Living is going from cradle to grave with time passing in true linear fashion. I’ve noticed that people treat life and people linearly, but I wonder whether that makes sense. By linear, I mean you think subtracting or adding something only proportionally affects something. I believe often times actions have exponential impact.  

For example, trust is something I really don’t think moves linearly.  Hiring remote workers but requiring a software that takes screen shots on a frequent basis is one extreme. It may seem fair since if they are working, then they shouldn’t have any problem with the surveillance so there is only a minor imposition on the working relationship; however, the requirement tells the employees they need to be supervised constantly which means they aren’t actually trusted. Any loyalty is likely lost in this case since  that requires reciprocity and the employees have no reason to trust someone who doesn’t trust them. The effect on culture is exponential and not some incremental imposition.  

Now, you can “trust but verify” but simply assessing the end work and whether it’s been done. Micromanaging every process really imposes an exponential cost on the relationship. A great counter-example would be Netflix which has a “no vacation day policy,” meaning employees can work however much as they want as long as they are doing their work.  Sounds like a terrific place to work at doesn’t it?

As another example, opportunities can come by exponentially. People may well be right that if they get X degree, then Y job as a result, they’ll reach the next opportunity. I suspect though that it isn’t quite that linear and people often times find themselves at disjointed moments where the next step doesn’t seem that apparent. Life is a lot messier in my experience. As you embrace more serendipity and expose yourself to more opportunities, you won’t just get 1 opportunity for every time you go out looking, but you’ll get many more. The universe “conspires to help the dreamer” as The Alchemist tries to teach. There is a network effect whereby the more people you meet and help out, the more opportunities you’ll get to be helped out.  

Life should be lived exponentially.