There is too much yawn-inducing advice on the internet when it comes to the workplace but these may be a little less generic, and more organic for DSO.

  • Don’t mistake hardwork for good work.

  • Don’t avoid specialisation. The ideal is the “T” shape. Sufficient context(breadth) and depth.

  • Too much work is a happy problem. The problem is when nobody wants to work with you.

  • Don’t be discouraged for lack of transition, sometimes it comes down to political will. Nothing you do will ever be wasted. Keep a record of what happened, what should have happened and how did it go wrong.

  • Don’t play games. It just wastes everyones times.

  • Don’t come up with a solution without a buyer.

  • The most important skill to have is problem-solving.

  • Don’t waste time worrying about the performance appraisal, really, ruminating over one cycle is sufficient to understand it, and ruminating over two cycles is too much.

  • Anything can be done with enough time and effort. But life is short, so don’t forget to take stock.

  • Always try to apply what u learnt. You need to stop and internalise this knowledge in order to act on it.

  • The more significant your work the less significant you must become.

  • Always be closing.

Longer comments

Expectations

Don’t hold anyone to any expectations other than those that they have set for themselves. Try to understand what is the expectation they have set for themselves, and if you can help them to raise this. Rather than judging them based on your own expectations of them.

Systems

All these systems and standards in the ‘real world’ were set up to hold complex systems and organise everything together. Its beyond what humans can conceive all at once, hence we need to break it into manageable chunks, and have yet another system to hold these chunks together.

Management

Avoid getting caught up in management issues. research problems are the real problems, management’s function is to coordinate and prioritise resources are in order to create new knowledge. The only thing real, is the knowledge that is created and produced. Everything else is is built on the foundation of this value.

The best kind of skill

Expertise is when knowledge is internalized, and u know and do the right thing without having to rationalise it. You are the definition of the supercomputer. Become an expert in problem solving, and you’ll be invaluable as long as there are problems in the world.

Inflated Expectations

People are driven by expectations. Scientific progress is driven by exaggerated expectations. Don’t be frustrated by it because it becomes a self-fulfiling prophecy; one of the truest and most powerful pull effects when it directs energy, attention, and available resources

Safety Procedures

Don’t discount safety procedures, they are high risk and high stake. They will always always come across as unnecessary, and u may not always understand why they are there, all the more you shouldn’t discount them cos you don’t have the knowledge to make judgement on what can be made exception. Until you have better judgement, do not resent the boundaries.

Roles

Anyone who participates in this system is designated a ‘job’, a place within the system where they should contribute. Its therefore important to know your role, know what is required for you to perform it, and where you fit in the system. Don’t be trying to do someone else’s role. You can learn about it, but don’t be trying to do it especially if you don’t have access to the information and resources required to perform it. Know your role and know what is required. To be a rockstar, get stuff done. Not talked about, not analyzed, not discussed, but done.