The Institute / Principles
People we
want to know.
A person’s work tells you more when you understand the decisions behind it. These are the things we pay attention to.
There is a question they keep returning to.
Their interests have a reason to belong together. They might learn electronics to build an instrument, or history to understand a technical problem. We want to know what has held their attention long enough to make those detours worth taking.
They know where their knowledge ends.
Depth shows up in the details: an assumption they know to question, a method they know will fail, a distinction the rest of us would miss. We trust people who can be precise about what they understand and ask for help with the rest.
They put their ideas to work.
There is something to examine. It might be a prototype, a paper, an experiment or a piece of writing. We like people who can show us what they tried, what happened, and what they did differently because of it.
They know what good looks like.
They can tell you why they made a choice and what they refused to settle for. Their standards survive a change of tools or a lack of applause. We pay attention to the parts of their work they are still dissatisfied with.
They can choose.
A broad mind still has a finite amount of time. We want to know what someone is doing now and what they have decided to leave alone. Their focus can change, but there should be a reason beyond the arrival of something more exciting.
We have to be worth their time.
Our part is to understand the work, make useful introductions and follow through. We want people to leave a conversation with something they can use. If we cannot help, we should be honest about it. Their work remains theirs to direct.