http://amit.asaravala.com/ en-us amit@asaravala.com 2007-08-29T22:57:17-08:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/001063.php Many years ago, I applied for a job at Microsoft, was flown up to the Mountain View campus, and was put through eight hours of infamous Microsoft interview questions. You know the type: brainteasers intended to reveal to the... 1063@http://amit.asaravala.com/ life 2007-08-29T22:57:17-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/001062.php Marc Andreessen blogged recently about brainstorming, pointing to research quoted in the The Medici Effect that states that groups that get together to brainstorm consistently underperform groups that split up and brainstorm ideas individually and then come back together... 1062@http://amit.asaravala.com/ management 2007-08-03T18:38:35-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/001053.php I've been working on this theory that there are just a handful of small actions which, if observed, can reveal volumes about a person's inability to be a leader. In other words, bad leaders have "tells." If you're fortunate... 1053@http://amit.asaravala.com/ management 2007-05-25T23:48:31-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/001044.php What's worse: The person who reviews your presentation and comments on the font size because they truly think they're being helpful -- or the person who reviews your presentation and comments on the font size because they don't want... 1044@http://amit.asaravala.com/ management 2007-02-06T21:47:27-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/001041.php I've been trying to come up with a short list of the most important things I learned in 2006, so I can keep up what I started last year (based on Jeff's idea.) But I wasn't able to come... 1041@http://amit.asaravala.com/ life 2007-01-08T21:47:56-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/001018.php Harvard Business School has published an interesting interview with Amy Edmondson, a professor in the Technology and Operations Management unit who recently interviewed 190 employees in various organizations about why they don't speak up (whether to point out potential... 1018@http://amit.asaravala.com/ management 2006-07-31T21:58:41-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/001011.php In organizations, like in life, people want someone who'll be an advocate for them. In particular, staff members want their supervisors to champion their ideas. They want to know their bosses believe in their ideas enough to present them... 1011@http://amit.asaravala.com/ management 2006-07-07T12:53:10-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/000986.php The weather has finally gotten to us. There is no other explanation for this mood we've been in for days. No fights. No rut. No irritating ways of sighing loudly when the other person commandeers the remote control. Just... 986@http://amit.asaravala.com/ life 2006-02-01T21:29:27-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/000984.php Happy New Year. I bet you're still trying to turn all your clocks back one second, aren't you? * * * Jeff has the right idea -- instead of focusing on resolutions for '06, he's thinking about what he... 984@http://amit.asaravala.com/ life 2006-01-02T21:11:05-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/000969.php Everyone's got comfort items. For instance, in the days right after Sep. 11, 2001, when it seemed like every stranger on the street might suddenly turn and attack me for the way I look -- and a few actually... 969@http://amit.asaravala.com/ life 2005-06-30T22:25:42-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/000947.php I'm still amazed by the fact that I can immediately recognize my own words, no matter how long ago I wrote them. For instance, a couple years ago, I was working with the TV on in the background and... 947@http://amit.asaravala.com/ writing & publishing 2005-03-15T22:37:02-08:00 http://amit.asaravala.com/archives/000156.php I'll bet you that it's written down somewhere that anyone with a blog must make a "pet peeve" post at least once in their lifetime. And since I'm not one to argue with requirements that may or may not... 156@http://amit.asaravala.com/ life 2003-09-19T23:59:16-08:00