Top 5 City Tripping Destinations

5. Hong Kong

It's been a tad long ago since I've been here - back before the Transfer - but Hong Kong remains a highly impressive city to visit. Magnificent skyline, well-connected infrastructure, plenty of destinations and events to go to. It's just that I've always been guided around by family members, rather than discovering things on my own. Probably it was the Cantonese that threw me off.

4. Toronto

Basically an American city, with American amenities and sensibilities, but without the Americans to screw it up. And actually everything is within walking distance (sort of).

3. London

In terms of culture and class London can't be beat. But you do need the Tube to get to wherever you need to go, because walking around or driving around yourself is nigh on impossible.

2. Tokyo

Picking no. 1 was a bit like choosing between your children. Tokyo is the truly insane choice, from Harajuku to Ginza to Roppongi it has to be seen to be believed. Especially if you're a Westerner the masses of people moving around will seem totally overwhelming, while always maintaining a sense of tranquility and humility...

1. New York

... something that New York isn't known for. The brash and loud New Yorker will tell you from the start theirs is the best city in the world. Songs have been written, movies have been made that sing the praise of the self-proclaimed greatest city in the world... and it's actually hard to argue against it. Everything you ever would want to do, you can in the Big Apple. Everything you want to have, buy, enjoy, you can here.

Gender Mix

Because people tend not to be able to do everything and achieve their objectives, all the time, always correctly, by themselves, they form teams. These teams will always have some tasks to do. Some tasks are hard labour, building something tangible, actually producing something. Other tasks are soft, like fostering a productive atmosphere, being a cheerleader and motivator, or just making sure all the conditions are correct for performing at peak conditions. Some tasks are directly related to the objective of the team, like scoring goals for a football team. Others have indirect influence on the outcome, for example a team doctor treating injuries.

For me each team has tasks that are better fulfilled by male roles, and those by female roles. Ideally male roles in the teams are responsible for male tasks, and female roles for female tasks. The number and intensity of tasks for each team varies, but they are better served if those tasks are matched to its appropriate gender.

I argue that all teams have both male and female tasks to fulfill to achieve their objectives. I argue successful teams have the right team member gender mix, and each member is doing their appropriate tasks as well. I posit that unsuccessful teams have not matched their team make-up: so male roles performing female tasks and vice versa, or nobody picking up tasks, because the role cannot be fulfilled correctly.

I do see that while in far and away the most cases men should be filling male roles, and women female roles, it is not necessarily always the case. If a woman is the best person suited to fulfill a particular male role in a particular team, then she should do it. Obviously all teams should have roles to cover all tasks necessary to achieve the desired outcomes.

Ideally I still would see some mix expressed in a men to women ratio, rather than male to female (which is harder to quantify - and would only apply to specific gender-biased situations anyway, e.g. sports teams, fraternities and sororities, religious groups). Probably along the lines of one woman for every four people in a team. If the ratio goes to more women, cliques will form that hurt productivity. If the ratio goes to less women, then there's likely not enough people to fulfill the female roles.

So what do you think is the ideal team ratio in your line of work?

Always An Out

Once you move beyond a certain level in your career, you have to make a choice. Forge a strategy to progress, or don't. The latter leaves it up to whatever higher power you follow, how far you'll get in your career. The former puts you in the driver's seat.

The thing with strategies is that they might not pan out. Depending on visibility or importance of saving face, losing varies from indifferent to severely damaging to one's career. And so strategists will also try to gauge their outs. "What are the possible outcomes of my strategy, and do I need an escape plan should those turn out negative."

Of course, when you really look at the big picture, do you really NEED those outs? Does anybody CARE if you have outs?

The informed strategist can estimate the chances of success, the risks involved, and apply proper actions and mitigations depending on what comes along and what the results are.

The truly enlightened has only one course of action.

Right or Wrong versus the Bigger Picture

Some people want to be right all the time; some people want to prove others wrong. They'll go the lengths of the earth to do that. They'll claw and bite and bitch and moan... and most of the time they are looking at verdicts, acknowledgements, arguments which make sense to them.

But in the end, what does it really matter if you are right or wrong? Are you going to be happy, and will anybody care? Is the world really a better place if you are proven correct?

Too bad the people looking at the big picture always are either self-righteous douchebags, or indifferent bastards.

Questions about success

If you want to be successful, there's a price to pay. There's sacrifices to make. However is losing common sense one of them? Do you need to leave the personal behind? Remove yourself from the human interest, and focus on the business at hand?

Managers always talk about needing to have a helicopter-view, have broader perspective, taking more interests to heart, than just the petty rumours and gripes. Does that mean you also start seeing people as mere numbers? I understand you need to be ambitious and tenacious, but do you have to be ruthless?

Success is a choice. You can make it easier if you are willing to cross some borders, crush all opposition, be business-like, even if it makes you a douche. But success can also be attained while remaining true to yourself. You can be demanding, but respectful. It's a harder path to follow, and not for the impatient. But it is ultimately far more rewarding.

The taste of Japan

Japanese tastes are becoming more popular in Holland. Sushi, Shabu Shabu, teriyaki crisps, but I doubt wasabe Kit Kat will get the same reception.

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