090822 — Blog — Rulerless

The metrics we understand

As a child, I would read anything I could get my hands on.

At least, I would try. I had a small collection of classics that had been gifted to me, novels from Wuthering Heights to Dune, but I didn't get past the first page of a number of them.

My sole consideration in deciding whether to continue reading was, "Does this grab me right away?" If it didn't, I didn't.

Casey von NeumannMarch 31, 2022042622, 050422, 071822, 090822Comment

Keep looking

There's a fear a lot of us have when we’re thinking about applying for a job, looking for potential romantic partners, or making a hire.

We are worried that we're going to get stuck with something or someone that is not a good fit.

Our concern is enough to prevent us from taking the necessary action to move forward.

Casey von NeumannDecember 1, 2021030822, 070622, 090822 Comments

The search is mutual

When I was in my early twenties, I took a job teaching public school for a very low salary.

Frankly, I could have made more waiting tables, which was the other skill set I possessed.

The challenge was that I’d be working in an area with a shortage of affordable housing. The additional challenge was that I was a bit of a snob who had grown up on the coast and wanted to stay there. I didn’t want to move inland, far from my family (and for that matter, my job). What was I going to do?

Casey von NeumannAugust 2, 2021100621, 101521, 102121, 112921, 120121, 060122, 090822Comment

Step one: Don't define step two yet

I’ve had the privilege of helping many people to prepare for sensitive or challenging conversations.

We talk about how to set the tone, how to make sense of the situation to potentially create a win-win, and how to stand your ground.

Then they ask, “Well, then what will she say? And what will I say next?” But we’re not writing a script. We’re getting ready for an interaction that can go virtually anywhere from its starting point.

Casey von NeumannAugust 6, 202090820, 092820, 012221, 032421, 090822Comment

Step one: Realizing what you don't know

Something had finally clicked for a student of mine.

Trying to find the side length of a square with a perimeter of 56, she said, “I just don't understand how I would get the answer by dividing and getting one number and know that the other three are the same.”

It wasn’t that she understood the concept of division. It was that she was able to articulate clearly what she didn’t understand.

Casey von NeumannNovember 14, 2019112320, 082621, 090822Comment