notes-business-startups-startups-stPsych

Contents

psychological issues

Note that as a former cognitive science researcher, i can say that much of this section is pop-psych balderdash which may be true or false but which is not here supported by empirical evidence. So it could be wrong.

taking advice

business strategy and management fads

calmness

(put unrustled jimmies picture https://web.archive.org/web/20131023022302/http://theonceandfuturecoffeeaddict.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/562.jpeg here)

it's no big deal if you're not always calm, so don't stress about being stressed. but try to be calm frequently, because it's in these periods of calm that you realize when you have been freaking out over something stupid, which is necessary to allow you to change course.

"shopping" procrastination

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9070488

the virtues of optimist and positivity

the virtues of (internal) negativity

On the other hand, if you have spent your whole life always looking at the good side of people, you may find that you need to learn to listen to your negativity more, at least within your head. If a team-member is doing (or not doing) something that you don't like, you need to become consciously aware of this thought, recognize it, and then tell that person (politely, possibly subtly rather than directly, and usually privately) about your concern. You may find that you have a habit of subconsciously suppressing negative thoughts about other people, which makes sense in most areas of life (where it is not your place to correct others) but not when you are managing them (in fact, to some extent, this is not even the right thing to do with peers on your team; you are jointly responsible for the team's results, so if you see a way to do better, you need to find a way to bring it up somehow).

If you don't allow yourself to become consciously aware of what you think others are doing wrong, then you will find yourself vaguely and quietly unhappy with the other person's performance, which is bad for both of you (the other person will be surprised by your neutral or negative evaluation later, will wonder what they did wrong, and will find it difficult to work under you if they never can tell where they stand). You will be unhappy with the results and only long after the fact will you realize that you actually saw it coming and you could have changed the outcome.

Similarly, if a team-member has unrealistic expectations or plans that don't align with the company's vision, you can't just blow this off; typically you should make the person aware of this sooner rather than later, so as to minimize their unpleasant surprise.

Worse, if a team-member is behaving toxically or unethically, it's your job to either put a stop to it, or get them off the team. You can't allow yourself to ignore those things because part of your job is to protect the other team-members from toxic people.

think and say 'we'