296.
Week 296 from Detroit. The random edition. I tried a few different formats at the end of the year and this one is just plain random. Enjoy!
Change is hard. We know responses and reactions to change are always strong. Whether it is “not in my backyard” or resistance to technology people find ways to vilify the change or skiers reacting to the snowboard in the mid-80s.
Someone uncovered this video of skiers resisting change, in this case, snowboarders in 1985. Interesting how we use similar or common language against those push for change — Skiers vs Snowboarders 1985 (3:12 mins video). Right off the bat you hear — “they are changing everything” “they are dangerous” and they aren’t “like us.”
Each time I hear someone saying “they don’t belong here” or “they do not understand us” about something new in the world or in my community, I am sensitive to what is truly being objected to. Sometimes it’s helpful to think years ahead (5, 10, 20, 30) and ask ourselves what the change likely means and whether it is worth the hysterics. Often, it just requires a little understanding and we can all change together.
Product development is hard. A camel is a horse designed by committee. I’m not sure where that proverb comes from but it plays into the dilemma of product development. There is perhaps no better depiction of modern product development than this funny clip from the 80s movie Pentagon Wars.
Here’s how a troop transporter was designed and created in the fictional R&D team at the Pentagon. Not only some famous faces in there but really painful realities applicable to any modern product team. Click here for video YouTube (~11 min video). Even if you just watch the first 5 mins, you’ll see how peer pressure, “good” intent and old habits drive decision-making. It’s a comedy but all comedy is based in truth, right?
