know will already agree with us. Make better decisions seek out dissenting views.
Eric Jorgenson is the author of The Navalmanack and a master in building leverage. Here he breaks down how to get more than 24 hours per day.
Out of Office
I’m all about data visualizations at the moment and have been going deep on David Mcandless’s blog “Information is Beautiful.”
A dopamine hit that isn’t a waste of time.
