Dollop of Wisdom Newsletter - Edition 109
It’s Been a While ...
The last Dollop of Wisdom Newsletter went out in January 2024, which is too long of a gap. However, the hiatus has been productive. Over the last two years, I’ve curated a fresh collection of 44 high-quality quotes (here) that have either challenged my thinking or made me laugh.
Before we dive into the dollops, a quick personal highlight: Bridgette and I welcomed our second son, William Frederick Alexander, in April 2025. Raising the rascals, Seb and Will, has been an absolute joy.
The AI Whirlwind
I know the term “Growth Mindset” has been beaten to death in the corporate world, but it has never felt more relevant to me.
I’ve been a ML/AI junkie since I took the Decision Making Modeling course in business school back in 2017. I joined Google in 2021 to learn more about AI. Now at Cribl, I am part of the Center of Excellence for AI (helping guide AI use across the company) and I am leading our GTM Data Fabric and AI Strategy (how we use data and AI to accelerate revenue). Even with much of my personal compute focused on the AI space, the sheer velocity of developments is humbling. I feel like I’m falling behind, at an increasing pace.
When that "AI anxiety" kicks in, I find solace in this:
"Slope matters more than y-intercept."
We can’t always control where we start (the intercept), but we can control our rate of learning. A steep "growth slope" is the only way to stay relevant in an AI world moving this fast. As history has shown us, the slope of the current technological advancement cannot stay as steep as it is right now for the long-term. So if I can maintain my own steep slope, then I will catch up, eventually, hopefully.
Selected Dollops of Wisdom
QUOTE #1
"Instead of buying your children all the things you never had, you should teach them all the things you were never taught. Material wears out, but knowledge stays."
QUOTE #1 COMMENTARY
Note, by listing this quote, I am not implying that my parents did not buy me enough things or teach me enough - they taught me more than Socrates taught Plato. To me, this quote drives home that I need to spend time/money on providing my progeny with knowledge, skills and experiences/memory dividends. I strive to make them non-materialist kids.
QUOTE #2
"A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor."
QUOTE #2 COMMENTARY
Comfort is the enemy of mastery. Growth happens in the chop, not the calm. If things feel too easy right now, you’re probably doing it wrong.
QUOTE #3
"Novices appreciate praise; the accomplished appreciate criticism."
QUOTE #3 COMMENTARY
Early on, we need validation to keep going. But once you reach a certain level, "good job" becomes unhelpful. You start craving the feedback that actually helps you get better.
QUOTE #4
“1. If you are a micro-manager, you aren't busy enough.
2. If you HAVE to micro-manage someone, then you've hired the wrong person. Fire the son of the gun! NOW!!!”
QUOTE #4 COMMENTARY
I thought of the above two-part quote while on a run recently. I understand that most people think micromanagement is just a personality quirk, but I think a large part of being a micro-manager is a symptom of deeper failures in focus and hiring.
A Parting Thought …
To close on a (darkly) encouraging note for the state of the world:
"Nothing is ever so bad in life that it couldn't get worse."
It sounds cynical, but it’s actually warm and encouraging to me. Let’s appreciate the "better" problems we have while we have them.
Cheerio!
