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Why Apprenticeships Are Important For Distributed Workers

HBR had an awesome podcast called “Learning What Wiser Workers Know,” basically all about transferring and sharing institutional knowledge, and it boils down to this: nothing is more effective than apprenticeships.

If you think about it, when someone is coaching you, they are parsing all of the institutional knowledge into nuggets they can share with you at exactly the right time. Think of it as a hypercontexual search engine for work information, tailored just for you. We make sure every new member of our team has a buddy for exactly that reason.

From Hoppycow.

Thank You Brian Layman

A lot of people have expressed gratitude and have thanked me for driving to Kim Parsell’s home to check on her. As mentioned in a previous post, I was concerned for a friend and had the opportunity to check on her. However, I didn’t make the trip alone.

As I was traveling to Kim’s house, I messaged Brian Layman who lives a little closer to her than I. I explained what was going on and that I was on my way to her home using an unconfirmed address I discovered. He stopped whatever he was doing and offered to ride down there with me. Within 15 minutes, he joined me at a Panera’s and we drove down together.

During the drive, I couldn’t help but discuss various scenarios we may run into. I told Brian to expect the worst and hope for the best. We also didn’t have a confirmed address but we needed to at least make an effort with one we had on file that matched the description of where she lived.

Although Brian shared the experience of that day with me, there is one aspect we don’t share. I didn’t see Kim at all during the whole ordeal, but Brian did. He walked into the room with the officer and saw her. That’s something Brian will never be able to forget, even if he tries. He’ll have to carry that image with him the rest of his life, alone.

So Brian, I personally thank you for dropping everything and making Kim Parsell your number one priority that day. You didn’t hesitate to join me for the ride and now I have someone who directly shared the experience with me which makes it a little easier to cope with.

The Downfall Of Us All

I did what a concerned citizen should do, check on their neighbors during a time of need. In this instance, the neighbor was over an hour an a half away (driving) and it was a week or two since anyone had heard from the individual. I pick up a colleague on the way there so I don’t have to go through the experience alone.

When we arrive, we try our best to announce our presence by knocking on every window, door, and yelling out who we were to the individual, since she would know who we were. The reason why we were at her property is because others who are far away were worried about her safety and health but had no chance of reaching her.

Phone calls lead to instant voice mails which indicate the phone is dead or turned off. Once people arrive on the scene, they discover that the doors and windows are locked and blinds are configured to block light into the home.  We knock on every window announcing our presence with no response.

Eventually, the County sheriff shows up and after speaking to the son on the phone, he’s granted permission for forced entry. However, the female inside could be armed with a shotgun. Two concerned friends agree to pay for the windows or the door to be broken into to ensure that the person inside is safe.

We discover a door that isn’t readily secure but is blocked by a couch with stuff piled onto it. It’s difficult to move the couch, but with the help of three men, the couch is able to be moved to the point of entering the household. After yelling out that we’re here to help and to just give us a sign of life go unanswered, we begin a search of the home.

After using leverage to move the door a few inches, an officer moves into the home. We unlock the the front door to allow a secondary officer and witness into the home. Unfortunately, the person we feared to be deceased is confirmed to be deceased by at least a few days.

Everything about this story is unfortunate. Whether it’s the people discovering the body or the victim involved, it’s a tragic story of death. Being independent is cool and such but in some instances, it can be a recipe for disaster. In my opinion, this was the latter.

Having an Open Mind

Having an open mind is probably the single greatest thing I have. I’m able to listen and discern arguments against specific topics and although I have my own beliefs, I’ve discovered they’re easily changed based on conversations I have.

I’m not opinionated in my political beliefs which means I can be easily swayed. I don’t think this is a bad thing because I get to hear both sides of the argument and compare the two. I end up with a conclusion of my own but even then, all it takes is for a good argument to put my thoughts and beliefs into question.

This mindset has helped me throughout my career because it means I’m not stuck on a particular path. I can be influenced but I always consider the experiences people share with me and use them in my overall thought process.

I think it’s bad to be too personally opinionated as it shuts off part of the brain to be able to comprehend what others think and have experienced. If you’re unwilling to hear the other side of the story, then what’s the point? At that point, all your doing is serving you’re own self interests.

Red The Steakhouse

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to eat at one of the premiere steak houses in the country, Red The Steakhouse. I have a bucket list of local restaurants I want to eat at before I die and this is one of them and it didn’t disappoint. Red’s participated in Cleveland’s Restaurant week where over 70 restaurants offered deals to try their food. At Red’s, they had a four course meal for $39.

The wife and I went with another couple who we are good friends with and although I was going to order a flat-iron, a generous donation allowed me to upgrade to a Prime Filet Steak. Words can’t describe how delicious it was. I didn’t have to use any steak sauce and each bite was like a small piece of meat heaven. The total amount for just my meal with the upgrade was $64 which is awfully expensive, but that’s why it was on my bucket list. As far as I’m concerned, the meal was worth every penny.

I doubt I’ll eat there again considering the prices but if you’re ever in the Cleveland, OH area and want a damn good steak, you can’t go wrong with Red The Steakhouse.

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I Love My Dog

Vesty is the coolest, cutest, dog I’ve ever owned. We love her like a kid. She even has a driver’s license. In case you couldn’t tell by the photos, her favorite activity is sleeping. What a life my dog has, she’s been in retirement mode since day one.

Having survived the death of my wife’s father and mother, she’s been through a lot with us in the 10 years we’ve had her. We try not to think about her absence from our lives but the day is inevitable and will come sooner rather than later. That day will hurt but until then, there’s a lot more happy moments to be had!