Microsoft chose N5 Now as startup of the year in Latin America and the Caribbean and the region’s press echoed the news (thanks scope, iproup, infotechnology, la voz de chile, Yahoo News, Investing and many others).
Many journalists called us to find out the secret that allowed us to be chosen from 4,400 participants from 100 countries and we had a heated internal debate to see if we would reveal it.
And at first we doubted, not out of selfishness, but out of a sense of responsibility. The secret is so powerful that everyone who knows it will win the award next year, and we’re thrilled to think that Microsoft will run out of budget for trophies.
A few years ago, and after 20 years as a bank executive, I accidentally stumbled upon the following video that changed my life forever. I knew that in just 59 seconds I had found the philosopher’s stone of entrepreneurship and that, following its teachings, I would achieve what I set out to do in the world of technology, regardless of my experience.
Without further ado: the video (it’s a scene from “the bone yard”, season 2 episode of the NCIS series); and then careful analysis to help them digest the immeasurable density of knowledge that emanates from him in less than a minute.
The video is a mixture of documentary and hyper-realistic representation of a cyber attack, but its teachings are useful for any project in the technology area.
- When in doubt, isolate the node and turn it over to the other side of the router. This applies to any complex technological scenario. Sometimes I go to meetings where our architects and technical leaders discuss things like “the configuration of the Kubernetes pod autoscaling according to the volume of Alpha-Now events” and I (still not knowing the meaning of all those words except the prepositions) tell them ” they tried isolating the node and dumping it on the other side of the router? The very long silence of admiration that occurs is usually the most rewarding of the day.
- Keep hardware spending to a minimum. Like the Russian rifles in the Battle of Kharkov, one keyboard is enough for two people. In fact, it is the fastest and most productive type of typing.
- Many people are not able to differentiate a videogame from a cyberattack. Watch as Tony happily continues to eat his minimalist sandwich while his classmates type in madness. You can always install a Sacoa sign on your office door and many people will happily elbow for weeks thinking that you are saving the princess in Super Mario Bros.
- The last advice is exclusive to the highest leaders of the company. Walk casually between the different work teams while observing your people. As soon as you see one (or two) typing at full speed and looking deeply concerned, disconnect the monitor. From a cyberattack to a problem on a server, everything is solved by interrupting the electrical power of a peripheral. (If there are three typing, it is already advisable to cut the cable with a scissors, for a more permanent solution).
I was left thinking that someone might be disappointed to read the entire note and not see real advice.
So let me finish with two.
- The first one is based on the video: Working as a team with a generous spirit. When Abby faces a problem, her partner Tim helps her instantly. When they believe they have solved it, the two assume that the success was the other’s.
- The second tip is simpler: Don’t take the videos too seriously, or the grades… or the awards.
Until next time!!
