M3 Sweatt

Congress is not powerless. Democrats must unify around an actual agenda.

1. Vote no on DHS funding bill.

2. Repeal the multi-year $75 billion funding for ICE.

3. End qualified immunity for ICE agents.

4. Investigate and prosecute every single ICE agent who broke the law.

How to Protest Safely: What to Bring, What to Do, and What to Avoid If you’re planning to hit the streets, here’s what you need to know.

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.”

WIRED published and updated their guide to safe protesting with specific advice wrt rights and protections. #nokings

RIP Bill Atkinson

My son watched a YouTube retrospective on General Magic and asked if I knew any of the great people featured. I told him I did, and shared this with him.

Life moves pretty fast.

Yes, and now the bill and this sits with the Senate. "The biggest hurdle the provision faces is that it likely doesn’t meet the requirements of the Byrd Rule, which prohibits passing a budget bill that includes anything “extraneous” or not related to fiscal spending."

Call out to @murray.senate.gov @cantwell.senate.gov to stary on the issue and call out for the removal of Section #70302 from the Big Bill Act.

Layoffs: A Time to Act, Not Just Sympathize | M3 Sweatt OK, while everyone is incredibly supportive of their colleagues impacted by a layoff, I suspect this is not going to be popular with some folks back at the office. Layoffs are tough, and with Micros...

IMHO, these leaders can and should prioritize rehiring experienced and dedicated employees - using the same strategic and transformative technologies and advanced AI - to match people with the more than 1,000 published, promoted open roles. And act before these people are cut loose in a month.

And to that I added a second which included asks and recommended actions for two groups of folks: first, to hiring managers (many who are reaching out directly to those impacted) and second, to Microsoft leaders.

To that group, I challenge them to do more to match people with open positions.

I’ve long respected Microsoft as a place for innovation, collaboration, and shared purpose. But to see so many mentors, peers, and friends forced to navigate another unexpected and frankly unnecessary transition was tough.

So I shared a few top of mind thoughts, which clearly resonated with folks.

A message to those impacted at Microsoft Layoffs are never just numbers on a spreadsheet. They represent people and families: careers disrupted, business and personal severed connections, and plans and futures are suddenly uncertain.

A couple of weeks ago, I returned to post on Linkedin after an 18 month hiatus. I’d decided I’d said what I wanted to say about work, and need to detach from that in retirement.

But I was wrong: the recent layoffs at Microsoft resulted in a deluge of messages from those impacted and hit a nerve.

This from Tren Griffin. +100

“My 93 year old father gave me permission to reveal a family secret: You create incredible value without any monetary cost, fiat or otherwise, by being kind to people, being trustworthy, showing up for causes you believe in and standing up for what's right.”

It appears that the use of Signal has been a regular occurrence in this administration, and may run afoul of federal records guidelines (esp given Signal’s auto-delete features). It seems people are looking for ways to communicate where there’s no ‘paper’ trail: thehill.com/regulation/c...

Listening to @NPR today and history around Dorothy Thompson’s commentary leading up to, during, and after World War II, and immediately thought of @maddow.msnbc.com in modern times.

Photograph of a cappuccino maker with a large cup of coffee in front next to a bottle of Baileys chocolate liqueur

My new favourite rare-earth metal is Neodymium, a hard, slightly malleable, silvery metal that quickly tarnishes in air and moisture.

Sounds just like my retirement, but with a splash of Baileys. 😹

The Steps That Can Achieve Real Government Efficiency It makes sense that the Trump administration is looking for ways to cut spending. But the way they’re going about it is all wrong.

So, I’m not an efficiency expert much less one with federal government experience. But having worked throughout my career in tech (much at a fairly successful company) I learned that when you need expertise to find areas of improvement, you hire experts.
www.governing.com/management-a...

Just as in Ray Bradbury’s ‘Fahrenheit 451’, where books are burned by ‘firemen’, the DOGE team have certainly demonstrated their overall lack of technical understanding and inefficiency expertise in a space that the GAO has traditionally focused.

Pausch said “We don’t beat the reaper by living longer, we beat the reaper by living well and living fully.”

So, have fun for as long as you can get away with it.

I’m reminded this week of seven things that mattered most to Pausch:

• Always Have Fun
• Dream Big
• Ask for What You Want
• Dare To Take a Risk
• Look for the Best In Everybody
• Make Time for What Matters — Time is all you have
• Let Kids Be Themselves

The Last Lecture Amazon.com: The Last Lecture: 9781401323257: Pausch, Randy, Zaslow, Jeffrey: Books

If you’ve not read it (or need a refresher), check out / buy The Last Lecture by Pausch (amzn.to/3QnbUTO), and watch the eponymous videos (lnkd.in/gnijut2V).

While it began in the 90s and later popularized at Microsoft in the mid 20teens, Pausch clearly espoused a growth mindset.

M3 Sweatt on LinkedIn: #advice #lastlecture #time #dst #growthmindset “The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have.” — Randy Pausch This weekend it’s time once…

“The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have.”
-- Randy Pausch

A few thoughts on time and priorities:
www.linkedin.com/posts/m3swea...

The Secret to Building Resilience The ability to bounce back from setbacks is often described as the difference between successful and unsuccessful people. Resilience has been shown to positively influence work satisfaction and engage...

More on the interactions that foster #resilience, and tips to help identify and strengthen the #connections that can boost our resilience from @kardillon.bsky.social, Rob Cross, and Danna Greenberg on HBR.org
hbr.org/2021/01/the-...

Resilience isn’t a trait. It’s a skill.

Resilience isn’t something you’re born with: it’s something you learn, practice, and improve. Our connections help us be more resilient when we run into major challenges in our lives.

Resilience is a muscle. Developing it is a workout.

Be mindful of how you set your personal and professional priorities. I keep this Toni Morrison quote on my phone:

"You are not the work you do; you are the person you are."

Whatever your work is, do it with integrity, and be proud of the efforts, impact, and accomplishments.

“A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!”
- Tiny Tim

An image from Miyazaki’s new film “The Boy and the Heron” of the lead character, Mahito, a young boy staring intensely thought an ornate gate with pelicans lined up in the background.

Miyazaki said that he was retiring with “The Wind Rises” a decade ago. Seeing “The Boy and the Heron” tonight with my youngest reminded me not only how much I enjoy and appreciate this master’s work, but that you’re never too old for a comeback. 💯

Photo of a cat with Totoro colouring, holding several cat toys in front of a number of Christmas stockings in the background

TFW you realize the cat is a full fledged member of the family as they have their own stocking. Merry Christmas and a happy new year 🎊

Perspective | Boxes kept coming from a mystery donor. An obituary revealed her name. She sent gifts and food for families in Virginia. But the notes that came with those packages identified her only as E. A. Raven.

All partisanship aside, Merry Christmas.

“The obituary describes her travels, her passion for the outdoors and her generosity to nonprofits, “particularly organizations that protect the environment, feed the hungry and support immigrants in our community.”

Photo of Santa Claus walking down an aisle pushing a shopping cart in a (long closed) CompUSA store selling all manner of technology and devices, circa 2012.

A photo from Christmas Eve Past…

“Who, and what are you?” Scrooge demanded.
“I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.”
“Long Past?” inquired Scrooge: observant of its dwarfish stature.
“No. Your past.”

An origami image of an individual working behind the curtain, begins the scenes.

Which superpower role do leaders regularly leverage that helps them navigate ambiguity and achieve impact and success?

There are many unsung heroes behind the scenes at many companies around the world – hidden roles essential to any organization’s success.

www.linkedin.com/posts/m3swea...

A photo of a path through a grassy area surrounded by bare trees on a cold fall morning.

For an ever increasing number of AI generated pastoral images and scenes on social media, a reminder how lovely it can be to enjoy time away and IRL.

That’s it. That’s the post.