RatLinks: January 2019 - Issue #1
Happy New Year! Hello to our new readers and welcome back returning guests. I am working on a new format I hope you enjoy!
Preamble
Over the holiday break I attempted to plan for the New Year. Rather than make specific resolutions, I decided I wanted to figure out ways to generally hone my skills. This led me to sign up for MasterClass, a website where famous authors/chefs/etc teach lessons, I decided to watch the videos by Chef Thomas Keller.
I mentioned Thomas Keller previously in my September 2017 edition of RatLinks
“Chef Grant Achatz of Alinea, detailed in his episode of Chef Table on Netflix about first meeting Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. When Grant walked in to inquire about a job he found a man sweeping the floor only to learn that the man was Thomas Keller. He took the job because he found the head chef who ran a world-class restaurant to be an every man the opposite of the tyrant French chef.”
Chef Keller’s class provides a walk through of how he likes to cook and setup his kitchen, but what I found most interesting is most MasterClasslectures are structured exactly how I was taught not to write. A traditional high school five paragraph essay is structured as follows:
Intro with a critical thesis detailing 3 points you want to make
Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Conclusion - where the biggest error occurs as you finally fully grasp the points you are making and summarize effectively burying your thesis.
MasterClass is structured like one of my bad high school essays. The overview and lessons up are front with the final two videos from the “master” detailing their thesis and overarching themes like what made them successful and essential philosophies. Talk about burying the lead.
Thomas Keller provides a 6 point essential philosophy that is worth recapping:
Organization - not just of yourself but also organize others, so you are ready for your tasks and ready to lead.
Efficiency - Build templates and perfect your mise en place to be more efficient and better prepared. Do the heavy lift once
Critical Feedback - when you notice a mistake learn from and correct it. Embracing criticism is crucial to improving.
Repetition - practice doesn’t make perfect, but it will make you better no matter the discipline. When you can teach someone a skill you know that you have mastered your craft.
Rituals - by setting and finding pleasure in rituals you can establish a sense of calm in even the most mundane task.
Teamwork - understand your team, that people make mistake but treat everyone with respected and make sure your team is involved and motivated.
Books
I read Clayton Christensen book How Will You Measure Your Life. This book was fantastic and I can not recommend it enough. The end of the book gets a bit religious. Excluding that, Professor Christensen’s clinical approach to measuring and managing work and life make it a must read, because as he states life is just one unending stream of extenuating circumstances.
One quote from the book that made me think about taking action or more so inaction was by Henry Ford - “If you need a machine and don’t buy it, then you will ultimately find that you have paid for it and don’t have it.”
You can find all the books I have read here
Links
35 years ago, Isaac Asimov was asked by the Star to predict the world of 2019. Here is what he wrote
We’re all Just Starting to Realize the Power of Personal Data
How a World Order Ends - If you are interested in Foregin Affairs this is another excellent article by Richard “Richie” Haass
How vetting is evolving on the Bachelor - this month is the start of Colton’s season. I don’t really watch the bachelor, but my wife does therefore I am superfluously attached to bachelor nation. This month I met a few Bachelor “stars”. First was Sean and Catherine at an event at mattress store. They were actually very nice and Catherine thought my 10 month old son spoke Chinese, which is a normal thing to think. They took a lot of time to talk to their “fans”. I guess when your talent is meeting on a dating show you have to be polite to “fans”.
I also saw Corinne at a salad place in Miami. My wife told me I was not allowed to approach Corinne. This is the same wife who dragged me to a mattress store, to stand in-line to meet bachelor stars that I didn’t know and whom I believe didn’t want to meet me. Her rationale for not approaching Corinne was as follows: “How would you like it if random guys tried to approach me while I was eating a salad.” I responded that in today’s #content era it would be one of the highest honors.
Post Script
I got food poisoning last week. It was not fun. When I finally got over it I went to Publix to get a sub. A woman came up next to me and we exchanged pleasantries. She spoke with an accent, but I couldn’t place it. The store employee asked her what type of bread she wanted. She responded that she wanted a round flat bread. The employee picked up a piece of pizza and said is this what you want. She began to get flustered and said no the low calorie flatbread. At this point I stepped in and said I think she wants a wrap.
The woman turned to me and said “Thank you for the help. I had a stroke 4 months ago and now have an issue recalling certain words.”
At that point I forgot that I even had food poisoning as I began to think about the hardship this woman deals with on a daily basis. It reminded me of a sign my grandfather, a podiatrist had in his office - I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet.
As you begin the year. The next time you get frustrated. Rather than let it build, instead stop, take breath and think about all that you are grateful for. I for one am grateful I didn’t receive this letter from my employer due to a furlough hint this employer which happens to be the US Government.
¡Quédate sediento mis amigos!
Evan