Early Career

30 Remote Culture Activities

Random Observation/Comment #674: The new normal doesn’t have to be lonely. We are physically distancing, not socially. Why this List? Our new work from home world can be hard to navigate. Luckily, ConsenSys has been a remote-first company since the beginning. I’ve already created a set of self-organizing work posts from the pre-covid days: How to Be a Good Meshian...

EUvsVirus Hackathon Lessons Learned

Random Observation/Comment #661: Remote friendly quarantine hackathons are so hot right now. Remote Pan-European Hackathon #EUvsVirus I didn’t think a remote hackathon would be as fun or nearly as productive, but it was actually pretty great. You miss some of the event in-person awkward friend-making moments and whiteboards, but you can make the most out of some productivity tools and...

30 ConsenSys 1-Year Retro Items

Random Observation/Comment #628: Time flies when you’re having fun. Why this list? In Sept 2018, ConsenSys had a Solutions off-site in Dublin with 200+ professionals greeting each other with open ears, arms, and hearts. I wrote a 30 lessons learned for that offsite. One year later, I find it fitting to do retro of these ideas in practice. ConsenSys is...

How to be a Good Meshian

Random Observation/Comment #623: Do no harm. Do good. Be good. Seek excellence. I’m coming up on my one year anniversary at ConsenSys and I’ve certainly learned, changed, and grown quite a bit. Not only have I embraced the remote first lifestyle, but I’ve also become an advocate for self-organizing habitats driven by passion. They may not be the most profit-seeking strategies...

30 Clembot Productivity Hacks

Random Observation/Comment #617: Don’t just work hard – work smart. Why this List? I got the nickname “Clembot” from Harrison a few weeks after joining R3. Since working at ConsenSys, the name has carried over. I multi-task, type notes quickly, and sometimes just Get Sh!t Done before people ask for it. I wouldn’t be able to be this efficiently without...

30 Remote Working Tips

Random Observation/Comment #615: If you want productive remote workers, you’re going to want to hire people with discipline and entrepreneurial initiative/drive. Why this List? For the past 6 months, I’ve been working at a remote-first company. I try to get into the office twice a week to keep a natural co-worker cadence going, but I had a few London clients...

30 Lessons Learned from Solutions Offsite

Random Observation/Comment #606: Meshians are pretty damn cool. Why this list? Jam packed information workshops, 100 new faces-names-roles-locations mappings, and sleep deprivation leads to a rollercoaster week of immersion. When we have time to distill the overwhelming amount of collaboration and mesh love, maybe we’ll remember a great week and come to similar conclusions. Mesh culture’s DNA is based on...

30 Work Culture Activities

Random Observation/Comment #599: Don’t just do what you love – work with cool people to do what you love. Why this list? What does it mean to love where you work? Is it just the people? The attitude? The free coffee? The bonding? I’ve been on an incredible journey of joining r3 when it was a 20-person start up with...

30 Organizing Meet up Tips

Random Observation/Comment #576: There was a time when I lurked meetups around NYC to meet new interesting people and pick up women. The picking up of women didn’t work very well. Why This List? If you’re organizing meetups for your company around software or specific industry trends, it’s always a good idea to follow the lessons learned from some very experienced...

30 Conference Go-er Tips

Random Observation/Comment #575: Conferences on the similar topics often have the same attendees. New location, same content, and same people. Why this list? I attend 1-2 conferences every 2 months (they’re usually free if you offer to be on a panel). I’ve been told I do a pretty decent job covering these conferences by keeping up-to-date with business connections and taking...

Finding the Right Candidate

Random Observation/Comment #574: Believe in the team. If we wanted to pivot to any other technology, I’d bet that we’d likely see the same success. Through a recent slew of conducting interviews, I’ve learned a lot more about my own standards of capability, drive, and trust. Mainly – my standards are pretty damn high. In each of the sections, I’ve...

Achievements of All Types

Random Observation/Comment #559: Work towards something bigger, something broader, and something that involves more people. Community makes things better and stronger. Achievements sometimes happen without planning, but sometimes they need a bit of intention and definition.  I’ve been sneaking “what is your greatest personal accomplishment?” into conversations in order to get a sense of what people are most proud of about...

Actions of the Day Part 2

Random Observation/Comment #554: Spending 5 minutes a day working on a small project leads to a fairly sizable project after 3 months. Routines are quite amazing things. Challenge Set Up Continuing the first part of Actions of the Day, I decided to do a follow-up that combines actions with questions related to careers. I posted these on FB and Twitter as...

[Lessons Learned] Running a Corporate Intern Program

Random Observation/Comment #553: Pay attention to your employees and make sure they’re happy. A few emails of recognition can save a whole lot of money losing talent and rehiring. After 5 years of running the intern program at Credit Suisse and reporting on Lessons Learned in iconic reflective blog posts each year (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), I think it...

30 Milestone Questions

Random Observation/Comment #550: Time-boxing commitments and projects creates the urgency for reaching milestones of change. Why this List? What a feeling it is to reach a big milestone! Milestones keep you honest on timing, but more importantly, give you something to celebrate. Do your happy dance. Done? The next step is crucial: review and learn from your milestone. Notice that...

30 Things in the First 30 days

Random Observation/Comment #548: Relish the fresh start and nail the first impression. Why this list? I haven’t “started over” at a new company for 6 years. Sure, I meet people all the time through networking and can hold my own conversations, but working somewhere is like being adopted into a new family. Other families may have liked you for “being a...

Lessons Learned from Corporate

Random Observation/Comment #545: It’s never an easy decision to switch jobs when you’re happy, you’re growing, and you truly see your colleagues of 6 years as family. Then why the switch? For me, it’s all about risk. My view of risk has not only evolved into a scarier nagging monster whispering in my ear before I sleep (not my wife,...

TEDx Speaker Curation

Random Observation/Comment #533:  Behind a well-organized event is a whole team volunteering hours of hard work and attention to detail. Kudos. The backbone of “ideas worth sharing” is finding the right speakers and topics that share your organizations theme and audience interest for the year. The first thing to do is determine a theme.  If you’re looking for ideas, I’ve written a...

[Lessons Learned] Corporate Toastmasters Clubs

Random Observation/Comment #528: Public speaking, like any skill, needs a refresher every once and a while. Don’t get cocky or else you’ll show up under prepared. I’m coming up on my Credit Suisse “Speak Up” Toastmasters 6-year member anniversary, and after holding every officer position possible and literally attending close to 100 meetings, I can’t help but think where I’d be without...

[List of 30] Favorite TED Talks

Random Observation/Comment 524: A TED Talk a day will help the motivation stay. I just made that up. You’ve definitely seen at least one TED talk; it’s all the rage nowadays. The concept is simple: Experts in their field present to their peers on their passions. The presentations are polished and the ideas are definitely worth sharing. Matt Cutts: Try...

[List of 30] Questions for Professionals

Random Observation/Comment #523: Never stop questioning. Doctor who? Especially if you are starting your early career, you should consider asking these questions of your Mentors. Mentorships are extremely valuable and one should always be prepared with questions. If you’re a mentor, you should formulate these answers clearly. What’s your expertise? What were some big milestones in your career? What was...

[List of 30] The Little Things

Random Observation/Comment #521: Enjoy the little things – the details are what make life unique.   Happiness comes in little doses. If you see it, stop whatever you’re doing and commit it to memory. Store it in that happiness cache and bring it up whenever you need it. A genuinely selfless deed A hug that lasts a little bit longer...

[List of 30] Steps to Prepare a Speech

Random Observation/Comment #520: When you’re up there, imagine everyone’s on your side and waiting to be inspired and learn something new. A long speech may be daunting to you, but at one point in your life, you’ll need to stand up there and present your ideas. Whether it’s a technical presentation of your work pr the vows to your significant...

[List of 30] Internship Tasks

Random Observation/Comment #519: Internships are just 10-week 2-way interviews. If you’re smart, we’ll want to hire you and then we’ll try to impress the crap out of you so you accept. This is the 5th year managing the summer intern projects, and I’ve always had a good time being a mentor (and overall having coffee with everyone). Since I’m all about...

[Lessons Learned] Business Analysis Documentation

Random Observation/Comment #512: You never start working thinking “Man, I’m going to become a PowerPoint guru”, but it happens quickly. After working for over 5 years on at least a dozen successful projects as a business analyst for an investment bank, I’ve seen all flavors of documenting business and functional requirements. It’s not that one is better than the other (since they all...