2 August 2027.
If you’re reading this on that date, congratulations! To you, for having good taste in online content. To me, for going that far with this idea. And to the world, for surviving…although I really hope we’ve aimed much higher than that.
the balcony & the dancefloor
Have you heard about the balcony & dancefloor?
Back in Majulah, when we were hiring for the very first time, we had an extremely overqualified, kind guy come into our ghetto warehouse office to be interviewed by some people in our 20s who barely knew how to run a company.
I’ll write more about those times at some point. But to our interviewee’s credit, he both took us seriously while gently giving us some advice.
One thing he told us was about the balcony & the dancefloor. Management – or leadership – was to him, about learning how and when to move between both places:
- the balcony where you get the big-picture, long-term, strategic view
- the dancefloor where you’re down and dirty, executing at a tactical level
We couldn’t afford him. But I hope he remembers that moment as fondly as I do.
welcome to my balcony
I’ve always been a balcony guy trying to learn to dance.
The past 15+ years has shown me some moves – got to be part of a few shows, some better & some worse. I think I can pull off a few dances reasonably well, mainly:
- managing a project
- designing a learning journey
- facilitating workshops, meetings and conversations
- writing proposals and emails people actually like reading
- pipelines & budgeting
- building a team
…and there are others I know the steps to but need more practice or just hate doing.
I needed those years and am thankful for them – you really can’t buy, download or learn experience. Don’t get me wrong, I ain’t done dancing or learning new moves.
But all those times up on the balcony the past years? I really just wish I took way more notes.
Some have balconies. Sherlock had a mind palace. As a kid, I read the Magic Treehouse books and really wanted to have two things: 1) my own magic treehouse & 2) friends to go on adventures with.
So welcome, friends, to Zaid’s growing, living magic treehouse. It might look sparse now but 3 years from now, I hope to fill this space with some super interesting ideas, spell books and memories.
what about the friends part though
What kind of friends am I hoping to make here?
Well…the kind I’m really hoping for are those friends who will write long, thoughtful comments in response to whichever post they want to. Each post is really a fraction of me on a single Internet page. A Horcrux, if you will, for you Potterheads out there.
And I just want to make friends who appreciate my Horcruxes.
Okay let me try to explain this again. My wife H says everyone likes me. I’m not trying to get haters but I’d just like to switch off that people-pleaser zaid I’ve grown up with. The secret of why I never used to dance was not because I didn’t want to (I did) but because I hated the idea of falling and everyone looking at me. Cos really—
In my 20s, I wanted to be a better person.
& now? In my 30s, I want to be more me. More Zaid – whoever that guy is – unapologetically, courageously and sincerely. Making whatever moves I want because I trust and like myself enough to know that I’m trying my best, and I’m trying to do good things.
If nobody is reading this 3 years from now, in all honesty, I wouldn’t really mind. But I hope I’m reading this and 100s more Horcruxes over 3 years of growth and thinking…
man, I like this dude. A little weird, talks to himself, sometimes long-winded and often totally wrong. but I like him.
If the one friend I make over this journey is myself, well, who better to be friends with than the guy I spend 100% of my time with? Any more than that’s a nice bonus.
Thanks for hanging out here in my head. I hope I’ve made some difference in yours.