..shaped

Chapstick + riding a bike down by the canal = bugs on my lips.


We had some UI interviews today and they were great. Owen and I had talked about how our desire for them was that they be relaxed and a conversation. That meant that some where 15 minutes long and others went a little deeper but they were good. I started to realize that the more we laughed and the more we goofed around with each other the more comfortable the environment became. When we joked around about cats with the boy in a suit, it was fun, and in a lot of ways the strict lines and formalities of suits or ties faded away. This experience, in contrast to a conversation I had today started me thinking: are people really 'one way' (stubborn, arrogant, annoying, ect.) or do they simply conform to environment and experiences they are having. Within the conversation, there was a general assumption that the people that this person was working with were not interested in learning. They thought they knew a fair deal about the subject and were fine without the help of an authority. I know some of the people that were being referenced and had a very different understanding of who they were; passionate, driven, and convicted people. After talking about it some more, the experience that these people had been going through brought them to a place where being stubborn, seemingly arrogant, and distant seemed to be the only coping mechanism to navigate their experience.

Perhaps people's dispositions and attitudes have to do much more with the environment we invite them into then the people that they really are.

If we create an atmosphere where vulnerability in learning is respected and honored, maybe people will value learning.

If we create an experience where honesty and authenticity is prized, maybe people will tell us what they are really thinking.

If we create a place where a person's passions are praised and encouraged, maybe we will create passionate people.


The scary part of this is that it comes down to the nuts and bolts of life. It's in the glances and sighs and side comments and jokes that I so often overlook. I do think that it is exciting to look towards a place where people are given the chance to be themselves for the simple reason that they are really good.

(My simple prayer is that this is UI.)