10 ms·

Brad also has a policy of answering his phone when his wife calls, no matter what. (He checked his phone mid-sentence when it rang while he was speaking at Goog

Brad also has a policy of answering his phone when his wife calls, no matter what. (He checked his phone mid-sentence when it rang while he was speaking at Google I/O). I think it's awesome that he has his priorities in life set out so clearly.

hugh3 16y ago
Clever policy, cuz it'll stop his wife from calling him unless it's actually important.
ggchappell 16y ago
It's great that he places such a high priority on his relationship with his wife, but I'd say that answering no matter what is a bad idea. Being respectful of the people we deal with often requires us to give them distraction-free attention. And that can mean not answering the phone, no matter what.
- theBobMcCormick 16y ago
  I think the point is that he's decided his wife is more important than anyone else he deals with, no matter what. I for one respect that.
  - RK 16y ago
    But it's kind of a fuck you to everyone else.
    - Groxx 16y ago
      Just to everyone else who's less important. So yes, everyone.
    - iamwil 16y ago
      That's fine. Will you be by his side on his sick bed? Will his wife? Whomever it is, I would think is more important.
    - patio11 16y ago
      Recently I went to Tokyo for some business, including a presentation. My brother is having a tough time at the moment. I told him to call me if he needed me. He asked if it wouldn't disrupt business. I told him that I didn't care if I was in front of two hundred people and the Emperor: if he needs me, I will walk out, because he is my brother. I do not feel that it is impolite to be very, very strict about keeping my commitments. Indeed, to the extent I successfully do so, that makes me a better person to do business with. And as an honest businessman, I'll tell you: there is no price, monetary or otherwise, at which I am willing to sell an SLA which trumps my family. If you require one, seek other providers.
      - BvS 16y ago
        I agree you did the right thing especially because you mentioned him having a bad time, but allways taking any call from a special person no matter what... Imagine if you are talking to a good friend who is having a hard time and are interrupted because your brothers calls to aks if you want to come the game next sunday?
      - Poiesis 16y ago
        I'm sure you are familiar with the idea that family members often don't know your schedule, so they can't/don't, say, decide not to call just to shoot the breeze in the middle of your presentation. Do you handle this by letting every call from family interrupt whatever you're doing, however important? It's mostly impossible to determine the importance of a call before answering it in my experience.
        patio11 16y ago
        I let them make the call (literally). I have a phone secretary (Twilio app). It parcels the day out into ... and you just got bumped by Mom in the middle of this post... times when I'm available, sleeping, and busy. If I'm available, it puts the caller through to my house or cell as appropriate. If I'm sleeping, it gently reminds them what time it is in Japan and asks if I should get woken up. If I am at work/etc, it tells them and asks if I should get taken out of whatever I'm doing. v1.0 of this app was on my blog a long time ago. I've enhanced it a little bit over the last couple of months, but as a tech demo for the phenomenal life-enhancing power of Twilio it still works: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/01/15/deploying-sinatra-on-ubuntu-in-which-i-employ-a-secretary/ http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/01/15/deploying-sinatra-on-ubu...
    - smartrly 16y ago
      It's only a 'fuck you' if you truly believe that you deserve priority over my wife.
      - pbhjpbhj 16y ago
        If I'm brokering a multi-billion pound deal with you to relieve hunger in half the third world and your wife is ringing to ask when the dogs appointment to be wormed is .. then yes. It's not about priority. If someone stops talking to their partner to talk to their boss it's not because they love their boss more.
        smartrly 16y ago
        It's all about trusting that other people have decent understanding of whether or not an interruption is warranted. I don't have the sort of wife who interrupts me during work hours or whilst on business trips with trivial things, so I can trust that if she initiated such a call she believes that I'll be glad I was interrupted. The question about the dog would most certainly arrive via email. As to your other point, I worked with a lot of people over the years, and if I trusted their judgment then I picked up their calls whilst at home. If they had a track record of calling me with non-urgent items that would've been better dealt with at a later point in time, they went to voicemail which I listened to at my convenience. So truly, if you're offended when I answer my wife's calls, that's your problem. ---- edit: real life addendum. When my wife's father died while I was on a business trip, she not only didn't call me, she tried to pretend nothing was wrong when we talked that night, because she felt it was more important that I be 100% on my game for the final day of my trip, than that she have my comfort a day early. There are some people who are thoughtless about the impact they have on their partner's careers. My wife is not one of them. If she called me during your utterly ridiculous hypothetical scenario, it would be because of something equally ridiculous. Perhaps she found out you're a hitman. So again... if you're bothered by my wife calling you, that's your problem. Deal with it.
        pbhjpbhj 16y ago
        >Perhaps she found out you're a hitman. It was the moustache wasn't it .. can't believe she saw through it.
    - lelele 16y ago
      Another person being more important is not a "fuck you".
    - deleted 16y ago
      [deleted]
    - weego 16y ago
      Surely "I don't take you for granted" is a more important message to your other half than what someone else might think. When I first started out in business I always noticed how guys at the office would be sorting out doing something for Valentines and then the day after would be complaining how expensive everything was. I have never done anything for Valentines in the 7 years I've been with my better half. Every day I appreciate her being there and make sure she knows it. If I felt the need to make an effort once a year, surely instead of feeling good about it I should be feeling guilty about clearly not having done enough for the rest of the year...
  - arethuza 16y ago
    Reminds me of the time I phoned my wife about something unimportant and she'd forgotten to put her phone on silent. She was in court, taking evidence from a witness. The judge didn't take it too badly - but it was quite embarrassing for her! Of course people value their partners - but always taking a call no matter what. That sounds plain silly (and possibly rather rude) to me.
    - wjy 16y ago
      Agree. My wife and I have a protocol worked out. I can ignore any call if I need to. If it's an emergency, she will call again immediately, and that means I'd better answer it.
      - krschultz 16y ago
        Exactly, in the age of cell phones with caller ID this is simple to solve. We have a similar situation worked out during work hours. If it is unimportant, text. If it is slightly more important, call. If it is an emergency call and leave a voicemail. If I have a voicemail or two calls in a row I'm leaving wherever I am no matter what. If I have a missed call I'm calling back when its done and nobody in the room is any wiser that I wasn't 100% focused on them.
    - theBobMcCormick 16y ago
      Nothing works for everyone and every situation. If you were a brain surgeon, for example, you'd truly be in a situation where you couldn't drop everything to take a call, not matter how important. Your example of your wife is also a good one. But most of us don't have that kind of circumstance. Most people could prioritize thier families above everyone else, but choose not to. For myself, I'm not a lawyer or a surgeon, just an IT guy, but I'm proud to say I have walked out of meetings to answer a call from my wife.
      - arethuza 16y ago
        I can think of a lot of occupation where complete availability during work hours wouldn't be appropriate: police, ambulance, armed forces, serving staff in shops or restaurants, industrial plant operators, pilots, train drivers.... Not that these folks are going to have some times when direct incoming personal calls will be OK - but all the time, no way!
imack 16y ago
When I was in my last year of school and attending a bunch of recruiting events there was one CEO from a mid-sized consultancy who impressed us all by taking a call from his wife in the middle of his presentation in front of couple hundred students. He'd get the whole group to say hi to her and then said he'd phone her back, hang up, and continue with his presentation. Gave a good sense for the work/life balance. Of course, we then heard that every term he gives that recruiting talk and every time his wife calls right in the middle... I kind of became enamoured with his evil genius ways.
- cema 16y ago
  I kind of became enamoured with his evil genius ways. I think I would not. Screw manipulators.
  - Confusion 16y ago
    You have no reason to suppose he was being manipulative. You'll be happier thinking good things about people, instead of second-guessing everything they do.
    - pbhjpbhj 16y ago
      >>Of course, we then heard that every term he gives that recruiting talk and every time his wife calls right in the middle... >You have no reason to suppose he was being manipulative. Did you miss that bit?
      - Confusion 16y ago
        No, but I rather believe he honestly feels such a thing should be possible and wished to demonstrate that such a thing was acceptable to him. The folks that didn't find out it was set up, may live happier lives because of that demonstration.
  - daniel-cussen 16y ago
    I'm hopeless at manipulation, but I know people who are really good at it. And like any skill one develops, one has a certain admiration for people who are good at it. Example: a friend was with his 10-year-old sister in a supermarket. He's in college. She wants junk food. He says, "No, we're having dinner soon." She starts screaming and pretending he's her father and doesn't ever give her or her mother any money. Everyone looks at him. He's like, OK, here's your junk food. And it was a good decision to manipulate him like this, because he ended up loving her more for it.

hugh3 16y ago

Clever policy, cuz it'll stop his wife from calling him unless it's actually important.

ggchappell 16y ago

It's great that he places such a high priority on his relationship with his wife, but I'd say that answering no matter what is a bad idea. Being respectful of the people we deal with often requires us to give them distraction-free attention. And that can mean not answering the phone, no matter what.

theBobMcCormick 16y ago
I think the point is that he's decided his wife is more important than anyone else he deals with, no matter what. I for one respect that.
- RK 16y ago
  But it's kind of a fuck you to everyone else.
  - Groxx 16y ago
    Just to everyone else who's less important. So yes, everyone.
  - iamwil 16y ago
    That's fine. Will you be by his side on his sick bed? Will his wife? Whomever it is, I would think is more important.
  - patio11 16y ago
    Recently I went to Tokyo for some business, including a presentation. My brother is having a tough time at the moment. I told him to call me if he needed me. He asked if it wouldn't disrupt business. I told him that I didn't care if I was in front of two hundred people and the Emperor: if he needs me, I will walk out, because he is my brother. I do not feel that it is impolite to be very, very strict about keeping my commitments. Indeed, to the extent I successfully do so, that makes me a better person to do business with. And as an honest businessman, I'll tell you: there is no price, monetary or otherwise, at which I am willing to sell an SLA which trumps my family. If you require one, seek other providers.
    - BvS 16y ago
      I agree you did the right thing especially because you mentioned him having a bad time, but allways taking any call from a special person no matter what... Imagine if you are talking to a good friend who is having a hard time and are interrupted because your brothers calls to aks if you want to come the game next sunday?
    - Poiesis 16y ago
      I'm sure you are familiar with the idea that family members often don't know your schedule, so they can't/don't, say, decide not to call just to shoot the breeze in the middle of your presentation. Do you handle this by letting every call from family interrupt whatever you're doing, however important? It's mostly impossible to determine the importance of a call before answering it in my experience.
      - patio11 16y ago
        I let them make the call (literally). I have a phone secretary (Twilio app). It parcels the day out into ... and you just got bumped by Mom in the middle of this post... times when I'm available, sleeping, and busy. If I'm available, it puts the caller through to my house or cell as appropriate. If I'm sleeping, it gently reminds them what time it is in Japan and asks if I should get woken up. If I am at work/etc, it tells them and asks if I should get taken out of whatever I'm doing. v1.0 of this app was on my blog a long time ago. I've enhanced it a little bit over the last couple of months, but as a tech demo for the phenomenal life-enhancing power of Twilio it still works: http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/01/15/deploying-sinatra-on-ubuntu-in-which-i-employ-a-secretary/ http://www.kalzumeus.com/2010/01/15/deploying-sinatra-on-ubu...
  - smartrly 16y ago
    It's only a 'fuck you' if you truly believe that you deserve priority over my wife.
    - pbhjpbhj 16y ago
      If I'm brokering a multi-billion pound deal with you to relieve hunger in half the third world and your wife is ringing to ask when the dogs appointment to be wormed is .. then yes. It's not about priority. If someone stops talking to their partner to talk to their boss it's not because they love their boss more.
      - smartrly 16y ago
        It's all about trusting that other people have decent understanding of whether or not an interruption is warranted. I don't have the sort of wife who interrupts me during work hours or whilst on business trips with trivial things, so I can trust that if she initiated such a call she believes that I'll be glad I was interrupted. The question about the dog would most certainly arrive via email. As to your other point, I worked with a lot of people over the years, and if I trusted their judgment then I picked up their calls whilst at home. If they had a track record of calling me with non-urgent items that would've been better dealt with at a later point in time, they went to voicemail which I listened to at my convenience. So truly, if you're offended when I answer my wife's calls, that's your problem. ---- edit: real life addendum. When my wife's father died while I was on a business trip, she not only didn't call me, she tried to pretend nothing was wrong when we talked that night, because she felt it was more important that I be 100% on my game for the final day of my trip, than that she have my comfort a day early. There are some people who are thoughtless about the impact they have on their partner's careers. My wife is not one of them. If she called me during your utterly ridiculous hypothetical scenario, it would be because of something equally ridiculous. Perhaps she found out you're a hitman. So again... if you're bothered by my wife calling you, that's your problem. Deal with it.
        pbhjpbhj 16y ago
        >Perhaps she found out you're a hitman. It was the moustache wasn't it .. can't believe she saw through it.
  - lelele 16y ago
    Another person being more important is not a "fuck you".
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
  - weego 16y ago
    Surely "I don't take you for granted" is a more important message to your other half than what someone else might think. When I first started out in business I always noticed how guys at the office would be sorting out doing something for Valentines and then the day after would be complaining how expensive everything was. I have never done anything for Valentines in the 7 years I've been with my better half. Every day I appreciate her being there and make sure she knows it. If I felt the need to make an effort once a year, surely instead of feeling good about it I should be feeling guilty about clearly not having done enough for the rest of the year...
- arethuza 16y ago
  Reminds me of the time I phoned my wife about something unimportant and she'd forgotten to put her phone on silent. She was in court, taking evidence from a witness. The judge didn't take it too badly - but it was quite embarrassing for her! Of course people value their partners - but always taking a call no matter what. That sounds plain silly (and possibly rather rude) to me.
  - wjy 16y ago
    Agree. My wife and I have a protocol worked out. I can ignore any call if I need to. If it's an emergency, she will call again immediately, and that means I'd better answer it.
    - krschultz 16y ago
      Exactly, in the age of cell phones with caller ID this is simple to solve. We have a similar situation worked out during work hours. If it is unimportant, text. If it is slightly more important, call. If it is an emergency call and leave a voicemail. If I have a voicemail or two calls in a row I'm leaving wherever I am no matter what. If I have a missed call I'm calling back when its done and nobody in the room is any wiser that I wasn't 100% focused on them.
  - theBobMcCormick 16y ago
    Nothing works for everyone and every situation. If you were a brain surgeon, for example, you'd truly be in a situation where you couldn't drop everything to take a call, not matter how important. Your example of your wife is also a good one. But most of us don't have that kind of circumstance. Most people could prioritize thier families above everyone else, but choose not to. For myself, I'm not a lawyer or a surgeon, just an IT guy, but I'm proud to say I have walked out of meetings to answer a call from my wife.
    - arethuza 16y ago
      I can think of a lot of occupation where complete availability during work hours wouldn't be appropriate: police, ambulance, armed forces, serving staff in shops or restaurants, industrial plant operators, pilots, train drivers.... Not that these folks are going to have some times when direct incoming personal calls will be OK - but all the time, no way!

imack 16y ago

When I was in my last year of school and attending a bunch of recruiting events there was one CEO from a mid-sized consultancy who impressed us all by taking a call from his wife in the middle of his presentation in front of couple hundred students. He'd get the whole group to say hi to her and then said he'd phone her back, hang up, and continue with his presentation. Gave a good sense for the work/life balance. Of course, we then heard that every term he gives that recruiting talk and every time his wife calls right in the middle... I kind of became enamoured with his evil genius ways.

cema 16y ago
I kind of became enamoured with his evil genius ways. I think I would not. Screw manipulators.
- Confusion 16y ago
  You have no reason to suppose he was being manipulative. You'll be happier thinking good things about people, instead of second-guessing everything they do.
  - pbhjpbhj 16y ago
    >>Of course, we then heard that every term he gives that recruiting talk and every time his wife calls right in the middle... >You have no reason to suppose he was being manipulative. Did you miss that bit?
    - Confusion 16y ago
      No, but I rather believe he honestly feels such a thing should be possible and wished to demonstrate that such a thing was acceptable to him. The folks that didn't find out it was set up, may live happier lives because of that demonstration.
- daniel-cussen 16y ago
  I'm hopeless at manipulation, but I know people who are really good at it. And like any skill one develops, one has a certain admiration for people who are good at it. Example: a friend was with his 10-year-old sister in a supermarket. He's in college. She wants junk food. He says, "No, we're having dinner soon." She starts screaming and pretending he's her father and doesn't ever give her or her mother any money. Everyone looks at him. He's like, OK, here's your junk food. And it was a good decision to manipulate him like this, because he ended up loving her more for it.