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Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

tucker.wales

41–50 of 83 posts

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#41
post #23

This article is highly AI generated. The first paragraph is probably not AI generated, but the rest is definitely. I also double checked on gptzero me and it 100% agrees with me. I'm curious to know though whether or not the "author" used Gemini. I've been using Gemini a lot in the past year, and the writing sounds exactly like Gemini. But it's possible that all the models sound the same. Edit: I'd like to add that I…

The AI generated images are classic slop to the point of being actively distracting.

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#42
post #41
post #23

This article is highly AI generated. The first paragraph is probably not AI generated, but the rest is definitely. I also double checked on gptzero me and it 100% agrees with me. I'm curious to know though whether or not the "author" used Gemini. I've been using Gemini a lot in the past year, and the writing sounds exactly like Gemini. But it's possible that all the models sound the same. Edit: I'd like to add that I…

The AI generated images are classic slop to the point of being actively distracting.

The images are awesome, in an “I cannot believe someone would upload this to their site” kind of way.

The blueprint with the “LOAD-BEARING WALL!!!” includes nonsensical labels like “Dining Broom” and “Witchen”, and I am supremely disappointed that there isn’t a bubbling cauldron or pointed hat to be found.

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#43
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The AI generated images are classic slop to the point of being actively distracting.

The images are awesome, in an “I cannot believe someone would upload this to their site” kind of way. The blueprint with the “LOAD-BEARING WALL!!!” includes nonsensical labels like “Dining Broom” and “Witchen”, and I am supremely disappointed that there isn’t a bubbling cauldron or pointed hat to be found.

My hand drawn images would be far worse!

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there's a middle ground. I used to be intensely critical of "doing things just to do things." The more perspective I get, the more I realize that, in a situation where things are not going right by whatever criteria you use to determine that (outside scope here), you need to make changes. The right way to make those changes, or at least one way and I don't know a better one, is to perturb the system and see h…

> But ultimately if you're dealing with an opaque system, which most companies are, While most companies have elements that are hard to see clearly [1], I would hope 95% of what the company is doing would be transparent to the CEO. The CEO should easily be able to tell which divisions/projects are profitable, which are on track to hit their goals, how those goals combine into a coherent strategy, which areas are gett…

You can never understand complex adaptive systems to anywhere near 95%, and leaders believing that they can—that the map is the territory—leads to some pretty bad dynamics.

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#45

My experience as a long time corporate software developer is an exceptionally heavy bias towards inaction. There always seems to be fear and hesitation towards any kind of pivot or new initiative outside the rails of comfort. For example most corporate software developers cannot write an original new application from the ground up no matter how tiny or simplistic. In such environments the people that do demonstrate a…

I think a bias towards inaction often creates better outcomes for everyone, but a bias towards action creates better career results. Most of these places evaluate performance based on impact, and it's way easier to spin any kind of activity or impact as positive impact than it is to spin inaction as positive impact.

I think the opposite. The best outcome for everyone is continuous growth and accomplishment of goals. Inaction only solves one important problem: comfort. The focus on comfort as a primary objective tends to be the quest of high neuroticism.

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a bias towards inaction often creates better outcomes for everyone, but a bias towards action creates better career results. Most of these places evaluate performance based on impact, and it's way easier to spin any kind of activity or impact as positive impact than it is to spin inaction as positive impact.

I think the opposite. The best outcome for everyone is continuous growth and accomplishment of goals. Inaction only solves one important problem: comfort. The focus on comfort as a primary objective tends to be the quest of high neuroticism.

[dead]

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a fence or gate erected across a road. Except in many cases it is your responsibility to ask. If something has indefined legal status, and no documentation, it is a major red flag. Very often corruption, drug or people trafficking or other shady stuff. If you want gate in middle of the public road, show the paperwork! Or I will call authorities!

Yes, Chesterton clearly hadn’t started working at a job where he was responsible for the security or accuracy of a process. “Then Marge calculates the late penalties by hand and enters them into the system? It’s fine, she … has a method?Really?”

The point Chesterton is making isn’t that you leave everything alone. It’s just that you find out why something is there before you take it out. Find out my Marge calculates the penalties by hand. You may find that the program gets it wrong, in which case taking her out of the process would be a disaster unless you fix the underlying problem first. Or you may find that it’s completely pointless and you can go straight to using the automation. It’s not that you ignore it and leave it forever, just that you find out what’s going on before you start taking the axe to things.

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#48
i consult startups and i am regularly surprised to see how poorly-structured their employee onboarding is across all levels.

a new hand who doesn't have to wonder what the body is doing will be much more effective than one feeling around for other limbs.

Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#49
post #16

Nobody talks about SEI anymore but their Capability Maturity Model informed and/or aligned with how I approach new-to-me projects whether that 'new role' is internal or a new employer. CMM says that an engineering team whose processes aren't written down is level 0, and writing them down, even if they are batshit, gets you to level 1. Which leads to a fun bit of catharsis with the older employees where they get to sa…

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Re: Calibrate Before You Accelerate: Bias Toward Action in a New Role

#50
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But ultimately if you're dealing with an opaque system, which most companies are, While most companies have elements that are hard to see clearly [1], I would hope 95% of what the company is doing would be transparent to the CEO. The CEO should easily be able to tell which divisions/projects are profitable, which are on track to hit their goals, how those goals combine into a coherent strategy, which areas are gett…

You can never understand complex adaptive systems to anywhere near 95%, and leaders believing that they can—that the map is the territory—leads to some pretty bad dynamics.

Not just wrong, but confidently wrong! I've done that one myself a couple times too.
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