An empirical approach to being nice (but not a pushover) in the workplace

In life, many of us grapple with the balance between being kind or assertive to advance ourselves, whether in personal interactions or professional pursuits. We’re constantly faced with choices: to cooperate for mutual benefit or to compete to gain advantage over others.

We are often caught in a dilemma because advice from management experts and life coaches often fluctuates between extremes, urging us to either always be accommodating or to adopt a fiercely competitive stance. 

In 1984, Dr. Robert Axelrod of the University of Michigan devised an ingenious empirical experiment to tackle this dilemma, based on an iterative version of the classic game theory experiment known as the Prisoner’s Dilemma.

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No. 2

Dedicated to Charx2.

I fondly recalled a pleasant moment of brevity,
When my daughter looked at me with such gravity,
”Why am I not mentioned,”
she proceeded with caution,
“in the blog you occasionally write to keep your sanity?”

I started in vain searching for reasons as to why,
When I realized that it was because I didn’t even try.
Too busy to write
“Not inspired tonight”
Are excuses I told myself as time ticked on by.

And so in these rhymes I will try to capture,
The almost surreal feelings of joy and rapture,
That overcame me,
Seeing our second baby,
Peacefully nestled snuggly in the bosom of her mother.

As a baby, she had a baldish head and a runny nose,
And would stare wide-eyed while striking a pose.
She started to walk,
Before she could talk.
Plus her smile was as sweet as an early summer rose.

Growing up, she was really quite tough,
Accident prone, she was used to the rough,
She broke her arm,
(Far from the only harm)
But in the end, she always still managed to laugh.

Through the years, she become more inquisitive,
To her rules were suggestions and not prohibitive,
She entertained us with puns,
Likes to play with guns,
Also really loves trivia so she’s quite informative.

Lately, she’s also grown to be quite lanky,
Regarding housework, nah, she’s never handy,
Up to her usual tricks:
iPad, Genshin or Netflix,
Are some of her routine while munching on candy.

She has been known to come around
To ask questions that are extremely profound.
Sometimes I get stumped,
More than once I’ve been trumped,
However deep inside, I’ve never been more proud.

As a parent we can only provide and teach,
And set directions for her to reach,
“The future’s vast,
Don’t grow up too fast,
Always be yourself, be true and be rich.”

Specialized Roubaix with carbon rims and saddle

I love cycling in the early morn. There’s nothing like the calming sensation of a cool breeze on your face as you barrel through the gentle morning mist along a quiet dimly lit road. The peaking rays of the morning sun, while not fully formed, warms the heart with a sense of renewal and hope.

I’ve been cycling since my youth. It was the only form of transport that kids of my generation use to get around. In that sense, I’ve been cycling for decades now but only dabbled into “serious” cycling around a decade ago. In that time period, I’ve chewed up 2 bikes and is currently on my third (and most beloved) bike, a Specialized Roubaix.

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Reflections on 2020

It’s that time of the year, when things quiet down, for a reflection of the year that was 2020. It is truly a unique and memorable year in many ways one for the history books. Generations from now, books (and documentaries) will be produced to try and figure this year out. Academicians and storytellers will try to dissect this year to distill its lessons and meanings for the future of humanity.

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Working from Home

It’s been close to 4 months now since we started working from home. Right now, we are currently in a 3-team rotation.

I love working from home. There’s no tedious need to travel, thinking about how to appear not to dress up while dressing up and physically showing up for meetings that have no particular reason to exist. Yes, life now tends to be more straightforward. Sure, we lose the “personal” touch thing but I do feel (at least for now) that this is somewhat over-rated. Or perhaps this is the inner introvert me speaking.

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My day in London

I’m back in my hotel in Paddington, London now. Just finished with a work meeting and my schedule is now free. I like being alone in a foreign country. Allows me to truly explore small places where I can’t go if I were to bring family along.

I’ve spent the whole day planning around this meeting. It was set at 2pm which makes going out for sight seeing to be tedious at best. Also, it is almost winter now in London so the bitter cold air, dampness and overall general weariness hung on to the day like stubborn cobwebs in a dirty barn.  I’ve soiled my sneakers and jeans when I took a morning walk to Kensington High Street for shopping. I had packed super light for the trip and wanted to get a thick long-sleeve t-shirt to sleep in because I’ve brought an Airism wife-beater by mistake.

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