The Midas Rule

It's Like Science

2016-05-20T07:55:00.003-07:00

The Midas Rule, like science, doesn't care if you do or believe in it or not.

Social and Corporate Gatherings

2014-06-01T17:41:00.001-07:00

Q: How can you find out where everyone's meeting up before the big off-site team event?

A: By Midas Rule. Look for either those with "project" in their title or the most social you know. They will either be there first and care/know enough to pick a spot.

Whoever Cares

2014-03-08T00:48:00.001-08:00

Sometimes just by caring the most you don't get to decide. But there might be a happy ending anyways.

Musical airplane chairs.

I came to my seat at 30C, where a fellow passenger got the row and aisle mixed up. I point out the swap, am fine either way, and end up with the aisle.

The nice dude in 31B swaps with 30B (now filling our aisle) to let a mom sit with her kid behind us.

But then flight attendant offers exit row and 30 is back to 2. Nice dude gets leg room, mommy and kid sit next to each other, and fellow passenger and I marvel at the small triple win from being nice all around.

The Little Red Hen, a Lesson in Poor Project Management

2013-11-02T14:24:00.001-07:00

The Little Red Hen is a story about getting back what you contribute, or so it seems.

The Little Red Hen wanted to make bread and asked her barnyard friends to help.

At each step from harvesting the wheat, to grinding it at the mill, to kneading the dough and baking the bread, she asksed her farmyard colleagues if they'd like to help.

"Not I," said the dog, pig, horse, cow, and anyone in ear shot to each request.

So naturally, when it was time to eat the bread, only the Little Red Hen and her kids got to partake in rewards.

Fair enough? Yes, but she missed an opportunity to educate, motivate, and encourage others in the process.

Imagine if instead, she had the dog help in a way he liked? Perhaps he could announce the bread making project or fetch ingredients. Maybe the horse could have helped at the mill? The cow could have brought milk. And so forth.

Barnyard and human colleagues might not like certain parts of the bread-making process, but a good leader would encourage others to help on ways they best can following the Midas Rule. For the menial tasks no one wants to do, the hen could have encouraged and incentivized participation with intermediate rewards, rather than the final bread at the very end of the projects.

There are so many ways to get a team to work together, resorting to a "I told you so" after-the-fact approach wasted everyone's time and an opportunity to share the bread-making love.

Leading Horses to Water

2013-11-02T14:11:00.001-07:00

I believe the saying is, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."

No, absolutely not.

But by Midas Rule, you can...

Make your water the best water around
Find and bring thirsty horses to the water
Personalize the water drinking experience to the horse
Meet what needs the horse has and encourage the horse to tell other horses about the best, personalized water drinking experience that's great for thirst horses.

In a zero-sum, gift economy water-drinking environment, you can learn and share about horse behavior and water hole best practices to meet your mission of providing water to the horses.

Anything You Can Do...

2013-08-27T17:15:00.004-07:00

It's good to use the Midas Rule to find the right people to do the right work. I sometimes get carried away with the feeling that just because I'm willing and excited to do something suggests I'm qualified to do so.

The proper adjustment for such an attitude is to claim Midas Rule to decide the direction of a project but then find the right people to do the right work. The approach, the standard, or the process you're thinking about may already exist.

Don't fight your process, your team, or or organization in pursuit of the Midas Rule, work with them! Need a tool? Ask around if you someone uses something similar already. Want to improve or fix something? You might have a department, process, or guide in place.

By asking and giving others the opportunity to claim Midas Rule, you'll have the most motivated, enthusiastic, and qualified people working on things that matter to them. Just be sure to give the credit away and if the responsible people aren't interested, well then Midas Rule anyways. You'll find a way to make it work.

On Urban Dictionary

2013-07-28T07:52:00.001-07:00

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Midas%20Rule

Whoever touches something first and cares the most gets to decide what to do with it.

Use the Midas Rule to encourage others to go ahead and work on what they want, or when someone's being lazy.

"Can I work on this project?" or "It'd be great if someone fixed this bug."
"Yes, by Midas Rule, feel free to work on that."

"Mom, I'm hungry."
"Yes, son. You're 16, by Midas Rule I'm sure you can find something to eat."

Petroleum Rules

2013-07-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's not golden, it's not the Midas Rule, it's the Petroleum rule. This is an stinky, ugly rule that has value in certain context.

Do unto others what they would have done unto you, but first.

Escape Peter's Principle with the Midas Rule

2013-07-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

Peter's Principle is the idea that people rise to their level of incompetence. It's based on the premise that people progressively get rewarded for doing well in roles. Eventually people get promoted into roles they don't quite fit.

For example good students don't always make good teachers. Good teachers may not have the right skills to be good principal.

One way to stick with what you're good at is to feign incompetence in the next possibly poor fitting role. The Midas Rule lets you adjust Peter's Principle by keeping you focused on the things that matter to you.

By Midas Rule, stay focused on what you want to do. Find more than a job or even career, find your true calling and vocation, by Midas Rule.

Midas Rule and Training Others

2013-07-02T13:10:00.002-07:00

"By Midas Rule, I'll take care of this."

But if you really really care about something and/or want to work with it first, you'll also make your path easy-to-follow. You care so much that you will go out of your way to:

Describe or document your steps
Explain, teach, or mentor others to do the same
Encourage others to do the same

This is the bright side to Midas rule. You do so much and know so much, but you don't point out that you're the expert.

Instead you say, "you can be an expert." You apply the Midas Rule to your peers, encouraging them to take ownership and find their path.

Leave a legacy and culture of proactive ownership by being a good steward of the things you care about the most.

Midas Rule in the BDFL Title

2013-05-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia (an nice example of the "whoever cares the most" part of the Midas Rule), The Benevolent Dictator for Life or BDFL title is "given to a small number of open-source software development leaders, typically project founders who retain the final say in disputes or arguments within the community."

This lines up with the "first" and "cares the most" parts of the Midas Rule.

The Midas Rule "Whoever touches something first (takes initiative) and cares the most gets to decide what to do with it.

Apparently though, sometimes it's for life.

And that's a good thing. Go, perform your alchemy and touch, experiment with, and break stuff. Take ownership. Start your own projects or support others. The only legacy you'll leave behind is in what you worked on, what you cared about, and how you impacted others.

You're Good! Could You Help Me...

2013-05-15T11:34:00.001-07:00

This is a tough one. Ever get this request-wrapped-in-a-compliment?

Wow, you're so good at that! Could you do the same for me?

Variations include:

You're so responsible that I put you in charge of this very-important-task.

You're so recognized by your community. Could you share some information about my service or product?

By Midas Rule, I'm glad to take the responsibility. I'm glad to point out interesting services or products.

But by Midas Rule, be careful because I may not meet your expectations; I'll take ownership of the task or describe your service or product in the way that works for me. As needed or if asked, I'll reveal your request and disclose our relationship. And by including me in your project or campaign, don't be surprised when I give you feedback as I become part of your people, process, or technology.

By Midas Rule, you can ask for the what. If I agree, let me deal with the how. Oh and thanks for the compliment, by the way.

If you're getting the requests, appreciate the recognition. Despite the snarkiness in the post above, getting responsibilities and requests is a sign that you're trusted. In a zero-sum game where we can all win in this new gift economy, you don't always have to fight requests for your time or reputation or expertise. Leverage the requests and bring those that ask of your time into the activities you find interesting. The by Midas Rule, we all win.

Teach a Man to Fish?

2013-04-10T08:06:00.004-07:00

The Midas Rule lets me paraphrase the famous phrase about teaching others.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

How about:

"Give people fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them... to fish, hunt, or farm whatever-the-hell they want and you've spread the Midas rule.

Magnetic Midas

2013-03-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

This is the Magnetic Midas rule, I learned from a previous boss:

If you do well at something, you get to keep doing it.

This complements Peter's Principle concept of rising to one's level of incompetence. Sometimes you want to avoid the appearance of being good at something. Other times that's what you want to do.

Midas Rule isn't about who you are, it's about what you do. Now go forth and touch things!

Whiners, Complainers, and Stakeholders

2013-03-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

Midas Rule applies when addressing what sounds like whining. It applies less to legitimate complaints, especially from stakeholders.

But how can you tell if it's whining? Are these whining statements?

"I don't like what's for dinner."
"This software should do this."
"No one remembered my birthday again!"
"Aw, I stepped in poo."

You might be responding to a whine if you want to say, "it's your own fault," "do something about it," or "what do you want me to do about it?"

However, it's not a whine if you should be responding to this person or someone is responsible for the problem. For example:

"I don't like what's served, this is not what I ordered."
"This software should do this, as described in the requirements."
"Mommy, why didn't anyone come to my birthday party?"
"I stepped in your dog's poo."

These aren't whines, they're legitimate complaints. You don't say, "By Midas Rule honey, you should have invited your preschool friends to your party."

How do we tell the difference? Whining is easy and sometimes fun, but it doesn't fix things.

Legitimate complaints are made by actual stakeholders that have a vested interest in the results and you're responsible to help in the situation.

If your competition complains about your product or service, you don't have to listen to them.
If your employees complain about your product or service, you might consider what they say and maybe by Midas Rule, you let them improve it.
If your customers or other important stakeholders complain about your product or service, be very careful when to apply Midas Rule on them.

But by all means, take the initiative and care enough to call Midas Rule for yourself to find a way to fix it.

List of Things That Midas Rule Doesn't Apply To

2013-02-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

Most project management processes include a step where team members identify things like scope and expectations in addition to the project "deliverables."

Depending on your environment, a deliverable might be called a:

Activity
Documentation
Milestone
Requirement
Story
Task

Who might include either a list of types of things that the Midas Rule applies to or even better, a List of Things That Midas Rule Doesn't Apply To.

Example:

Your preference for working hours may or may not apply depending on the type of work and work environment
Whether you work in person, at a specific location, or remotely from home
How you dress, what and where you eat, or who you associate with (note a list of "Midas Rule applies" things could get very long)

The List of Things That Midas Rule Doesn't Apply To, might be better phrased as, "We Need Consensus on These Important Things." Everything else, Midas Rules unless there's a problem.

Let Me. No Let Me!

2013-02-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

The Midas Rule doesn't work well with critical decisions that need consensus and agreement from participants.

Examples for when you should avoid claiming Midas Rule:

When someone or some group is specifically responsible for a decision
Relocating the family, the business, or someone's parking spot
When multiple people want different outcomes

If your actions would create an unfair burden on someone else, you're just bullying when saying, "I care so much about this you just have to do it my way." Midas Rule doesn't apply.

Sometimes you might give permission via Midas Rule but multiple people want different outcomes for the same thing:

"Let me choose!"
"No let me choose!"

Then:

That thing was apparently more important than you had assumed
Ideally, get the people to work together. If you care about the process and getting a win-win, then by Midas Rule work it out together, as a team.
Add the thing to the List of Things That Midas Rule Doesn't Apply To

Someone might Trip on This!

2013-02-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

When people voice their complaints or issues, it sometimes makes sense to call "Midas Rule" and encourage them to fix the problem themselves.

For example when someone says, "Someone might trip on this toy" they are either:

Asking someone else to pick up the toy
Complaining about a child or the tidiness of the child's parent

If the person pointing out the toy can easily pick it up, is being lazy, and/or is responsible for cleaning up the floor, by all means use the Midas Rule to encourage them to pick it up:

"By the Midas Rule, you have the ability to pick up the toy and you obviously care about it, please pick it up."

If on the other hand, Midas Rule doesn't apply if the complainer happens to be any of the following:

Your mom or other older relative
Your significant other or wife (the correct response is either "yes dear" or getting the child to pick up the toy)
A young child who can't possibly move the toy

One more example:

"Landlord, my roof is leaking!"

Incorrect response: "By Midas Rule, feel free to fix it."

Better: "We'll send someone over and fix it first thing tomorrow."

The tenant might reply, "That's too late, by Midas Rule I'll fix it now and send you an invoice."

The landlord could even claim Midas Rule once more with, "No that's okay, I send someone right over."

See? It's a combination of who gives a shit more plus who's responsible for the issue.

Can I Work on This?

2013-02-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

The Midas Rule lines up with Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People especially when the requester/complainer is highly invested and everyone else has a lower investment in the request or idea.

So rather than going for a complete understanding, win-win, synergistic solution, Midas Rule creates a win-whatever.

It's win for the requester/complainer.
It's whatever-I-don't-care for everyone else.

So when volunteers ask, "can I work on this (thing no one else cares about)?" In low investment, non-controversial situations, sure by all means do what you'd like by Midas Rule.

As another example, when my Baby Sugar Mama Significant Other (BSMSO) asks, "what do you want to it?" I usually say, "chicken."

Honestly, I'm more interested in getting food and enjoying the company rather than what the actual food is. By Midas Rule, my friends and family usually decide dinner.

First Make it Worth Your Time

2013-01-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

Posted this to the PowerTools open source project discussion to encourage others to work on what they'd like to.

"...Midas Rule of Open Source Projects applies--work on what you like, when you can. Time's short. Make it worth our time by first making it worth your time."

Sometime after this inspirational advice someone checked in code to the project. Coincidence? I think not.

What is the Midas Rule?

2013-01-26T20:37:00.001-08:00

The Midas Rule is the observation that those that start something or care the most get to choose the direction of something. I described it as:

"Whoever touches something first (takes initiative) and cares the most gets to decide what to do with it."

It's the reward for being proactive, having passion, and taking action. It's a proactive way to give members of a group permission to work on what matters to them. The Midas Rule applies best in:

Informal groups and scenarios that operate under consensus or lack formal leadership
High-trust environments, where individuals are allowed freedom to Do the Right Thing
Situations when other individuals don't care or lack time to contribute to the something

I first used it describe my experience with Open Source software, specifically for extensions to SDL Tridion, an enterprise Content Management System (CMS).

I'll post some example of how to best use as well as some real-life examples on this blog. There are two ways to use "Midas Rule:"

To proactively give people permission to work on something they care about.
To reactively encourage people to work on something they have opinions about.

The Midas Rule has become a familiar phrase among some of my peers, maybe by the Midas Rule I can spread the meme and give others permission to take initiative on things they care about. Sometimes the hardest part of doing anything is giving yourself permission.