From the start of having a “real” job, I quickly concluded that the quality of management was crucial. I went so far as believing that, as a society, we should focus on training and developing people to be better managers and leaders. Every work will require and benefit from individuals with good management and leadership skills. One of the many ways management is so critical is that it has a tremendous impact on the employee–both in terms of the latter’s productivity and job satisfaction. I suspect this is obvious and banal, and yet to what extent are managers evaluated based on their employees’ performance? Now, managers don’t have complete control over their employees–and in some situations their authority can be quite limited–so let me rephrase the question: To what extent are managers evaluated based on their actions relating to getting the best performance out of their subordinates? In my work experience, managers aren’t really evaluated on this. Now, I’ve always assumed two things: 1) That managers should be evaluated on how well they help their employees perform, and 2) this is common practice in other organizations and businesses. I’m wondering if these two assumptions are correct, and I’m interested in hearing from others, based on their experience and perceptions.
Category: current events
2018 Hawai’i Elections
This is thread for articles, information, and discussion about the upcoming election in Hawai’i. To start things off, I wanted to get feedback from you guys about the article below: Continue reading “2018 Hawai’i Elections”
Affordable Housing Thread
This is such a complex topic, relating also to homelessness, and I hope to have links to articles, while also making this a space to discuss the topic. The goal is to gain a better understanding and identifying effective solutions. Here’s a twitter thread about how YIMBY’s (Yes in My Backyard)–people who support building more housing units in their communities can create the impression that they’re pro-landlord and pro-developer, and how this can turn others off because of strong anti-landlord and anti-developer feelings. Continue reading “Affordable Housing Thread”
Should Congress Regulate Social Media Platforms?
Here’s a tweet from a libertarian that made me think of this:
I would really, really love to hear someone at this hearing say “it is none of Congress’ damn business whether Facebook has a liberal bias, a conservative bias, or a Scientology bias”
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) April 11, 2018
Do you agree that presence and type of political bias at Facebook is none of Congress’s business? This seems wrong to me on a variety of levels. Let me try and sort them out. Continue reading “Should Congress Regulate Social Media Platforms?”
Can Someone Explain This To Me?
Ask a nagging question here, and maybe we can pool our incredible intellects to provide a satisfactory answer. Here’s the first question: Continue reading “Can Someone Explain This To Me?”
Controversial Hiring and Firing of Kevin Williamson at The Atlantic
The Atlantic recently hired a conservative writer, Kevin Williamson (from National Review), got significant criticism for doing so, and has not fired Williamson. This Daily Beast article breaks down the controversy, and I wanted to discuss what I think is a really complicated issue, and controversial issue. I suspect you guys might not want to talk about this, but I hope you do, because I’m interested in getting feedback on this.
Here’s the main source of the controversy: Continue reading “Controversial Hiring and Firing of Kevin Williamson at The Atlantic“
Post-Internet Business Idea
Here’s an idea I’ve had for a business that seems more relevant and viable now, given recent stories about Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. This will be the first attempt at putting the idea down in writing, so consider this a first draft. Continue reading “Post-Internet Business Idea”
Notes on The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
A place for notes and raw thoughts on the book. Continue reading “Notes on The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright”
Just a Thought
A thread for thoughts or questions that pop into your head that don’t necessarily warrant a thread. Here’s one that came to mind just now. Continue reading “Just a Thought”
Verdict: Internet is Not a Medium for Thoughtful, Civil Discourse
Civil Beat announced their closing down their comments section. What’s interesting is that they’ve tried different software/methods, but none have really lead to civil place for thoughtful discussion. This jibes with my experience on a variety of different comment sections and discussion boards online over a twenty year period. (The Atlantic also recently shut down their comments section.) To be clear, thoughtful, civil discourse is possible on the internet–I have definitely participated in this–but it is very rare, the exception to the rule. This is really disappointing and sad to me, because I expected that the internet would provide more opportunities for this type of discourse. My sense is that this building a place where this type of discourse is the norm is too costly, and those looking for this type of discourse have to go to places where the majority of conversation turns the site into a cesspool.
(One question. Both Civil Beat and The Atlantic are keeping FB discussions alive. Are discussions more thoughtful and civil there?)