This is the personal blog of Aaron Linne, Executive Producer of Digital and Creative Services for B&H Publishing Group. Join the discussion of life, technology, and all things awesome!
A friend of mine sent me a link to to an article about this video and wondered what my thoughts on it were.
I'm not saying there isn't an issue here... but it's not a real world example at all. We're still at the beta stage, and there's no tutorial at all in the product. With as big of changes as Micrsoft is making, I'd expect there might just be a tutorial or so on the first set up. But even so, even if this is a real world experience, that doesn't mean it's a real world problem.
More than once, when showing somone an iPod touch or iPhone for the very first time, they don't have a clue how to exit an app. They have to be taught, and taught once. There's no tutorial for that. Someone shows you how... and I don't care what you say, it's not intuitive. I've seen babies know how to turn on an iPhone, how to swipe to unlock... those are intuitive. But that very first time (unless you've seen it before), a person has to be told to presss that random button in order to exit an app.
So how do you get back to Metro?
Press the Windows key.
It's that simple. If Chris had just told him what to do, like he would have in a real world situation, his dad would have learned it right away. His dad would have gotten back to the screen with all the boxes that, from what I could tell, he seemed pretty interested in. Normally, people would just say "hit the WWindows key." It's learned behavior, and you only have to learn it once.
Nevermind the fact of how obvious it will be on a table device... since the button will be right there next to the screen... just like an iPad or iPhone. And guess what? They'll probably still need to be told to press it to get back to Metro... the first time.
Today, one of my friends from college, whom I haven't talked to in years, discovered that I helped put the Bible on the XBOX 360. She then raved about it on her Facebook wall, telling her friends... and another of my friends from college discovered it from her post.
It is so amazing to see when your friends follow their calling in life; I always knew Jenny was meant for way more than a stage in Campbellsville, KY. I'm so glad she followed her dreams and has made NYC her home.
I'm so proud of my friends who were artists and High School and went on to work for Disney, and so proud of my friends who knew they were meant to be a pastor's wife and wouldn't settle for less. I'm so proud of my friends who simply wanted to find work so they could provide for their families... and so proud of my wife who's been published as a Bible teacher and now gets to serve the church by publishing - and spreading - other leader's messages.
It's so crazy to think that now, in this season of life, we are all on our trajectory. We are living out the stories and dreams of our lives.
It's so humbling to think that someone might stumble upon my profile, discover my work on utilizing technology (and the XBOX) to spread the Gospel... and then they might think: "yeah, that's right for him. That's Aaron."
So... a few weeks ago, Microsoft came out with the Kinect for Windows. I did a review of it at launch, here. And, like I suspected, this really is more or less a public beta for the device. It's enabling the various developers around the world to officially get their hands on the device to program for it, it's allowing Microsoft to get back some of the costs for developing an SDK, and it's... just sitting on my wall.
And, unfortuantely, I have yet to find anyone who has actually released a full-on, available in final form, piece of software for the Kinect for Windows. So, I grabbed my buddy Tim Eicher, and we're doing what any real nerd with some time on their hands and cool device sitting on their wall doing nothing but throwing infra-red light at you would do...
We're making an app!
Of course, we're not really ready to talk too much about it... still in the early stages of development... but I got so excited when Tim sent me this test video that I simply had to share it on here.
This little device can sure create some magic. We've got some cool things planned... hopefully they turn out as awesome in real life as they are in my head!
If you could make any kind of Kinect app... what would you build?
Writing an angry email is dangerous. Only trained professionals should attempt such a risky career defining move. After clicking send on that emotionally-charged email, you'll realize the truth - one wrongly worded sentance to the wrong person when you don't have all the facts could haunt you for the rest of your life. And once you click send, you can't get it back. It will exist forever, saved in someone's inbox. Your rival will cherish it, ready to use it like a hand grenade throwing your words back at you.
But you don't care about that, right? You want to throw caution to the wind and prove you're right at all costs! HULK SMASH and all that. I don't suggest eversending an email in the throws of emotion. Take a breath. Leave the office. Drink some Tassimo coffee. Come back, crack your knuckles, and pray for serenity.
And if you still need to send that email... be wise and think it through. Because really, a trained professional wouldn't send that angry email you wrote in your head on the way back from the meeting where everything blew up.
Here are my seven tips for the angry email writing process:
1) Don't put any email addresses in the send box
It's a natural habit to put people's names/addresses into the to: box right away. Don't do it. And if you are replying to an email, the very first thing you should do is clear out all the names. Don't type a single word until all the names are removed. This should be standard practice, as it does three very important things for you:
(A) It keeps you from making a mistake and sending the email too soon. Maybe you weren't done writing it, maybe you hadn't proofed it, but some how you might accidentally hit send. If there's nothing in the to: field, it doesn't go anywhere. If there's a name in there... you just messed up.
(B) It sets the tone for you mentally. You just cleared out all the names. Why would you do that? Because things are about to get real, yo.
(C) In the end, when you do get ready to send it, you have to put all the names back in. You have to type them in and, when you type each name you will think about the recipient. You'll be forced to think of them as a real person and forced to consider how that very real person is going to react to your strongly worded email.
2) Use big words
No, really. Don't be superfluous or unnessesarily verbose, but be very particular and unambiguous in your choice of words. Intentionally using big words enables you to get greater usage out of your linguistic skills but, more importantly, it slows you down and it slows your reader down. By being creative in your word choice you develop a way to execute your message instead of just gushing out emotion. It also makes the reader pay attention, so they know you put thought into your communiqué (yeah, I totally used communiqué incorrectly there, didn't I?).
3) Save the draft, then read another email
Write the email. Then save it and do something else. When you come back, read it again with fresh eyes... you know you forgot something. Or, you know that you said too much. In a recent email, I tried to lighten the mood by referencing Vincent van Gogh. Upon reading it back, I realized that it made me sound over-the-top egotistical and not at all like the silliness I meant it to be. Van Gogh got cut.
4) Admit where you are at fault
More than likely, you don't work for your parents. As such, people do not think you are perfect. And, in any situation where there is anger... someone is loading emotion into the situation. If you're angry, more than likely someone else is angry with you. Take the high road and admit your own faults in the situation. First of all, it lessens the opportunities for a volley of tough emails going back and forth over who did what... you already owned up to it and admitted you meesed up in some specific way - and you get to direct that conversation. Secondly, it helps diffuse the situation. As soon as you admit fault, the opposing party is more willing to look inwardly as well and admit any fault they might have had in the situation.
5) Quote other emails
I don't delete emails. Period. Having a robust history of communication is vital when confusion or questions come up. This is also when I try my best to recap important decisions made via phone or meeting in an email; there's a record to reference in the future. It's very hard to argue with a direct quote from an email someone sent you. Referencing previous emails gives a solid sense of timeline and responsibility; it also helps you to guide the conversation.
Do be sure, however, that you're not becoming "that guy" who throws people's words back in their face. Quoting an email that is in your favor is like a trump card; treat it with respect. Be sure, as well,l to quote accurately. Your arguement completely falls apart if you quote an email and someone comes back with a quote from a later date that makes your quote null and void. That makes you look either disconnected or manipulative. With great quotations comes great responsibility.
6) Talk about process and positions, not people
If things truly have gotten heated, start taking some of the non-essential human elements out of it. If a person in a specific position did a specific function because that's what they are supposed to do... then the issue is with the respnsibility of that position, not the person. The person did the right thing - but maybe the position is set up incorrectly. Maybe it should or shouldn't be empowered. Maybe it should or shouldn't be involved at all. But if it's about position and process, make it about position and process. When you involve actual people, things get skewed very quickly due to - and rightfully so - personal relationships and loyalties.
7) Watch pandas drinking milk
If you can watch this and still be angry, then one of two things are happening:
(A) You are justified in your frustration and trying to express your emotion may be neccessary or
(B) You are a cruel, cruel person and if you get in trouble for your angry email you deserve whatever fallout you get for being so mean.
There are two kinds of businesses: (A) the one where everyone pitches in to get everything done... usually this is a small business. And (B) the one where things have grown to where process is needed. And yeah, there's the third kind... the one where a company is transitioning from A to B.
This process, generally, sucks. Becuase suddenly, the next hire you make seems like they aren't really doing an actual work. They are managing work. It can become frustrating very quickly because you think you really don't need a project manager; you need another developer to get the work done. You don't need another person to make decisions on when to buy new paper for the copying machine - you just need the paper!
But what if what you really needed was a project manager, several hires ago. What if you actually did have someone watching your paper consumption, and they found out that buying you an iPad would save money over the long run. What if, instead of just getting business done you actually knew your business?
So, obviously, this isn't just a hypothetical post. In the past few weeks, I have had multiple situations come up where people were, simply put, too nice. By working aroud the system or by covering people's tracks, I was made unaware of the real situations that were going on. And, as a manager, being uninformed is the most dangerous position you can be in.
More importantly, there is nothing more dangerous to an organization than an uniformed manager.
I do my best to keep tabs on the workload of my employees. Why? Because there are times when they will need to work those extra hours - and times when they do deserve to go home early. But if they are working late every day and I don't know it... two very bad things happen:
(1) They get burned out and feel neglected. We, as employees, want to do our best in any situation. Often that means working the extra hours. But if no one knows... then there is no thanks given. Since no one knows you are working killer hours, the assumption is that they might have more capaticy... and the very viscious cycle stengthens. Eventually, the straw will break the camel's back.
(2) If I don't know, I can't fix it. Anytime something is done that's not a part of the process, your manager simply won't know. And sooner or later you have inherited a whole new job responsibility because you said yes one time, trying to help out. Eventually, work arounds become the norm. Once they become the norm, the real problem never gets fixed because it simply isn't known.
Sure, there are times when you do a favor and rush a project because that's the right thing to do. But if you become known as someone who "gets things done," that may not be a good thing. Suddenly, everyone is coming to you and now you can't get your real job done. Also, that kind of descriptor is a bad omen in general. If only one person in the company get "get things done," then what is the rest of the company doing?
Perhaps the process actually is broken. If you keep working around it, things will get done. No one will be anymore the wiser. Instead, there will be division. Those who are doing the work around and not understanding why management doesn't fix it (or find one specific person to blame) and those who are clueless and don't understand why the people who are doing the workaround can't get their real job done. If the process is broken, people need to see that it's broken. Not everything is about people... somtimes it's just about process and positions.
Maybe the issue isn't process but, instead, it's about resources. If you have 4 people doing an extra 10 hours a week, but no one knows or sees it... they are forever going to keep doing an extra 10 hours a week. But if work is piling up and there is no end in site via the schedule... well, sooner or later someone is going to take notice. Either they are going to have to decrease the work or increase the resources.
And hey! Decreasing work is neither scary nor bad. If forces the company to dive in and find out what they really should or should not be doing. It's a good thing you hired those people whose job it is to manage the work, right..?
The occasional favor is good. It shows you can push ahead for a few moments. It can help build relationships and trust. But, when that favor becomes a normal part of your job... you may have just hurt the company by working outside of the system. You may have just hurt someone else because now they aren't going to get the relief they needed. A short term fix is seldom a great long-term solution.
My former boss, James Jackson, would be simply shocked to see that I wrote this of my own free will. Coming into a professional environment right out of college, I simply knew that I had all the answers... and that all our processes were wrong. Maybe they aren't right... but maybe they're there for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, if we trust the process... we'll find out we can fix the process.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 11:59PM 
Press the Windows key.
