Links: 12-29-2011

The American Scholar: Solitude and Leadership – William Deresiewicz
Quote: "But it seems to me that solitude is the very essence of leadership. The position of the leader is ultimately an intensely solitary, even intensely lonely one. However many people you may consult, you are the one who has to make the hard decisions. And at such moments, all you really have is yourself." Epic essay, well worth the time.
(categories: leadership culture twitter attention time solitude thinking )

Links: 12-28-2011

notes on "the object of the game"
Quote: "The purpose of our business is first to make money and second enjoy what we’re working on." Seems like this sentiment is coming up more and more… or maybe it’s just that I notice it more.
(categories: meaning business entrepreneurship culture )

Spotting the Great but Imperfect Resume – George Anders – Harvard Business Review
Quote: "First, organizations that consider jagged resumes have clear ideas of what high points they must see. Teach for America looks for perseverance. The New England Patriots look for a deep-seated desire to play football, not just to be a famous athlete. Linear Technology looks for tinkerers, who have been experimenting with electrical circuits since childhood." Would be super interesting to know how each of the above organizations measure / look for the things they’re interested in.
(categories: hiring motivation culture books )
How To Scale a Development Team
Lots of the same stuff we’ve seen at Jive… and then you hit 150 engineers.
(categories: engineering management organization startup )
Oregon Is Awesome: Your Almanac of Wonderful Oregon Things
Cool poster of Oregon stuff.
(categories: design posters oregon )

Watch a VC use my name to sell a con. | jwz
Quote: "So if your goal is to enrich the Arringtons of the world while maybe, if you win the lottery, scooping some of the groundscore that they overlooked, then by all means, bust your ass while the bankers and speculators cheer you on. Instead of that, I recommend that you do what you love because you love doing it. If that means long hours, fantastic. If that means leaving the office by 6pm every day for your underwater basket-weaving class, also fantastic."
(categories: true business entrepreneurship startups life culture venturecapital )