First Principles

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Edition #22   •   3 Dec 2023    •   19 min read

Working outcome-backwards

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there"

by Rohin Dharmakumar

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there"

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Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%],

Good morning dear reader. It’s the first Sunday of the last month of 2023! Where did the year go by?

2023 was meant to be our first “normal” year after the roller-coaster downs and ups that were 2020, 2021, and 2022. Was it, though?

In a few weeks, many of us will enter the annual war of POVs where we have to explain what we achieved in 2023 professionally, as part of our appraisals. What we “did” versus what we “achieved”. What was “expected” versus what was “above and beyond”.

It’s a good thing our theme today—working outcome-backward—is related. (My favourite counter question as a manager when someone lists out their achievements at the end of a year is, “But is this what you wanted to achieve last December?” It’s not an easy question for me to answer too!)

Also, what a week it has been for obituary writers and social media thread creators. We lost and mourned Charlie Munger and Shane MacGowan. We refreshed ourselves on Henry Kissinger.

May Munger and MacGowan rest in peace.

We also got lots of submissions from our subscriber community for #SilentSunday photos and #FPBooks. They’re wonderful!

Don’t ask me how or why, but I managed to score some perfect looking Banganapalli mangoes in December! When life gives you mangoes…

Lastly, I’m delighted to inform you all that Gabru had an emotional reunion with his Goa-returned family after all of three nights at the boarding kennel. He’s back to barking contests with his arch-nemesis, Roxy the Labrador, who lives in the apartment above ours.

Here’s this Sunday’s First Principles newsletter, also edition 22. 

I. Working outcome-backwards 🔮
II. 
#FPBooks 📚
III. 
#SilentSunday 🌅
IV. 
#FPLinks 🔖

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I. Working outcome-backwards 🔮

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