Quotes from Randy Pausch

I've watched Randy Pausch's last lecture a few times and I always find I can learn something from it. It is a one hour session packed with many amazing life lessons. If you don't know who Randy Pausch is (from which planet are you from??), take the time to read about his story and watch his presentation.

I chose three quotes that even though they are no programming related, can still be applied to work on a team or within a company.

"When you're screwing up, and nobody is saying anything to you
anymore, that means they gave up."

Nobody likes to listen to criticism, but this is the best way to improve ourselves. Often the self image we have is totally different from the way other people see us, and this is why it is very important to hear what other people have to say about us so that we can get better and better.

"When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering to
tell you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are the
ones telling you that they still love you and care"

Embrace criticism with an open mind. When you are failing at something, your enemies will not tell you anything. If somebody is taking the time to go through the embarrassment of talking to you about a flaw in your ways, it is because that person really cares about you and wants to see you get better.

"Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted"

Love this one. When someone in my team is frustrated at a stand up meeting because they didn't make any progress at a problem, I tell them that they were able to eliminate all the dead ends they found, and this is already progress.

"Wait long enough and people will surprise and impress you. When you're pissed off at somebody and you're angry at them, you just haven't given them enough time".

I've seen this pattern many times at many places. I learned that the good people want to do things right. It is specially frustrating when you know that someone has the potential but does not deliver. But if you give that person enough time you will be pleasantly surprised.