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Giving feedback to your manager can be tricky. What if they don’t like what you say? What if they take it the wrong way? What if they turn against you? People refuse to give candid feedback to their managers because they don’t want to put their jobs at risk. This prevents most managers from getting an accurate picture of how others view them, often creating a huge gap between perception and reality. When you don’t share what they need to hear, don’t expect your manager to improve or blame them for repeating behaviors and actions that hurt their team and impact your productivity and performance. Just like your manager is expected to share constant feedback to help you learn and grow, you also need to contribute to your manager's growth. All managers have blind spots—unknowns that are in their circle of awareness (known unknowns) and things they don’t even know (unknown unknowns). There are lurking gaps in how they see themselves (or their actions) and how others perceive them leading to inadvertent blind spots. This is further exacerbated by their past beliefs, experiences, upbringing and many other psychological factors. Without reconciling reality, these blind spots perpetuate disconnect and dissonance with people. It may be uncomfortable at first to tell your manager what they’re doing wrong—you’ve to fight your fears and resist your instinct to avoid dealing with them. But with practice and experience, you’ll get better at it. Your courage will inspire others to do it too, contributing to a healthy workplace with a feedback rich environment. When you give yourself permission to communicate what matters to you in every situation you will have peace despite rejection or disapproval. Putting a voice to your soul helps you to let go of the negative energy of fear and regret. — Shannon L. Alder Help your managers become better leaders by giving them the feedback they need. Follow these practices to ensure your feedback lands right: Check whether they’re receptive to feedback Giving feedback to your manager is risky, no doubt. That’s why you shouldn’t do it without gauging whether they’re receptive to it. Toxic managers will not react poorly to your feedback; they will hold it against you. These managers believe in power structures where feedback is expected to flow only in one direction—from top to bottom. They take feedback personally as it hurts their ego and question their place in the hierarchy. They are blind to their flaws and refuse to address them. Instead of treating feedback as a gift, they treat it as a slap in the face. To determine if your manager is open to feedback, start with a low-stakes situation and identify how they react to it. Share your feedback on a very small matter—do they show curiosity to learn more about the feedback, or do they shut you down? How do they behave afterward—show resentment or appreciate you? Starting small also makes it easier when you have some critical feedback to share. Once you’ve built trust and relationships with the manager by sharing small improvement areas, they will be more open-minded when you have something big or bold to say. Don’t waste your time and energy on a manager who treats feedback as a one-way street. It’s time to change teams or find another job if they aren’t receptive to feedback and their behavior is getting in the way of your growth. State your intentions When you don’t state your intentions explicitly, others are bound to create a story around it—that’s just how the human mind works. Intentions are invisible. We assume them from other people’s behavior. In other words, we make them up, we invent them. But our invented stories about other people’s intentions are accurate much less often than we think. — Douglas Stone Intentions play a big role in how your feedback is received. When you are judgmental and opinionated, when you argue and attack their story, when you tell them how to do their job, your manager is more likely to get defensive than to explore your point of view. \When you show up with the intent to ask questions, make suggestions, raise concerns, challenge ideas, and find better ways to work together, or help them improve, they are more likely to take your feedback positively and may even decide to act on it. Don’t let your manager play a guessing game—clearly state your intention. For example, you may say: My intent is to find better ways to communicate so that we can avoid communication gaps. *My intent is to find the best possible solution. I want to discuss how we can encourage more disagreements in the team.* My intent is to get more visibility around my work. Can we discuss how you can enable this for me as a manager? Explicitly stating what you desire from the conversation and why you’re approaching them prevents them from attaching their own meaning. They can focus on the solution when they know you have their best intentions at heart. Frame it right Your manager has hundreds of things to do, most of which are not visible to you. It’s very important for you to realize that you may not have all the context to understand why your manager behaved a certain way in a particular situation unless you’re actually doing your manager's job. So, instead of judgment, lead with observation. Leave room for understanding and curiosity. Don’t draw conclusions from your limited interactions with your manager, and treat them as a source of truth. How you frame the feedback determines the reaction and response you get. Framing that involves blame, complaining, or a judgmental tone can never get you the outcomes you desire. If you want your feedback to be received well, frame it right—describe the situation followed by your observation (without judgment and opinion), then state the impact as you see it with an open-ended question to get their perspective. Talking about the impact their behavior has on others and how it prevents them from achieving their goals makes it much easier to understand. Ending with an open-ended question invites them to share how they view the situation or what they can do to help. Right framing = Situation + Observation + Impact + Open-Ended Question For example: Instead of: You don’t care about our ideas. Say: In our meeting yesterday, you asked the team for their input (situation). However, I noticed that whenever someone shared their viewpoint that didn’t align with the original idea, you dismissed their suggestion without exploring it completely (observation). Rejecting ideas this way makes the team feel that their opinions don’t matter. They will be demotivated to speak up next time around (impact). How do you suggest we encourage healthy disagreements in the team while aligning on the goal of finding the best possible solution (open-ended question)? Instead of: You don’t trust us with more responsibilities. Say: I wanted to discuss work allocation and responsibilities in the team (situation). I have noticed that you always have too many things to do in a day. At the same time, the team feels more than ready to take on additional responsibilities (observation). Not getting an opportunity to handle next-level responsibilities is preventing the team from growing while doing all that work by yourself, leaving you tired and exhausted (impact). What do you suggest we can do to gain your trust so that you can delegate more work to the team (open-ended question)? Here are a few do’s and don'ts of framing it right: Don’t tell them how to do their job. Don’t generalize or attack their character. Focus on a specific behavior or action. Don’t be opinionated or fixated on a single point of view. Show flexibility when changing your point of view. Don’t presume you have complete visibility into their situation. Be respectful and polite. Seek their input or advice. It makes them invested in the problem. Embrace silence. Give them time to chew on the information. Framing your solution negatively, such as “Don’t shout at me,” tends to focus the other’s attention even more on the unwanted behavior and may unconsciously reinforce it, particularly if you are shouting back at them. It is more effective to say, quietly, “Please talk to me in a quiet tone.” Focus the other’s mind clearly on the positive action you want them to take. — William Ury When giving feedback to your manager, take time to decide what you’re going to say. Without thinking about it upfront, you may say things that you regret later. Do it in person When giving feedback, what you convey through your eyes, hand gestures, and body language matters as much as what you say in words. These non-verbal cues play a significant role in determining how your feedback is understood and received. While giving feedback to your manager, it may be easy to drop an email or message or do it over a phone call. But your chances of being misunderstood or not delivering feedback effectively go higher when you avoid meeting them in person. When giving feedback, it’s very important for both the feedback giver and the receiver to observe the body language. Carrying yourself in a powerful way directs your feelings, thoughts, behaviors, and body to feel powerful and be present (and even perform better) in situations ranging from the mundane to the most challenging. — Amy Cuddy Your positive body language can speak a lot about your intention and can guide the conversation in a positive direction. Your manager's body language can serve as a hint on how they’re processing the information and give you useful signals on whether to continue speaking or keep your mouth shut. When giving feedback to your manager, always do it face-to-face. Tune your body to send out positive vibes—open, honest and self-assured—and not exude a negative body language—closed or judgmental. With a casual and respectful tone, your manager will be more likely to take your feedback constructively instead of feeling misunderstood, offended or disrespected. Respect is like air. As long as it's present, nobody thinks about it. But if you take it away, it's all that people can think about. The instant people perceive disrespect in a conversation, the interaction is no longer about the original purpose—it is now about defending dignity. — Ron McMillan Summary Your manager is not perfect. They, too, have gaps, much like everyone else. Don’t avoid giving them feedback just because it’s uncomfortable and risky. Not all managers are receptive to feedback. Some might hold it against you. Start with a low stake situation, share feedback with your manager and gauge their reaction. Your intentions play a significant role in how your feedback is perceived. Don’t leave your manager guessing or attach meaning to your words. Clearly state your intention. Right framing of the feedback can get your managers attention and invite them to problem solve instead of turning defensive. Always give feedback to your manager face-to-face. Don’t ignore the power of your body language—what you convey through non-verbal cues matters as much as what you say in words. Also published . here

How to Give Constructive Criticism to Your Manager

USA v. Samuel Bankman-Fried Court Filing, retrieved on March 15, 2024 is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This part is 27 of 33. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here IV. The Defendant’s History and Characteristics Do Not Warrant a Significant Variance Bankman-Fried’s personal history and characteristics do not warrant a variance from what should be a lengthy sentence of incarceration. Unlike many criminals who come before the Court who began life with almost nothing, Bankman-Fried began with and continued throughout his life to enjoy substantial advantages over others in society. (See Def Mem. at 39-43 (summarizing Bankman-Fried’s comfortable upbringing and education at MIT)). After getting a sought-after job at an “elite quantitative trading firm” earning hundreds of thousands of dollars (Def. Mem. at 43), Bankman-Fried started two companies that could have been successful without fraud. Indeed, as he emphasized during trial, FTX earned around a billion dollars a year in transaction fees by users. But the defendant chose to abandon honest work to pursue profit and influence through crime, and he used the proceeds of those crimes to enjoy his own lifestyle of affluence. The fact that he chose to engage in a massive fraud is an aggravating factor, not a mitigating one. Urging leniency, the defendant has submitted several letters from friends and family attesting to his character. From those, he argues that the evidence at trial did not show the “real Sam.” The fact that the version of the defendant presented at trial is unrecognizable to his family and friends does not mean that the defendant did not willfully engage in enormously damaging conduct. Humans are complicated, and the capacity of one person to be generous while also committing heinous crimes is almost unexplainable. Famously, Madoff was described by several people as a “generous person” who paid for employees’ honeymoons, purchased a machine to read to a blind man, arranged for medical care of an employee’s mother after a stroke, and assisted another employee in her efforts to adopt a child. See United States v. Bonventre, No. 10 Cr. 228 (LTS) (S.D.N.Y.) (Trial Tr. 2649, 2850, 7550, 9501, 10198). This is all to say that the defendant could be honest with his family while he lied to customers and investors; he could behave in a selfless manner with friends while being motivated by influence, power, fame, and wealth in his business. The defendant’s father, brother, and psychiatrist all submitted letters suggesting that Bankman-Fried is not motivated by greed. (Def. Mem. at 50-52). While that may be their experience, the trial record demonstrates otherwise: the defendant engaged in a myriad of fraudulent conduct to maximize his business’s earnings and his own wealth. He may have claimed that he intended to give all his money away, but the evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendant lived in an expensive penthouse apartment, owned other properties, bought a home for his parents, gifted his parents millions of dollars, named the Miami Heat’s sports arena after FTX, paid for a Superbowl advertisement, paid millions of dollars to K5 to be connected to celebrities and politicians, made risky venture investments, flew around in a private jet, and made millions of dollars in political donations. The defendant makes a point in his sentencing submission to note his charitable giving. (Def. Mem. at 46-50). But that was charity with other people’s money. The defendant’s contributions to the FTX Foundation, which he now highlights, and his brother’s pandemic prevention non-profit, Guarding Against Pandemics, were paid for with customers’ funds routed through Alameda. (GX-1035, 1040). Even if that were not the case, prior charitable works, however commendable and extensive, by professionally successful defendants rarely, if ever, should be considered a materially mitigating factor because, as courts have previously recognized, it is not extraordinary for such individuals to be involved in charities. See, e.g., United States v. Barbera, No. 02 Cr. 1268 (RWS), 2005 WL 2709112, at *12-13 (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 21, 2005); United States v. Fishman, 631 F. Supp. 2d 399, 403 (S.D.N.Y. 2009) (a defendant’s “good name and good works” should not serve as “the human shield he raises to seek immunity or dramatic mitigation of punishment when he is caught”). Indeed, many defendants do not have the resources—in time, money, or social standing—to perform such deeds, and so the law is reticent to show leniency to the few defendants who are fortunate enough to have such options. See, e.g., United States v. Vrdolyak, 593 F.3d 676, 682 (7th Cir. 2010) (“Wealthy people commonly make gifts to charity. They are to be commended for doing so but should not be allowed to treat charity as a get-out-ofjail card.”); United States v. Ali, 508 F.3d 136, 149 & n.17 (3d Cir. 2007) (charitable service is “evaluated with reference to the offender’s wealth and status in life” because defendants “who enjoy sufficient income and community status . . . have the opportunities to engage in charitable and benevolent activities.” (citations and quotation marks omitted)); United States v. McClatchey, 316 F.3d 1122, 1135 (10th Cir. 2003) (“[E]xcellent character references are not out of the ordinary for an executive who commits white-collar crime; one would be surprised to see a person rise to an elevated position in business if people did not think highly of him or her.”). Bankman-Fried should not be credited with charitable giving when it was done with fraud proceeds and its benefits pale in comparison to the damage done by his fraud. Continue Reading . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case retrieved on March 15, 2024, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. storage.courtlistener

Charity or Fraud? Uncover the Truth About Sam Bankman-Fried’s Criminal Conduct

USA v. Samuel Bankman-Fried Court Filing, retrieved on March 15, 2024 is part of . You can jump to any part in this filing . This part is 1 of 33. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here The Government respectfully submits this memorandum in advance of the sentencing of Samuel Bankman-Fried, presently scheduled for March 28, 2024, and in response to the defendant’s sentencing memorandum dated February 27, 2024 (“Def. Mem.”). PRELIMINARY STATEMENT Samuel Bankman-Fried was convicted of orchestrating one of the largest financial frauds in history, and what is likely the largest fraud in the last decade. The enormous scale of the fraud at FTX is measured not just by the amount of money that was stolen, although the more-than-$8 billion of customer money that was misappropriated puts this crime in a class of cases that can be counted on one hand. The unprecedented scope of the fraud at FTX may also be measured in the number and types of victims, in the fraud’s geographic reach, and in the breadth and frequency of the unlawful and unethical acts undertaken by the defendant in service of a scheme to use other people’s money for his own benefit and influence. The defendant victimized tens of thousands of people and companies, across several continents, over a period of multiple years. He stole money from customers who entrusted it to him; he lied to investors; he sent fabricated documents to lenders; he pumped millions of dollars in illegal donations into our political system; and he bribed foreign officials. Each of these crimes is worthy of a lengthy sentence. The losses from each of the defendant’s frauds—on customers, investors, and lenders—would alone put the defendant’s advisory sentencing range at the top of the Guidelines. His unlawful political donations to over 300 politicians and political action groups, amounting to in excess of $100 million, is believed to be the largest-ever campaign finance offense. His bribe of Chinese government officials—totaling $150 million—was one of the single largest by an individual. Even following FTX’s bankruptcy and his subsequent arrest, Bankman-Fried shirked responsibility, deflected blame to market events and other individuals, attempted to tamper with witnesses, and lied repeatedly under oath. With all the advantages conferred by a comfortable upbringing, an MIT education, a prestigious start to his career in finance, and a worthy idea for a startup business, Bankman-Fried could have pursued the rewarding, productive, and altruistic life he has sketched out in his sentencing submission. But instead, his life in recent years has been one of unmatched greed and hubris; of ambition and rationalization; and courting risk and gambling repeatedly with other people’s money. And even now Bankman-Fried refuses to admit what he did was wrong. Having set himself on the goal of amassing endless wealth and unlimited power—to the point that he thought he might become President and the world’s first trillionaire—there was little BankmanFried did not do to achieve it. While he did not spend the money he stole on nice clothes or cars, that does not mean his life has not been defined by excess. The trial record puts the lie to the statements in his submission that he was “never motivated by greed” and “eschews materialistic trappings.” Using customers’ and investors’ money, the defendant bought luxury real estate; he made risky investments that he otherwise could not afford; he made charitable donations (for which he still takes credit) using other people’s money; he made political contributions using other people’s money to get unrivaled access to political leaders; he promoted his company in a Super Bowl ad; he named a basketball arena after his company; and he paid for access to celebrities, to name just a few of the things on which he spent money. And unlike so many defendants before this Court, there are no persuasive mitigating conditions to explain his criminal conduct. His crimes are not the product of dire financial circumstances, passion or impulse, or a momentary lapse of judgment. Unlike other white collar offenders, the losses the defendant is responsible for are not borne exclusively by sophisticated investors or extrapolated based on a stock price drop. The victims, on the other hand, include tens of thousands of everyday people. People who entrusted the defendant with their money, and relied on it being there when they wanted to withdraw it. The victims in this case include people who deposited their retirement funds and nest eggs with FTX; they include people in war-torn or financially insecure countries, who counted on FTX as a place to keep money safe; they include people who could not afford to have their money taken or rendered unavailable. They include people who lost their “entire life savings,” no longer have money to pay for a sick family member or children’s education, were deprived of the chance to “break generational poverty,” and are “devastated” and “heartbroken.” So the fact that two years later victims may receive some money back through FTX’s bankruptcy is of little comfort for those victims who needed the money in November 2022. The suffocating sense of dread and despair that victims felt when they could not withdraw their money, their shame and embarrassment, and the resulting damage to lives and businesses, cannot be undone through the bankruptcy. The assertions that customers will be repaid in full omit critical context about the nature of the claims allowed in the bankruptcy. And even as victims are repaid, that is the result of extensive work in the bankruptcy process and criminal forfeiture, not the result of the defendant’s actions, which in many respects have been counterproductive. All of this conduct was willful. In every part of his business, and with respect to each crime committed, the defendant demonstrated a brazen disrespect for the rule of law. He understood the rules, but decided they did not apply to him. He knew what society deemed illegal and unethical, but disregarded that based on a pernicious megalomania guided by the defendant’s own values and sense of superiority. And he knew his customers’ expectations—that he would hold their money safe—but he disregarded them based on a callous belief that he could put their money to better use. The scope, duration, nature, and sheer number of Bankman-Fried’s crimes, the resulting harm they have caused, the willful disregard of the rule of law, and the absence of countervailing mitigating circumstances render him exceptionally deserving of a sentence that is sufficiently severe to provide justice for the defendant’s crimes and to dissuade others from committing similar crimes, and that will permit the defendant to return to liberty only after society can be assured that he will not have the opportunity to turn back to fraud and deceit. Although it is unlikely (but not impossible) that the defendant will work in finance again, and will likely forfeit all of his ill-gotten gains, justice requires that he receive a prison sentence commensurate with the extraordinary dimensions of his crimes. For these reasons, the legitimate purposes of punishment require a sentence of 40 to 50 years’ imprisonment. Continue Reading . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case retrieved on March 15, 2024, from is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. storage.courtlistener Lead image source: Lam Yik/Bloomberg via Getty Images

US Prosecutor Argues that SBF Deserves 40-50 Years in Prison

ইউএস প্রসিকিউটর যুক্তি দেন যে SBF 40-50 বছরের কারাগারের যোগ্য

US-Staatsanwalt argumentiert, dass SBF 40 bis 50 Jahre Gefängnis verdient

Fiscal estadounidense sostiene que SBF merece entre 40 y 50 años de prisión

Le procureur américain affirme que SBF mérite 40 à 50 ans de prison

अमेरिकी अभियोजक का तर्क है कि एसबीएफ 40-50 साल की जेल का हकदार है

米検察、SBFは懲役40～50年に値すると主張

미국 검찰, SBF가 40~50년 징역형을 받아야 한다고 주장

Promotor dos EUA argumenta que SBF merece 40-50 anos de prisão

Прокурор США утверждает, что SBF заслуживает 40-50 лет тюрьмы

ABD Savcısı SBF'nin 40-50 Yıl Hapis Cezasını Hak Ettiğini Savundu

Công tố viên Hoa Kỳ lập luận rằng SBF đáng phải nhận mức án 40-50 năm tù

美国检察官辩称SBF应被判处40-50年监禁

Markus Lanieux Fled a Traffic Stop - He's Now Doing Life in Prison

Markus Lanieux একটি ট্রাফিক স্টপ পালিয়ে গেছে - তিনি এখন কারাগারে জীবন করছেন

Markus Lanieux floh vor einer Verkehrskontrolle – jetzt sitzt er im Gefängnis

Markus Lanieux escapó de una parada de tráfico y ahora cumple cadena perpetua

Markus Lanieux a fui un contrôle routier – il purge désormais une peine de prison à vie

मार्कस लैनियक्स ट्रैफिक स्टॉप से भाग गया - वह अब जेल में जीवन बिता रहा है

マルクス・ラニュー、交通停止から逃走 - 現在は刑務所で暮らしている

Markus Lanieux는 교통 정체를 피해 도망쳤으며 현재 감옥에서 생활하고 있습니다.

Markus Lanieux fugiu de uma parada de trânsito - agora ele está cumprindo prisão perpétua

Маркус Ланье сбежал с остановки и теперь ведет жизнь в тюрьме

Markus Lanieux Trafik Durdurmasından Kaçtı - Şimdi Müebbet Hapis Cezasında

Markus Lanieux Chạy trốn khỏi điểm dừng giao thông - Anh ta hiện đang sống trong tù

马库斯·拉尼厄克斯 (Markus Lanieux) 逃离了交通堵塞 - 他现在在监狱里过着生活

Hello. My name is Alexander, and I’m a solo entrepreneur, formerly a Lead Software Engineer. Currently, I’m involved in launching and developing my third project — a for domain monitoring. Telegram bot I want to talk about the fears that hinder developers and others from launching their projects. Some of these fears were present for me, and some persist to this day. Often, I observe them in my acquaintances and close friends. We try to hide our fears, mask them, and show them to no one. Let's talk about it openly; it is crucial to realize and start working on overcoming these fears to move forward. Fear of failure What if my project doesn't take off? There's this fear that I'll feel ashamed and awkward in front of friends or colleagues because it didn't work out. Especially when someone asks: "How's your project? Is it progressing?" I feel like people will start thinking I'm a failure. This powerful fear exists only in my head, so why not reprogram myself to be seen by friends and colleagues as someone who is not afraid to try? Perhaps deep down, my acquaintances may criticize themselves for not starting something and being afraid to initiate. Through my actions, I can inspire them to start something and move toward their goals. If it doesn't take off the first time, it will be on the second or third. There's nothing wrong with that, and there shouldn't be. Need to learn a lot It's true; you have to learn a lot. Learning should be gradual, systematic, and continuous. You need to create your learning plan and consume new information in small portions. There's no need to dive in headfirst. It's important to remember that knowledge, or more accurately, the aspiration for extensive knowledge, can negatively impact launching your product. I haven't written a line of code yet, and I'm already thinking about whether it's better to choose an Individual Entrepreneur or a Limited Liability Company. Or maybe I should first figure out how to attract investments. Solve tasks as they come, and don't do unnecessary work. Lack of free time In this case, similar to trying to engage in sports or start learning a foreign language, there's a shortage of time. There's always time; you can allocate 30 minutes to 1 hour every day to your project. If you break down tasks into atomic parts that can be solved within 1 hour and solve one task every day, you'll see results in the form of dozens of completed tasks in a month. A systematic approach works well with time management. One hour a day, every day, preferably in the morning before work or daily responsibilities, while the mind is clear and not cluttered. All important and challenging tasks should always be done in the morning. In the evening, other tasks will come up, such as fatigue, the desire to relax, watch YouTube, and spend a few hours on that. Upbringing and school Childhood and school years leave subtle imprints on our subconscious. Personally, I received a dose of constraints from parents, relatives, and teachers during my childhood. Throughout my childhood, school, and university education, I was ingrained with certain attitudes. Sometimes it happened unconsciously and naturally from relatives. "Without connections and acquaintances, you won't achieve anything in life. Let's get you a job at the power station where • Uncle John is the chief." "You can't earn money through honest work. All entrepreneurs are thieves." "Don't stand out and don't attract attention; just be like everyone else." "Maybe you should stop messing around and find a regular job?" I still remember my school teacher telling my mom that I wouldn't achieve anything in life. It took me a long time to understand this. Why do adults say such things? Perhaps they are right; they have experience, and they are older than me, so I should listen to them. Nothing could be further from the truth; this is the most dangerous trap. Soviet power erased some important qualities from the people of that time, such as entrepreneurship and creativity. Procrastination For me, procrastination isn't scrolling through social media or watching YouTube videos. My procrastination looks like this: when I need to work on my project, finish the MVP, do marketing and promotion, or write articles to share my project, instead, I start inventing and implementing features and functionalities that are not needed at the moment. I haven't implemented protection against brute-force attacks in my project. Seriously, protection against brute force when there are only a few users, including me, a friend, and my mom? Instead of writing an article and promoting the project, I spent several days programming and testing protection against brute-force attacks. This happens because my brain resists learning, acquiring new knowledge, or doing mental work in which I lack experience. Brain learning requires more energy than routine activities. Perfectionism Another disease and the cause of the demise of tens of thousands of startups. It manifests strongly when we polish the design of the website or product as if it's a beauty pageant. We spend weeks adjusting pixels and changing fonts or colors. When we start rewriting code that was written a few months ago it now seems like bad code. We need to tidy up the code do it scientifically with patterns and adhere to just as we like. SOLID principles, When we overcomplicate functionality. When we polish the project to the point where the number of bugs is zero. Open your task manager at your current job. I'm sure there are around 1000 tasks, some of which have been sitting there for several years. Nothing terrible is happening at work; users continue using the service, new users come, some leave, and life continues. Can't find a job After working on my startup, no one will want to hire me. I remember being afraid to post my resume for a PHP programmer position after 5 years of unsuccessful attempts to launch my web studio. I thought that no one would want to hire a lone wolf who even looks into the forest when he's full. I was terribly wrong. If I ever have to build a team for a new startup, I would prefer people who have created their own products. These people are idea generators, hard workers, quick learners, and have decent soft and hard skills. Most likely, in 2–3 years, they will leave for greener pastures again once they improve their financial situation or develop a new project. Ask any HR how long, on average, a developer stays in one place? You might be surprised to hear the figure of 2.5 years. By working on my project, I stagnate because there is no development; I don't solve complex problems and don't gain real experience on live projects. In addition, young specialists have grown up and are already stepping on my heels. What if I become an obsolete specialist? At this point, the fear should intensify, and I go to the job market to check if my specialty is in demand and what hard skills are required. Need confidence in tomorrow Alright, the moment arrives when my pet project demands more of my time. Balancing the development of my project and work becomes challenging. The realization hit that I needed to quit my job and dedicate all my free time to the project. But what about my livelihood? Will my savings be enough, and for how long? Maybe I should save more money just to be sure? Here, I go through all the fears mentioned earlier as if they're dancing in my head. No matter how much you accumulate, it will always feel insufficient. There will always be a fear of running out of money, and an image pops up in your mind of cooking instant noodles on a heating pipe. In reality, this fear is unfounded. Humans adapt quickly to any environment. Expenses on unnecessary purchases and things are cut. Lavish trips to restaurants and bars cease. Opting for more modest accommodation or moving to a private house for fresh air is also a good idea. Yes, living frugally will be a fact. Judgment Fear of being judged that my product is not good enough. That the product is raw, not thoroughly developed. Fear that I'll receive numerous negative ratings and comments. All of this eventually leads to paranoia about my weakness, incompetence, and intellectual backwardness and contributes to the development of various complexes. I need to understand for myself that I'm launching a project to receive feedback and gather metrics. This is exactly what needs to be done. I need to learn to let negativity pass by and not pay any attention to it because a person on the other side of the screen might just feel ordinary human annoyance and envy since you are doing something and creating, and it's not about your product at all. An exercise that helps is to realize that you are not even acquainted with this person, and you will simply pass by on the street, and a few hours later, he will forget about your existence, just as you will about his. Keep in mind that the Russian-speaking internet space is the most toxic. On English-speaking specialized platforms, more people leave positive comments and try to support. Look at the reviews for cafes and restaurants. Usually, people write only negative reviews; few write positive ones if they like the restaurant. This applies to my posts on the internet. If I received several sarcastic or unpleasant comments, and overall, everyone else remained silent, it means the publication went well. Fear of publicity Wondering how I will appear in the eyes of others. What a terrible voice I have and those bags under my eyes in my video. No, kill me, but I won't publish a video with my face and voice. Even if I forcibly overcome this fear and publish a video, the first toxic or sarcastic comment might discourage me from making the next video or article. Judging my appearance or voice, my peculiarities - this is only in my head, and I am the one emphasizing it. Remember when was the last time you paid condemning attention to someone's hairstyle, appearance, or speaking quirks and when you directly told them about it? Now you understand that it's only in our heads? Conclusion We must work with our fears; they hinder us from being happy and doing what we want. The universal and magical remedy is a systematic approach and the fight against fear, through discomfort, through willpower. Fears are just limitations we impose on ourselves. Open the door to courage, and they will disappear. Good luck. My is where I share ideas and the process of working on my projects. Twitter Also published . here

Why Developers Struggle With Launching Their Projects: Insights From My Personal Experience

, as a metaverse avatar in . David Smooke Web 2.5 (short film) Today we have the privilege of sitting down with David Smooke, the Founder and CEO of HackerNoon. With a unique journey from the East Coast to the West Coast and now in Colorado, David has been at the helm of a platform that has become a thriving hub for technology enthusiasts. We’ll dive into David’s insights about HackerNoon, his vision for the platform, and his own journey from the world of technology to becoming a steward of quality content. David, you mentioned growing up on the East Coast. How did your childhood and family shape your interests and passions, eventually leading you to the world of technology and entrepreneurship? I was lucky enough to have two great parents. That plus a bit of natural intelligence, gave me the confidence to make my own thing. In school, I excelled at math – even earning a perfect score on math SATs –  and struggled with English – getting a few hundred points less than perfect on my reading SATs. As I aged, I learned I care less about math and more about words. As a child, did you display any particular traits or interests that hinted at your future as an entrepreneur and leader? In 8th grade English, our homework was to copy many pages from the grammar book, and I had just gained access to my first printer scanner. I scanned the grammar book, printed the pages, and pasted them into my notebook and a friend’s notebook. The teacher did not appreciate, welcome or reward this use of technology. How did your experiences and upbringing on the East Coast differ from the West Coast, and how did each environment contribute to your personal growth and outlook on life? The east coast has more ice than snow, so I suppose that made me rigid but I always appreciated growing up with more seasonal variety. Getting a college scholarship to head to California was, at the time, a dream come true.  Now, I like living with a true four seasons in Colorado. Many entrepreneurs credit early entrepreneurial ventures during their childhood, like lemonade stands or small businesses. Did you have any such experiences that ignited your entrepreneurial spirit? I was a failed teenage eBay shirt reseller. I went to the thrift shops to try and find the high priced brands in decent condition. I underestimated how much logistics, listings, messages, shipping, and just work it takes to make ecommerce work. Were there any hobbies or extracurricular activities you pursued during your childhood that had a lasting impact on your approach to problem-solving and creativity? I used to be a pretty competitive ski racer, and have always been a consistent basketball player and walker. From walking, I learned patience. All you have to do is keep walking, exercising the forefront thoughts, and then the back of your mind will solve – or at least make progress on – your more difficult problems. Basketball challenges me to consider how to make my teammates better, and ski racing taught me how to show up on time and go fast. How do you think your upbringing and childhood experiences have influenced your leadership style and decision-making as the CEO of HackerNoon? Due to my upbringing at home with a tight knit family and at school with smaller class sizes, I tend to get the most out of small teams. I love that , paraphrasing ‘give me three bad motherf*ckers and I can take over a country. With a small team, it’s easier to remain transparent about the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. and care about outcomes bigger than themselves. Joey Diaz quote I like working with people who have skin in the game What were some of the most significant personal challenges you faced while building and scaling the platform, and how did you overcome them? Looking back, it’s hard to just do it every day for 8+ years. Some days the kids are sick, some days you are tired, and being an entrepreneur often requires just plugging along anyways. How do you ensure the team’s alignment with the mission of HackerNoon, and how has being a part of this team influenced your personal growth? In terms of aligning interest, we currently only hire from and every potential hire has a part-time contract first – to mutually confirm working together long-term is a good fit. Our team is 18 people fulltime – and that is not many people to manage a community of our size: 1k+ shareholders, 3k+ customers, 45k+ contributing writers and 4M+ monthly readers. I’ve learned a ton from our amazing team about what to build, how to sell, when to think long-term, and why this green blob will grow. our careers page How has curating and learning from the vast pool of knowledge on HackerNoon shaped your own understanding of the tech industry and personal development as a lifelong learner? Learned about Bitcoin via a HackerNoon story submission, and I hodl a couple Bitcoins, so that’s helpful. I’ll check in on the editorial que everyday, editing and publishing some my favorite HackerNoon contributors. Lately, I’ve been thinking and tinkering more on how to determine what to read next. Nothing like a story that reaches you at the right time. How has managing relationships with shareholders impacted your personal growth as an entrepreneur and CEO? We are a publishing platform that was bootstrapped for a few years, then fundraised via and .  We send fairly robust letters to 1,300+ shareholders. We publish shortened versions of them on our . Each one forces a thorough reflection of the business. And as the top shareholder with , we do work to reach and exceed our own standards first. I’m very appreciative of the belief the internet’s found in HackerNoon. We’ve remained an entirely common stock company. equity crowdfunding strategic rounds from technology companies like Arweave official State of the Noonion account Linh Dao Smooke What key strategies or decisions do you attribute to the platform’s rapid expansion and popularity within the technology community? From where I’m sitting, it’s been more like two steps forward one step back on loop – than rapid expansion. But thank you 🙂  We’ve increased revenue for 6 years in a row, and doubled it for 5 of those years. That means we are a consistently 2x business, but never really a 10x or 100x overnight rapid success. In terms of the larger need we filled, blogging can be very lonely. Knowing there’s who wants to help edit and distribute stories can mean the difference between an original thought circulating in the world or not. someone on the other side of the screen What sets apart from other technology publications, and what are your future plans for its growth and success? HackerNoon We exist in between social media and traditional media. Like social networking platforms, we welcome anyone to author original insights, no ‘journalist’ credentials needed to . But unlike social media and more similar to traditional journalism, every single story is edited by one of our human editors, and only the top-quality stories get featured on the homepage, translated into 13 languages, and featured atop our newsletters. Our distribution engine is over half million social media followers and half a million email addresses. We also build most of our tech ourselves, from the custom Content Management System (CMS) that powers HackerNoon.com, to our and Noonies Voting software, to our various AI integrations within the HackerNoon editor. Our future plan for growth is to simply make more money than we spend. We have built enough infrastructure now, and demonstrated many years in a row that we could (and did) achieve profitability. create an account or submit a story Startups of the Year How do you manage potential conflicts and maintain a positive and inclusive environment for all contributors and readers in HackerNoon’s diverse global community? We try. It’s impossible to be everything to everyone. We invest heavily in documentation. Through and , we can answer almost every incoming question (mostly via , but occasionally via as well) with an explanation, a helpful tip, or a clarification. For example, one of the most common questions was why a story is rejected, which makes useful. We also attempt to serve the diverse needs of our readers by and . Translated stories also have their own homepages (such as ), and their own newsletters, and very soon, podcast feeds. HackerNoon Help The Editing Protocol our Contact form social media this Help Doc allowing up to 8 different translations on select stories creating an audio file for every story this one Can you share insights into how you’ve built and maintained strong relationships with 2,000+ tech companies as customers and how they’ve contributed to the platform’s growth? We’ve actually managed to serve so far 🙂 The most common reason businesses reach out to HackerNoon staff is to get their company mentioned on HackerNoon. Many of our larger customers started with the request to publish a single blog post. Over time, we became a part of more publishing routines, and have moved more of our ad packages into , such as this , or this .  One of our top revenue sources is , and the first writing contest was devised in collaboration with the customer, EverScale, who didn’t want to just advertise, but rather wanted to . So together, we came up with a plan to reward the best stories on the . almost 4000 businesses public places with buy buttons Startups Special package Trial Credit for Business Blogging form writing contests incentivize discussion of the #decentralized-internet #decentralized-internet tag With millions of monthly readers, how do you handle potential privacy and data security concerns, ensuring user information is adequately protected? The majority of our traffic is on cached story pages, so it’s not like we’re a bank. But we do try to keep all our packages and dependencies as up-to-date as we can.  It can feel like a , but for sustainable growth, maintenance is often as important as expansion. Google’s been a great partner for DevOps, we stick to our simple privacy policy, and we have a small bug bounty program.  Ultimately I think people would rather have their problems fixed than have the problems of others exploited. slog David, your upcoming documentary with the tagline “Is Web 3 really the future, or just a passing trend for people looking to make a quick buck?” sounds fascinating. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind this project and what motivated you to explore the topic of Web 3 and its potential impact on the technology landscape? We’ve published , and I’m fairly certain the internet’s been and will be rebuilt a number of times. At our team’s core, everyone documents. It’s natural to experiment with new forms as a company and evolve. We’ll see how it goes! 15k+ Web3 text stories How can people find out more about HackerNoon and connect with you? Read 🙂 Download the Mobile app ( , ). , I still edit a couple of stories a week, maybe I’ll be your editor 🙂 HackerNoon Apple Google Play Or write your first tech story hackernoon.com/about/David Blog.DavidSmooke.net DavidSmooke.net HackerNoon.com/TechBeat LinkedIn.com/in/ClackKent X.com/DavidSmooke HackerNoon.com/u/David HackerNoon.com/Publish-with-us Also Published as “ ” Forging the Future of Digital Discourse Tech Alchemist: David Smooke

Digital Discourse and The Future of HackerNoon with Creator and CEO David Smooke

ক্রিয়েটর এবং সিইও ডেভিড স্মুকের সাথে ডিজিটাল ডিসকোর্স এবং হ্যাকারনুনের ভবিষ্যত

Digitaler Diskurs und die Zukunft von HackerNoon mit Schöpfer und CEO David Smooke

Discurso digital y el futuro de HackerNoon con el creador y director ejecutivo David Smooke

Discours numérique et avenir de HackerNoon avec le créateur et PDG David Smooke

क्रिएटर और सीईओ डेविड स्मूक के साथ डिजिटल डिस्कोर्स और द फ्यूचर ऑफ हैकरनून

クリエイター兼 CEO の David Smooke と語るデジタルディスコースと HackerNoon の未来

제작자이자 CEO인 David Smooke와 함께하는 디지털 담론과 HackerNoon의 미래

Discurso digital e o futuro do HackerNoon com o criador e CEO David Smooke

Цифровой дискурс и будущее HackerNoon с создателем и генеральным директором Дэвидом Смуком

Yaratıcı ve CEO David Smooke ile Dijital Söylem ve HackerNoon'un Geleceği

Diễn ngôn kỹ thuật số và Tương lai của HackerNoon với Người sáng tạo và Giám đốc điều hành David Smooke

与创始人兼首席执行官 David Smooke 探讨数字话语和 HackerNoon 的未来

88 Stories To Learn About Music

In this YouTube interview with Eddie Konialian, the founder and CEO of DirectRope, we delved into the transformative potential of blockchain technology in the realm of referral networking. Eddie firmly believes that blockchain technology holds the key to the future of referral networking. He noted, "Blockchain is a game changer in referral networking." He explained that by operating on a , DirectRope ensures that individuals have complete control over their data while maintaining data accuracy and validation. Eddie added, blockchain "There's an environment where we can coexist with existing CRMs where we can share data and share information with our users. And that user can feel empowered by owning that data." The following is a summary of the key points from our discussion. You can watch the full interview by clicking on the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPdFnJPBRN4&embedable=true A Journey Rooted in Collaboration Eddie's journey into the world of referral networking is marked by his upbringing, which instilled in him the values of collaboration and working with others. Reflecting on his family's influence, Eddie noted, "Our upbringing had allowed us to work with people to get goals accomplished." His background, having emigrated from the Middle East to the United States during the Lebanese Civil War, laid the foundation for his unique approach to business and leadership. With over two decades of experience in the financial industry, Eddie has held key managerial and executive roles, where he placed a strong emphasis on accountability, mutual growth, and individual empowerment. He shared, "It's about not only asking my employees to be loyal to me, but I wanted to be loyal to my employees by teaching them by making sure that they were self-sufficient in everything that they did, and always started off with knowledge." The Trilateral Referral Concept: Empowering Customers DirectRope, under Eddie's leadership, champions the trilateral referral concept. This innovative approach goes beyond traditional unilateral or bilateral referral methods by actively involving customers in the referral process. Eddie believes this approach empowers customers by giving them a say in who contacts them and underlines the importance of networking with the customer's needs and preferences in mind. Eddie stated, "The whole trilateral concept is being able to network with the customer in mind and the customer involved." DirectRope's Founding Vision: Data Ownership and Transparency DirectRope emerged from a vision to revolutionize the referral process. Eddie explained, "We want to give people the ability to own their own data... DirectRope is understanding your return on activity and your network's return on activity versus just simply your return on investment." Enhancing Networking Opportunities with Trust and Transparency DirectRope's primary goal is to enhance networking opportunities by bringing transparency and trust into the equation. Eddie emphasized, "With DirectRope, we are trying to make sure that everybody knows who they're dealing with and who they're working with. That way, the relationships are strong from the beginning and last longer." Blockchain as the Game Changer Eddie firmly believes that blockchain technology holds the key to the future of referral networking. He noted, "Blockchain is a game changer in referral networking." He explained that by operating on a blockchain, DirectRope ensures that individuals have complete control over their data while maintaining data accuracy and validation. Eddie added, "There's an environment where we can coexist with existing CRMs where we can share data and share information with our users. And that user can feel empowered by owning that data." DirectRope in Action DirectRope, in practice, automates historical networking practices transparently. Eddie described it as "Humans have networked for years on end...but now we're doing it in an automated fashion." He emphasized the platform's focus on trust and transparency, ensuring that users can rely on real results without the potential for data manipulation. Words of Wisdom for Startup Founders In closing, Eddie shared valuable advice for fellow startup founders: "Believe in yourself and your vision." He acknowledged the roller-coaster journey of entrepreneurship, with its ups and downs and moments of doubt. Eddie emphasized that unwavering commitment to one's ideas and vision will ultimately lead to success. He also cautioned about recognizing the point of no return, emphasizing that crossing this threshold can mean the difference between pursuing entrepreneurial dreams and returning to a salaried employee role. Eddie's core message revolved around self-belief and emotional resilience as the keys to navigating the startup world and bringing innovative ideas to life. Conclusion Eddie Konialian has invaluable insights into the innovative world of referral networking and the transformative potential of blockchain technology. His journey, shaped by a background of collaboration and accountability, underscores the importance of fostering genuine relationships in business.

Blockchain For Referral Marketing: A Conversation With DirectRope CEO Eddie Konialian

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