Field Guide to Programmers

Recently, I changed my LinkedIn profile picture to King Moonracer, King of the Island of Misfit Toys. That might seem a little strange in the somewhat staid and stuffy world of LinkedIn, but I wanted to keep my profile in line with who I really am. That's why I added a tag line:

You pay for the brain. Vanity costs extra.

As defined by the OED, vanity is that which is vain, futile, or worthless; that which is of no value or profit; self-conceit and the desire for admiration.

In the world of E-Commerce, there is really precious little time for vanity. Things move at a whiplash pace and the margin for error is small. To be successful, you need people who are focused on the goals of the business and not whether they chose the right tie. E-Commerce is 24-7 (an overused phrase, but apt for this context) and working 9-5 just doesn't cut it. There are some people I'd rather see stroll in at 11AM, knowing that they were up working at 10PM or midnight the day before. To me, it means they're engaged with the real-time business.

Some people get caught up in the sales growth. They like to strut. Hey, I like big numbers too, who doesn't? Yet, while E-Commerce may grow at a double-digit rate for some time to come, there are so many exogenous factors impacting growth that are difficult to measure, like channel shift.

Being vain about growth like this is bound to make you look a little silly in the long run.

I do think it's important to know when you need to be professional, but you can't exchange looking good for performance. It eventually shows up on the bottom line, which is how we should all measure ourselves (and why I charge extra for vanity).

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