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Stepping back for a moment from the content, I think it is worth noting what an exceptionally well-written essay this is. Being able to write well is a super p

Stepping back for a moment from the content, I think it is worth noting what an exceptionally well-written essay this is. Being able to write well is a super power for engineers. It is a reflection of the lucidity and clarity of one's mind, and the ability to understand the needs of the reader. Writing well is an exceptionally useful and powerful skill that can be improved with consistent practice. I would be tempted to add that as hard truth #9!

ericmcer 4y ago
He is a good writer and clearly a thoughtful individual, which further reinforces truth #6 (honesty can hurt you). I subconsciously approached the article with a bit of negative bias around the fact he had been laid off. His writing has more clarity than many successful CEOs though so who knows.
- pclmulqdq 4y ago
  As someone who also writes and thinks a lot, truth #6 applies particularly to us. People REALLY don't want to hear hard truths from people who think about what they are saying. If you are saying something that is less thought out, honesty can be a good policy - after all, they have probably heard whatever you are saying before.
  - lazide 4y ago
    I will say - most people don’t like hearing that. And you’ll certainly not be a hit at parties if that’s your style. There is a high correlation between specific types of high performer and people who do like (and benefit) from hearing that type of truth though. At least unless it hits too close to home. Which is why the article is getting upvoted.
- theteapot 4y ago
  How charitable of you for the poor laid off person.
- jonathankoren 4y ago
  > I subconsciously approached the article with a bit of negative bias around the fact he had been laid off. His writing has more clarity than many successful CEOs though so who knows. That’s because most people get laid off because of no fault of their own. There’s a false idea that people that are laid off are low performers, but the truth of the matter is that more often than not it, it’s entire teams.
  - mixmastamyk 4y ago
    Yes, and if you're in the game thru a few downturns, you will be laid off during them a few times in an otherwise successful career. Severance package FTW.
crosen99 4y ago
For sure. So utterly penetrating, incisive, soulful and relatable. There can be no suspicion that the author relied on ChatGPT for this piece!
- linhns 4y ago
  I hope everyone takes this as sarcasm
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
paulpauper 4y ago
Verbal and math ability are highly correlated, as suggested by IQ and SAT scores. People who are good at math tend to be above average at writing too.
- falcolas 4y ago
  It took me many years to figure out how to write. Finally, I figured out how to apply that math side of my brain to writing: I treat sentences like math exercises; that is to say I learned how to show my work. Ironically, I feel that this also helps me identify AI writing since it never shows its work; it has a tendency to mix together multiple "answers" in a swirling morass of leadership-speak (a mixture of management-adjective-soup and the avoidance of direct points). That kind of speech pattern coming from anybody that's not a C level executive stands out. Even executives tend to drop the leadership style speech patterns on forums.
  - Noumenon72 4y ago
    > I treat sentences like math exercises; that is to say I learned how to show my work. Comports with the advice from _The Sense of Structure_ by George Gopen. You start every sentence with context that links back to the sentence before, and end it with the new information you want it to emphasize. Like a string of steps in a geometry proof. https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/the-long-view/the-science-of-scientific-writing https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/the-long-view/the-sci...
- klabb3 4y ago
  And the author is.. also good at math?
- mbg721 4y ago
  SAT-type verbal stuff is very different from being able to write well. It's much closer to math with a different alphabet--I've met more than one math major who did better on the verbal sections of standardized tests.
deleted 4y ago
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ericmcer 4y ago

He is a good writer and clearly a thoughtful individual, which further reinforces truth #6 (honesty can hurt you). I subconsciously approached the article with a bit of negative bias around the fact he had been laid off. His writing has more clarity than many successful CEOs though so who knows.

pclmulqdq 4y ago
As someone who also writes and thinks a lot, truth #6 applies particularly to us. People REALLY don't want to hear hard truths from people who think about what they are saying. If you are saying something that is less thought out, honesty can be a good policy - after all, they have probably heard whatever you are saying before.
- lazide 4y ago
  I will say - most people don’t like hearing that. And you’ll certainly not be a hit at parties if that’s your style. There is a high correlation between specific types of high performer and people who do like (and benefit) from hearing that type of truth though. At least unless it hits too close to home. Which is why the article is getting upvoted.
theteapot 4y ago
How charitable of you for the poor laid off person.
jonathankoren 4y ago
> I subconsciously approached the article with a bit of negative bias around the fact he had been laid off. His writing has more clarity than many successful CEOs though so who knows. That’s because most people get laid off because of no fault of their own. There’s a false idea that people that are laid off are low performers, but the truth of the matter is that more often than not it, it’s entire teams.
- mixmastamyk 4y ago
  Yes, and if you're in the game thru a few downturns, you will be laid off during them a few times in an otherwise successful career. Severance package FTW.

crosen99 4y ago

For sure. So utterly penetrating, incisive, soulful and relatable. There can be no suspicion that the author relied on ChatGPT for this piece!

linhns 4y ago
I hope everyone takes this as sarcasm
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

paulpauper 4y ago

Verbal and math ability are highly correlated, as suggested by IQ and SAT scores. People who are good at math tend to be above average at writing too.

falcolas 4y ago
It took me many years to figure out how to write. Finally, I figured out how to apply that math side of my brain to writing: I treat sentences like math exercises; that is to say I learned how to show my work. Ironically, I feel that this also helps me identify AI writing since it never shows its work; it has a tendency to mix together multiple "answers" in a swirling morass of leadership-speak (a mixture of management-adjective-soup and the avoidance of direct points). That kind of speech pattern coming from anybody that's not a C level executive stands out. Even executives tend to drop the leadership style speech patterns on forums.
- Noumenon72 4y ago
  > I treat sentences like math exercises; that is to say I learned how to show my work. Comports with the advice from _The Sense of Structure_ by George Gopen. You start every sentence with context that links back to the sentence before, and end it with the new information you want it to emphasize. Like a string of steps in a geometry proof. https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/the-long-view/the-science-of-scientific-writing https://www.americanscientist.org/blog/the-long-view/the-sci...
klabb3 4y ago
And the author is.. also good at math?
mbg721 4y ago
SAT-type verbal stuff is very different from being able to write well. It's much closer to math with a different alphabet--I've met more than one math major who did better on the verbal sections of standardized tests.

deleted 4y ago

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