Personal Development

Erich C. Dierdorff, Professor of Management & Entrepreneurship, DePaul University

Erich defines the three skills underlying time management: awareness, arrangement, & adaptation. He then explains how to prioritize and improve each of these skills.

Alex MacCaw, CEO & Founder, Clearbit

Alex breaks time management down into a series of activities: • Regular calendar audits • Block off a "Top Goal" event in your calendar for each day • Spend your time on high-leverage activities • Proactively schedule in recreation • Regular energy audits

Zainab Ghadiyali, Product Lead, Airbnb

Zainab describes some common assumptions behind time management, and then argues that it is really about prioritization, not doing more. She then provides a framework for different types of work and a 5-step process to focus on the right things.

Pete Flint, Managing Partner, NFX

Pete describes the time management techniques he used as CEO of Trulia, which include: • Use routines (and speed) to reduce cognitive load • Run High Leverage Meetings • Delegate & Say No • Constantly Recalibrate Your Focus • Adjust Time Management Techniques As You Scale

Bill Burnett, Executive Director, Design Program, Stanford University

This 270-page book was published in 2016 and became a frequently recommended #1 New York Times Bestseller. The authors describe how design thinking can help us intentionally create a life that is meaningful and fulfilling.

Bill Burnett, Executive Director, Design Program, Stanford University

This is a prompt for an activity called a Workview. It provides questions that help you address the critical issues related to what work is and means to you and your definition of what good work deserves to be.The PDF provides guidance for writing a reflection on your workview as part of a workshop exercise. The exercise aims to get you to reflect on and articulate what work and vocation mean to you. Important issues to consider include: • The purpose and meaning of work • The role of money, experience, fulfillment and impact • Whether and how work should serve others and the world • Connecting work to your values The key impact is that articulating your workview can help you find more satisfaction and meaning in your work, and adapt to the challenges that come with any job. However, developing a workview is a new idea for most people, so they tend to just write what they want from a job, rather than a philosophy of work.

Roli Saxena, President, AdRoll Business, NextRoll

Roli explains how to recognize and combat burnout. • Tell-tale signs • Triggers and permissions • Your anti-burnout toolkit • The virtue of boundaries • Rocks and sand • Building a burnout-conscious workplace • The dividends

Mekka Okereke, Director Of Engineering, Google

Mekka challenges the concept of "imposter syndrome," suggesting that it's not the individual's problem, but rather a reflection of the environment's lack of safety and support. Imposter syndrome occurs when one feels others know more and fears harm if their inadequacies are exposed. Mekka proposes that tackling this begins by creating a safe environment where people won't be ridiculed for not knowing things. He rejects the idea that women experience imposter syndrome more than men, highlighting that women often face more backlash for asking basic questions. He recommends improving onboarding processes and fostering a supportive culture to reduce imposter syndrome. He also suggests a mental hack of becoming a subject matter expert on something small, demonstrating that everyone has unique knowledge. Lastly, he encourages experts to openly admit their knowledge gaps without dismissing others, as honesty and openness can help alleviate feelings of inadequacy.

Caitlin Hudon, Lead Data Scientist, Web.com

Imposter syndrome is common in data science due to it being a new, interdisciplinary field that is constantly evolving. Data scientists come from varied backgrounds and cannot be experts in all aspects. Caitlin deals with imposter syndrome by accepting she cannot learn everything and knowing her unique experiences and skills. She advocates normalizing saying "I don't know" and encourages sharing what one is learning. To help others, the community should embrace questions, transparency about learning, and understanding that all data scientists are continuously developing their skills.

Ruchika Tulshyan, Founder & CEO, Candour

The concept of "imposter syndrome" has been disproportionately applied as a diagnosis for women's feelings of self-doubt and anxiety in the workplace. However, the original research defining this syndrome in the 1970s failed to account for the impact of systemic biases related to aspects like race, class, gender and ethnicity. Rather than viewing women's experiences through a lens of individual pathology, Ruchika argues we must create more inclusive workplace environments that value diverse leadership styles and identities.