So… enjoy. Or skim with mild disinterest. Both are welcome.

This post is one I would usually take three days to meticulously draft, edit, refine, shape, edit some more… until I had whittled it down to grammatical perfection as the undergrad journalism major in me obsessively requires.

And yet, that is entirely why I won’t.

3 DAYS IS 2.9 DAYS TOO MANY
Spending 3X the resources to increase the quality of an outcome by 10% sounds silly. That’s because it is.

Yet, it still requires chutzpah to knowingly publish less-than-perfect work in the interest of the greater good, i.e. what else those three days could have been spent building, testing and learning.

OVERCOMING EGOS + PUBLISHING NOT-SO-PERFECT WORK
Sabre Labs struggles with this as a team already, mainly because we are used to the expectation of excellence our core businesses rightfully demand in all they do for our customers. 99.9% uptime is no joke.

But our charter is very different, one measured by the quality & quantity of what we can learn and teach others. That requires a commitment to shedding our egos for the sake of realizing exponentially greater progress & learning from the outcome that anything other than perfection offers.

And so, you’re getting the real first draft. No edits. No backspaces. No spell check.

A missing character here & an extra space there should be a reminder as to why our team in Sabre Labs exists at the beloved travel technology company we call home, Sabre Holdings.

And as the Director of Sabre Labs, there is no doubt I have the coolest job in all of travel.  But being quite the perfectionist, it’s a daily struggle. The rest of Labs is also made up of a few closet perfectionists who are just as diseased as I am.

And yet, our job is to pursue anything but perfection.

WE BREAK STUFF FOR A LIVING.
More importantly than it is to build things, our job is to break things. Fast. To make stuff. To screw up big time. And to get right back up and knock it out of the park immediately after.

We push ourselves and our global company of 11,000+ employees to be comfortable with failure through rapid prototyping & aggressive pursuit of what our optimal future as a company holds, because therein most assuredly lies the magic. Therein lie the small misteps as well as the trainwreck disasters from which our company most quickly & most effectively will learn.

See – missteps is supposed to have two s’s.

It’s killing me to refrain from correcting my mistake.

80/20 IS NOT JUST GOOD ENOUGH, IT’S IDEAL.
But instead, I’m trading discomfort in exchange for the glorious trainwreck of 80/20 work that will result.

Sometimes the outcomes of Sabre Labs experiments will be abysmal failures, others will hit the travel tech jackpot… but all will overflow with rich insight that it is our team’s job to not just share, but overshare.

We are showing how low-risk, low-cost experiments bring value to a big company. And through those we teach what not to do tomorrow. How that thing we thought was going to be so awesome, in fact turned into a swift kick in the shorts. And every once in awhile, we remind eachother what it looks like to outpunt the heck out of our coverage.

Ultimately, our team is committed to supporting the core businesses of Sabre Holdings in continuing to be awesome at what they do, while leaving one heck of a legacy to behold in its wake.

The decisions & investments our work will help inform today will impact how travelers connect tomorrow, and that demands nothing less than glorious, glorious trainwrecks to learn from and share with you each day.

SABRE LABS IS BACK.

-SKE

It’s rare to find business leaders, authors or both in one person willing to be honest enough with their audience about their faults & their successes – good, bad & ugly.

Sheryl Sandbery, every Gen Y & Gen X businesswoman’s hero, just so happens to be magical at exactly that.

While only halfway through her book, I’ve already been left to mumble under my breath at least a few times “That’s so true…” and thus this post could easily be 3000 words as a result. But I’ll try to cut that in half & focus on one thing that stood out most.

GYMBOREE APPAREL BUYERS: WTF? Seriously… WTF.

If you haven’t read the book, let’s just summarize this particular event to say that Gymboree sold shirts exclusively designed for boys that read “Smart Like Daddy” and for girls that read “Pretty Like Mommy” as recently as 2011 without blinking an eye.

There is no one else to blame for our daughters’ over-emphasis on beauty & physique as adults, leading to eating disorders & obsessions over thing that matter very little, as well as our sons’ inability to break outside of the gender roles pre-established for him, than ourselves. Every one of us involved in their lives at an early age is to blame – that means just as much me as an aunt as it does a grandmom, teacher or a parent.

We are all to blame for becoming so jaded by the boxes we’ve been put into for so many centuries that we do the same to the generations that come after us without even realizing it.

HITTING HOME.

This example, from clothing sold in these stores just 18 months ago, reminded me of something my husband recently pointed out that I was clearly starting to be bothered by with our niece, his sister’s sweet little girl – a 2 year-old middle child between two boys.

I will refer to her as “Ashley Jane” in this story to keep her digital privacy unspoiled for a few more short years.

But recently when she brought home a new “gimmick” as every toddler does, this time it bothered me immensely much to my own surprise – I usually am bothered by very little that comes out of the mouths of the precious kids I’m lucky to have as nieces or nephews.

But this particular situation involved her repeatedly saying a phrase that went something like “Ashley Jane is Cute Cute!”…while she then awaited your laughter & attention-showering smiles in response as someone had apparently taught her to do.

AFTER I REALIZED WHAT SHE WAS SAYING, I ALMOST LOST MY MIND.

I became furious very quickly at the idea of someone teaching her that this phrase had power, instead of something related to how smart she is… or better yet, teaching her something that actually does in fact make her smarter.

She IS smart – she wants to become even smarter – so why can’t we praise her or other little girls for that instead of the ruffles on their dress or the pretty color of their hair?

TODDLERS ARE CUTE. JUST LIKE 1 + 1 = 2, THE SKY IS BLUE & THE EARTH IS ROUND.

Of course, she is cute. SHE’S TWO! Every single little girl is cute. That’s like saying 1 + 1 = 2, or you should buy low, sell high.

Let’s all get it out of our systems, mark it down as a “W” in your baby SWOT analysis and keep it moving, people, onto the stuff that really matters… onto developing talents and skills that will help her find her true purpose and passion in life.

But instead, just like every other female toddler, she has already been trained to believe that “cute” is one of the first and most frequent positive compliments she will be able to associate with smiles & positivity in her memory in life. We are all guilty of building a perpetual circle of positive reinforcement centered solely around the concept of “cute” for our little girls.

Shame on us.

TIME FOR ME TO STOP WHINING + CHANGE IT.

This is the case it seems with 99% of all little girls raised in the U.S. today. My niece isn’t alone on this topic even remotely, I am aware. But I’m not as concerned with her future, quite frankly, as that of others like her who are less fortunate or surrounded by less supportive families.

Ashley Jane’s parents are both brilliant, loving & supportive Christians who love their kids dearly as most parents do, but also are blessed with the ability to invest the time it takes to raise their kids hands-on and also to provide top-notch education that most children don’t have the chance to experience.

Her mom pursued her career just as passionately as her father did, and I am certain Ashley Jane will be just fine while given every opportunity to choose and be supported readily in whatever she wants to pursue in her future.

But she was the catalyst that opened my eyes to realizing or considering how much things like this have the potential to impact her future and others just like her. It made me realize that almost every girl everywhere is truly told from her earliest memory a massive lie – this fallacy about the importance of their looks.

This can’t help but carve the path and form the habits from which they are forced to uncomfortably deviate at some point in their future if they chose to take the road less traveled & take actions that declare their looks as not the most important.

It’s depressing to consider how awkward of a challenge we have made it for girls to simply dedicate their time, actions & resources in a way that declares their belief that intelligence or kindness is more important than looks or sex appeal… all from the age of 1 1/2.

Today, society punishes them for those decisions, when those decisions are the most logical & healthy choices for women as they become adults.

That’s depressing.

I pray as a mother one day down the road I can contribute to breaking this cycle…but for now I will commit to doing so at least with the two sweet little future leaders I see developing in each of my nieces.

AUNT SAYKAY SAYS “CUTE-CUTE BORRRINGGG. SMART-SMART SUPER COOL!”

So, I made it a point. Every single time I see my niece now, when she says she’s “Cute-cute” and even when she doesn’t, I say in response… “Cute cute is borrring… smart-smart is SUPER COOL!” 

At the end of the day, I refuse for her baby book to be filled with stories of her phrases she was trained to repeat telling everyone how cute she is, diminishing how smart I have no doubt she has the potential to be. Full stop.

Today, we continue to be satisfied raising young women to believe that the one thing most fleeting in life – their looks – is the most valuable asset they bring into the world. We are distorting every woman’s subconscious belief about the true long-term value we have the potential to bring to society… most notably decades from now when we are much less “cute” but exponentially more wise.

This is a cycle we – today – have the power to begin to break with this generation’s daughters. That’s empowering & inspiring.

More to come in the second half of Sheryl’s book, but for now let’s commit to leaning into investing into this next generation any way we can.

Lean into showing by example what it means to put kind & smart before cute.

Then floss the hell out of that smart-smart.

~SKE

Related articles

• Sheryl Sandberg’s Exposition: How to Lean In (alexandragamez.wordpress.com)
• You Go Girl: A Reflection on Sheryl Sandberg’s New Book, Lean In (persephonemagazine.com)
• Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO, Encourages Women to Lean In: Burnout or Liberation? (prweb.com)

All this trying leads up to the vital moment at which you turn to God and say, “You must do this. I can’t.” ~C.S. Lewis

Instead, most of us will invest 4 decades of our careers to accomplishments based on PowerPoint presentations, business requirements, meetings, selling stuff, maybe even a working application… but deep down, we know all are more than forgettable once we retire, and likely even sooner.

I’ve yet to hear of anyone leaving a legacy based on their PowerPoint talent.

Harsh? Maybe. Honest? Absolutely.
Many of us accept this truth – or simply push it down into the depths of our conscious to avoid dealing with a reality that will inhibit our ability to get through each workday.

I know this because there was a time in my career I also felt this way.

I was recently reminded of those experiences when I stumbled upon this quote that relates to finding true joy in life by being used for a purpose you believe in:

“This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap… being a force of nature.” -G.B. Shaw

Pondering this over the break, I was challenged to reevaluate whether I had chosen tasks worthy of investing the majority of my time professionally this past year versus dedicating myself & my career to a higher-level purpose.

While I finally have a job I enjoy more than any other in my career to-date, I know the happiness my job provides is based on the gratification I get out of investing in the individual job, not investing in a greater driving purpose that transcends just one job and defines an entire career – a life’s work, in a sense.

For many women, the mightiest purpose of all is in serving one’s family… and what I don’t have to tell you is that today, at least for now, I am still wired quite differently than most females I know & respect. 

I’ve yet to shake my unwavering passion to serve a meaningful purpose in my career equally to the purpose I will serve at home, leaving me with a desire to dedicate myself to a mighty purpose in both.

And, maybe naively, I truly do believe it’s possible.

The lie we accepted too soon about our careers
Yet, many of us gave up too soon on having both, and we believe our future is set to not include a professional legacy worth remembering, worth talking about once we’re long gone.

We believe our contributions will never be worthy of the history books, and we’ve accepted it.

To those of you in that boat, don’t you dare settle for that as truth just yet. 

That nagging question.
Even I obsessively ask myself, 50 years from now, what will the technical fruits be from my decades at work? What will the lasting impact be of my work today once I’m long gone?

The truth? It will likely be a collection of laughable tech relics that are no more valuable once I’m dead & gone than a carton of milk bought today would be.

That’s predictable in technology. And we also know there will only be one Steve Jobs per lifetime, leaving very few things we build to be relevant beyond our death.

With that in mind, how is the utlimate output or purpose of my career any different from a teenager flipping burgers, or even a stripper? The impact and benefit of a job well done is equally temporary in all three, lasting little more than minutes beyond the accomplishment.

That’s depressing, right? 

So, I began to think about what it would mean to do so much more: What greater purpose am I capable of committing myself to? What lasting impact will differentiate my career from others?

Finding a purpose you recognize as mighty.
My answer is one I’m still refining… but overall is worthy of dedicating a career to: PEOPLE

Not what I build or develop, but what I invest in those I’m lucky enough to be given the privilege to lead & manage each day is the mightiest purpose I can imagine.

This seems so obvious, right? But way too many claim to do this, and way too few actually do it.

Those who do it will be rare – and it’s a commitment I believe to be quite worthy of my time.

My potential impact on future generations rests squarely in what I invest in these people, the example I set that they too believe worthy of passing on to those they will also one day lead.

It will be in the dollars & minutes spent developing their skills, knowledge freely shared, listening actively engaged in, risks taken to create opportunities for their brilliance to shine, the I-sincerely-give-a-shit commitment to push them to be nothing less than they very best they are capable. 

Not saying I’ll be good at it, just that it’s worthy of the attempt.
I believe this is a purpose I’ve recognized as mighty enough to dedicate a career to, even though I can’t say I will actually be good at fulfilling it.

On the contrary, it will be difficult for me to invest the time away from my habitual obsession delivering individual outputs that offer instant gratification.

My career to-date has been built on being incredibly good at exactly that… to invest fully instead in this purpose will require some discomfort on my part to be sure.

This is going to hurt.
I’m committing to doing what isn’t natural, but what I know is best for my company beyond anything else I could invest in… and absolutely is best for those I lead, and also those they will one day lead.

And the end of the day, this is the type of career-driving purpose that won’t provide gratification or visible fruits of labor until possibly the day when I’m not around to see it.

But at the end of a long, exhausting, yet fulfilling career, this is also the very type of rare purpose worthy of tirelessly wearing myself out for… worthy of investing decades of work to refining… worthy giving myself a chance to hopefully reflect back one day far from now from the scrap heap of my career with what I hope is a tired, but proudly satisfied smile.

~SKE

Christensen believes the root cause for the inability to innovate is not framing the problem correctly.

Companies do not understand what is happening with these new technologies…

More specifically, they don’t understand how the adoption of these technologies is changing their customers.

Companies fail to see the weight of the impact of technology on our habits, our behaviors and our eventual long-term needs & motivators for tomorrow that didn’t exist in our decision-making processes yesterday.

 Expensive failure always results when disruption is framed as simply technological rather than business model terms… or in terms that stress the disruption as a “job” customers are hiring your product to do.

There’s a tendency to view market competition through a technology-only lens, which leads to every big company examining simply the new technology, not the assumptions behind its existence. They simply take note of its face-value inferiority to what current leaders offer.

And it then becomes all too easy to immediately dismiss it.

That’s the mistake.

Companies should think in terms of customer context… customer impact… the job being done for the customer by the disruption arriving on its industry’s doorstep.

Otherwise it’s like a group of idiots being so intently focused on critiquing another company’s theoretical shade of nail polish, let’s say for the sake of a terrible example, that they completely miss the fact that hand, with the ugly nail polish, is actually flipping them the F-U bird… while the other hand warms for a sucker-punch to the face ending in lights out, Pacquioa-style ‘ya don’t have to go home, but ‘cha can’t stay here…’ defeat.

With the cold mat of a blue boxing ring pressed up to any company’s face… and blood filling their mouths… its a lot more difficult to go out fighting like the champ they once were & deserve a shot at continuing to be.

Lesson being: Don’t focus on the inferior technology… but instead the assumptions & job being done for the customer that is behind its existence.

If I’ll ever turn away a new challenge…

If I’ll ever stop telling cheesy “dad jokes” and then immediately laughing at them…

If I’m wasting my efforts on things that actually don’t utilize my true talents…

If I’ll ever discover what my true talents really are… or if this is it.

If I’m meant to do something entirely different from where I sit today in my life.

If I’m missing out on my true purpose… and how hot or cold am I, if so.

Just as today those who do so are the kind of leaders worth sticking around for, so too will someone look and idealistically hope for you to be one day very soon.

And then, more so than you will probably ever fully realize, your proactive manifestation of giving a crap will truly matter. It will mean something. It will be exponentially more important than you give it credit for. And ultimately, it is and will continue to be the difference between a company worth leading and a company worth leaving.

I’m lucky enough to have this in my leaders many times over – and I hope the same for each of you today & every one of your professional tomorrows.

-SKE

October 6, 2009: ”Tackle every single challenge you face with the same gusto & passion with which you began your career. Most people typically won’t have much of either left after many years at a company, and your persistently applied combination of both can overcome the seemingly insurmountable obstacles as swiftly as a house of straw is blown away by a strong burst of wind.”