Tech Leadership Unplugged #3: Easter memories
How people in Romania celebrated Easter 30 years ago, among other stuff
Hey friends,
In this edition, I talk about:
how I became nostalgic over Easter weekend
leadership advice on
how chatGPT is already in-demand on the job market
the book “Outlive” by Peter Attia
a poem that I love about the passing of time
1/ Some nostalgic thoughts about Easter
Last weekend was Orthodox Easter. And I usually spend it in my hometown, with my family. So this is what we did this time as well. It was a lovely weekend spent with my mom and my sister’s family.
But this also got me a bit nostalgic, as Easter was my favorite holiday of the year when I was a little boy.
And this is because we used to have a lot of activities during that week.
First of all, back then, a lot of people were fasting before Easter, most of them only for the week before it. And that meant you could not eat any eggs, dairy, or meat. And this was a challenge, especially for the moms and grandmas who had to cook for Easter Sunday without tasting the food, but that is a different story.
But for us kids, it was really fun. It was Holy Week, and starting on Thursday, we had a lot of activities. Namely, on Thursday, there is a custom that you need to go to church and pass under a table three times. I don’t know why we had to do that, but it was the first activity you would do with your friends.
Then, on Friday evening, at church, you had to sing a funeral song and go around the church three times (you can see a pattern here).
But the best time for us kids was on Saturday morning when you would go to church and the priest would bless you and give you a spoonful of red wine. Why was this so special?
It was not because we were young alcoholics getting our fix.
It was because the tradition said you had to have new clothes for this ceremony. So, my mom and I would go shopping a few days or weeks before for new shoes, blue jeans, or a jacket, and I got to wear them for the first time that Saturday. I was so happy playing with the other kids after the ceremony, in my new shoes with lights on their soles.
But not too much, as Mom didn’t want me to get the new clothes dirty. So I had to go and change into my play clothes.
Saturday night, at 00:00, I would go to church with my dad and my friends and “take the holy light” home; we lit our candles with fire from the priest and went home, where we would eat eggs and steak.
Why would we eat that at 1 AM, you ask me? Because that’s when the fasting officially ends, and my parents were eager to try out the food they made during the week.
The Holy Week ended on Sunday with a 7-course meal at my grandparents’ with all the family.
It was the best time ever.
On a more nostalgic note, the holiday spirit fades away as you get older; some of your loved ones are no longer around, and the friends you used to play with from dawn til dusk are scattered around the world.
And even though I’m not really a religious person, there’s something in the air that makes those days unique, somehow.
And when I’ll have kids on my own, I hope they have a great time during these holidays too.
2/ Leadership Advice
Now, let’s get into more serious stuff with some leadership advice. And what I’m about to tell you applies to everything, not only leadership.
And it’s about being around people that you care about.
And even though, many times in my life, I thought you could do it all by yourself, I don’t think you actually can.
Every high-achiever needs a support system, or else she or he will break at some point.
So, no matter what industry you are in, take time to talk about your problems.
Join groups, read newsletters, hop on Twitter, and DM someone you like reading.
Ask for advice. Listen. Let people care.
3/ The road to “pity city”
I was flabbergasted when I saw this video.
It features Andi Owen, CEO of office furniture company MillerKnoll, who was asked in a recent video town hall about how workers should stay motivated if they don’t get a bonus.
And while this started with some positive pep talk, it somehow exploded after 50 seconds or so.
“Don’t ask about ‘what are we going to do if we don’t get a bonus?’
“Get the damn $26 million,”
“Spend your time and your effort thinking about the $26 million we need and not thinking about what you’re going to do if we don’t get a bonus. All right? Can I get some commitment for that?”
“I had an old boss who said to me one time, ‘you can visit Pity City but you can’t live there.’ So people: Leave Pity City. Let’s get it done,”
One important note, though:
In 2022, Owen took home nearly $5 million in compensation, which includes a $1.1 million salary plus various stock options and bonus pay, according to the company’s proxy filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
I’ve worked in corporations all my life, and I know about these income discrepancies, and I don’t judge them; it’s capitalism, after all.
But when you get 5 million and the average annual income in your company is around 40K, you shouldn’t come out with this condescending tone and tell people to work harder for their bonuses.
4/ Listening to “I’m glad my mom died”
I can’t say the title was very appealing, but I purchased the title because it is very highly rated and even won Goodreads’ best Memoir of 2022.
It’s written by Jennette McCurdy, who rose to prominence as a child actress on the Nickelodeon television series "iCarly" and "Sam & Cat."
To be honest, I never heard of her.
The book is centered around the complex relationship young Jennette has with her mother, who projects her own shattered hopes into her child’s career.
I always thought children who become celebrities don’t live the happiest lives, and this book proves me right.
I've enjoyed the book so far, and it reminds me of another biography classic, Tara Westover’s “An Education”.
5/ Some help
I’m trying to design a logo for this newsletter, which might also be my new brand logo. Until now, I’ve come up with these two options:
I know, they don’t look very professional, as I am not a proper designer, but I kind of like the minimalist style.
So, help me choose between them, and if you have any other ideas on how I can improve the logo altogether, please let me know.
Thank you for reading, and let me know if you liked something in particular in this newsletter or if you want me to talk about some other topics.
Until next time,
Leo
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