The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work

by Scott Berkun

It's a common weakness among creatives, whether a designer, a writer, or a programmer, to be shy about showing unfinished work.

Creators love control over their pixels and bits and to share work before it's done is to give up all sense of control.

In six days, five people who had never worked together before planned, designed, and launched a feature millions of people would use. For all my planning, scheming, and influencing as a team lead, sometimes talent, chaos, and chemistry are all you need for good work.

The last act of good leaders is to ensure things go well when they're gone. Many legendary leaders failed at this: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, and nearly every monarch in history.

The same ego that drives grand leaders defeats them in the end because they can't accept the notion that someone will replace them.

Succession planning must be part of any long-term leader's thinking, and ...

Each morning we did what's called a UX walkthrough, walking through one feature, detailing every action and decision a user had to make. Each time we found something confusing, we'd stop, print it out, and put it up on the wall with a note about the usability problem we discovered.

While money provides status, status doesn't guarantee meaning. They're paid well because of how poorly work compensates their souls.

Having deep values is one way to inspire long-term thinking, and any good leader can find others. But long-term commitments demand short-term sacrifices.