Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
This week we are exploring the power of mission or purpose.
Mission is one of the defining aspects of Google’s culture writes Laszlo Bock, Google’s long-time Chief People Operations Officer in his book Work Rules!
So, what’s missing from Google’s mission statement?
First, there is no mention of profit.
There’s no mention of market or customers … continue reading
This week we’ve been looking at relationships: how the strength of our relationships is the number one driver of happiness and how to create moments – personally and professionally – that deepen our relationships.
Today we revisit public enemy #1 of building relationships: technology.
First, to be clear: I like technology. Technology is a good thing. Technology makes our lives better.
And… Technology is also a relationship-chiller.
Let’s say we’re … continue reading
That’s the message too often we get when we interact with most organizations.
We feel like a number. Not a person.
It’s not a good feeling.
This week we are exploring tools to build relationships. Today, we turn to the professional.
Chip and Dan Heath share a story in The Power of Moments about analysts at the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) who studied customer service calls and the ratings people … continue reading
Why do some relationships endure while others crumble? Why does intimacy develop between some partners and not others?
This week we are exploring how to create more moments of connection that lead to stronger relationships.
We typically think time is the key ingredient in strengthening relationships. Yet, maybe not.
It’s Thanksgiving. We are making the same small talk with our uncle we do every year. After ten years, we still aren’t any … continue reading
What is it about certain moments that deepen our ties to others and how do we create more of them?
Those are amongst the questions Chip and Dan Heath pose in their terrific book The Power of Moments.
Chip and Dan share the research of Harry Reis, a social psychologist who has spent his career studying this mystery.
Turns out there is a simple answer: Our relationships are stronger when we perceive … continue reading
“The clearest message that we get from this 75-year study is this: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the longest and most comprehensive study on human happiness.
Period. Hard stop.
Robert tells us: “It’s not the number of friends you have; it’s the quality of your close relationships that matters.”
This week we are going to be explore the power of … continue reading
Early in his tenure at Google, longtime Chief People Officer Laszlo Bock recounts in his book Work Rules!, he wrote an email to his manager complaining about someone else on the team.
Laszlo’s boss added the person to the email string.
Laszlo quickly reached out directly to the person and together they resolved the issue.
When someone writes a nasty email about someone else, the practice of adding the … continue reading
I was having lunch with a friend. “So what does it really mean to be best place to work? He asked me. “Do you have ping pong tables? A beer tap on Friday afternoons? An exotic health insurance plan?”
It was soon after PCI had been named the #1 midsize company to work for in Texas for the second time by Texas Monthly magazine and the Texas Association for Business … continue reading
When Google went public in August of 2004, Google co-founder Sergey Brin wrote a letter in the prospectus for potential investors:
“Our employees, who have named themselves Googlers, are everything… We have been lucky to recruit many creative, principled and hardworking stars. We hope to recruit many more in the future. We will reward and treat them well. We provide many unusual benefits for our employees, including meals free of charge, … continue reading
In his book, Work Rules! Laszlo Bock, Google’s longtime head of People Operations, lists the decisions managers at Google cannot make unilaterally:
Whom to hire
Whom to fire
How someone’s performance is rated
How much to increase someone’s salary or give a bonus or stock grant
Who wins awards for great management
Whom to promote
When code is of sufficient quality to be incorporated into the Google code base
Final … continue reading
