Yes, And – How to be effective in the theatre of work

Author here - thanks for all the comments and feedback. Lovely surprise to wake up to this on the HN homepage. Some light additional context - this is part of my ongoing series "The Strategic Independent" which will eventually become a book sometime next year. All the posts in that series are catalogued here: https://www.are.na/tom-critchlow/the-strategic-independent This post (and the whole series) is designed for independent consultants, free-agents and freelancers who have to navigate entering and exiting…

This resonates a lot with my experience. Take OKRs, for example. Everyone is expected to set their target goals, publicize and discuss them with others, and follow them religiously. Otherwise you send the signal that you don't like setting goals for yourself, and thus have no desire for self-improvement, which reflects poorly on your performance review. There are company-wide ceremonies about OKRs themselves; workshops, office hours and endless discussions about best ways to plan, track and meet your objectives…

This post by Tom Critchlow is one of my favorites for the year. It should be a must-read for leaders in your org (senior individual contributors or managers) - "In the theatre of work the performance of work is intimately tied to the work itself." - An experienced professional should strive to be as effective as one can be. That comes with the understanding that craftsmanship includes the story and buy-in you gather around your deliverables.