Frank Contrepois

Category: learning in public

Explaining chemistry to kids

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My 6yo was using logic with his little brother of 3. Do you like ketchup Yes Do you like tomatoes No How is it possibleas ketchup is made of tomatoes This is the perfect time to talk about how stuff made from other stuff is not just the sum of the part, but a full new product. It works in food, but also in, very simplified, chemistry: Hydrogen + Fire = BOOM Oxygen + Fire = FIRE (i. Read more...

Too much thinking to sleep

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Last night I woke up at 3 am. My three neurones started running around like crazy remembering all the stuff to do and solving some programming issues I had. What I needed was sleep, but could not get it. So I woke up and worked from 4 to 5 am. And yes this is my excuse for today’s article to be so loosy :) a bientot ps: the next day I was rubish, so working in the middle of the night is a terrible plan for me Read more...

Fatherhood hard task

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Putting myself in other people’s shoes is an effective way to understand and unstuck an issue. It works, and I love it. But when I try to apply this approach with my kids, I fail most of the time. Adults (at least me) and kids do not feel alike. For example, watching the same cartoon five times (and never finishing it) is not something I easily relate to. It is a pity because I get frustrated and do not enjoy a shared activity. Read more...

What to do when doers are unhappy in a one-to-one

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Yesterday, I wrote a post about one-to-one and how to manage them. There is a special type of one-to-one, the RANT. Anyone (me included) can ask for a Rant. It is the moment to complain, be upset, unhappy, angry. It is the role of the listener to listen. I’ve used it many times; it is fantastic and liberating! Read more...

How to do a one to one

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As a protector of doers (i.e. manager/exec), one of my tasks is to allow my doers to talk to me. I do that with one-to-one. one line definition A one-to-one (i.e. 121, 1to1) is a meeting where the manager listens and the doer talks. Advices from experience The manager needs to Listen, with a capital l. No responding to email. The doer should have an idea about what he/she wants to talk about The manager should have some standard questions that are part of the agenda of each one-to-one What brough you joy at work last week? Read more...

Doers and protector of doers

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At work, there are only two roles: doers and protector of doers. When a doer works, it impacts the companies output. When a protector of doers works, it allows the doers to do. Junior people in a company are 100% doers Experts in a field are 90% doers and have 10% of time sharing knowledge Team-leads are 70% doers when they act as part of the team, and 30% protectors when focusing on helping the team perform. Read more...