Five for Friday – October 27
Five things floating through my head this week.
- I’ve referred to a line from Leadership on the Line (Heifetz / Linsky) more than once this week (and hundreds of times over the years), but worth sharing again here. “Leadership is disappointing people at a level they can absorb”. I’ve frequently used “… at a level they can tolerate“, but the point is the same. No change == stagnancy. Too much change == anxiety. Find the balance of comfort that allows people to move through change.
- I’ve been reading the latest Heath brothers book on The Power of Moments. I’ve liked all of their books, and this one hasn’t been disappointing. In short, the book is a deep dive into understanding what makes some events in life stand out in our memories (and how we can lead people toward those moments).
- There’s a new podcast in town. I’m really enjoying the Testers’ Island Discs podcasts hosted by Neil Studd. It’s fun to hear tester stories, and as a music geek, wedging in eclectic and fun songs into the conversation is quite entertaining.
- This week, I learned what Morton’s Neuroma is (it’s a nerve thing in the ball of the foot). After years of powering through pain, I finally got a proper diagnosis. While all that is exciting (not), the real win is that the treatment (a small pad behind the ball of the foot to push the bones forward) is both simple, and massively effective. As someone who wants to avoid surgery and chemical injections, I’m ecstatic that the treatment was this easy.
- On a much sadder note, yesterday, I heard that Noel Nyman passed away earlier this week. I had the privilege of hanging out with Noel for many years at Microsoft, and give him a lot of credit for introducing me to the overall tester community. He was involved in presentations, peer reviews, and workshops long before I entered the testing scene. He’s been low-key for a while, but he’ll still be missed by the community.