Googliness: An attribute you should have

"Oh my God, can you stop with the 'Googliness'? Like, what does that even mean", Graham Hawtrey asked. "The fact that you don't know what it means is why you will never work here", Mr Anderson answered.

"...but to excel at this internship, you are going to need far more than brainpower. What you are going to need is Googliness", Roger Chetty said. "Googliness - the intangible stuff that made a search engine into an engine of change", he further said.

If you are familiar with a 2013 lovely movie - The Internship, you will understand the quotes above pretty well. If you are not, you might be wondering what Googliness means and why it is a good attribute. I have been wondering what it is too.

credits: Dirk's Turf

This is why I went to uncover lots of definitions that apply to this 'mystical' word.

Well, ThinkWithGoogle in an article written by Holly Finn titled: "Missions that matter" defined Googliness as a mashup of passion and drive that’s hard to define but easy to spot.

It is truly hard to define. Jens Meiert, a googler as presumed also defined googliness in her article titled: "The Meanings of Googliness" as:

1. Doing the right thing. That obviously includes not doing anything that harms someone else, or that puts somebody at a disadvantage.
2. Striving for excellence. Mediocrity is not googley. At Google, unsurprisingly, you find the desire for excellence right at the core, reflected by the goal to “do one thing really, really well.”
3. Keeping an eye on the goals. Googliness means being focused, and striking a balance between short-term and long-term objectives.
4. Being proactive. Google’s Code of Conduct says “if something is broken, fix it.” But being proactive also means anticipating moves ahead of time so to take action preemptively. And, of course, being proactive also applies to the business itself—how can we go further, what can we do to get there? Seen from another angle, then, what being proactive doesn’t mean is waiting (beyond reason) for others to make something happen.
5. Going the extra mile. This is mostly found in the detail. It’s my favorite googley skill. Take the following example: Someone emails you for a project change. Such updates may normally be filed through a request management system. One response: asking the requester to file the request through said system. Another, more googley response: filing the request himself, and sending the requester a status update at the earliest convenience. The difference this makes is huge, yet it’s easily overlooked
6. Doing something nice for others, with no strings attached. Being googley means thinking about and doing something for others, and not necessarily expecting something in return.
7. Being friendly and approachable. Google is famous for being friendly and open; it’s googley to be friendly and open. This account dates back before my time but I believe Googlers were at some point explicitly encouraged to just join co-workers they didn’t know for lunch, to talk to and get to know them. That certainly rings googley. Similarly, the most successful managers at Google maintain “open door” policies; it’s googley to be that approachable.
8. Valuing users and colleagues. It’s googley (and something Google “knows to be true”) to put the user first, and similarly to help a co-worker. It’s not googley to let either down.
9. Rewarding great performance. Hard work, though not listed here, is googley. But hard work, and good work as mentioned, should also be rewarded. Rewards can (and do at Google) take many forms: endorsing notes to managers, kudos, shout-outs in meetings, monetary rewards, &c.
10. Being humble, and letting go of the ego (at least sometimes). It’s okay to talk about achievements, but it’s not googley to boast (which can be a fine line). Being googley means thinking of the users, the company, the team, and then oneself. That’s accompanied by the belief that everything else, including rewards and promotions, will follow.
11. Being transparent, honest, and fair. Non-transparency, dishonesty, unfairness, also secrecy are inherently ungoogley.
12. Having a sense of humor. It’s not googley to oppose play. (Notice the number of and great efforts behind Google’s hoaxes, jokes, and easter eggs in this regard.)

credits: Google Doodle

Even Urban Dictionary has the word in its archive. It defines googliness as "having a distinct quality that makes you suitable for working at Google"

SFGate quoted Prasad Setty, Google's vice president of people analytics and compensation as defining googliness as: "being comfortable with ambiguity"

To me, all the definitions are correct. With this, you can see Googliness is somewhat an attribute that goes beyond the norms. It goes beyond working for Google or having anything to do with Google. It is personal. It is a unique attribute for any human. Think of having this cool attribute, effecting a change and making a difference in your community will be so easy. I wanna be googley to the fullest!!! :-D

P.S: I'm dedicating this blog post to a lady who surpassed all odds to create an opportunity where there is none; a hope to the coming generations; she possess googliness. Her name is +Raquel Jacobs and she is a progressive Nigerian youth.

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Smile and be happy

"That you see me smiling does not mean I am perfectly okay, just that frowning or crying will not make my situation any better" - Taslim OKUNOLA (October 2014)

credits: Songs India

Have you smiled today? The day is almost over, so, how many times did you smile today? You had a bad day; someone spoilt your mood; something you expected didn't work out well; your heart was broken by someone you love; you lost a dear one etc.

Now that you have decided to frown the whole day, how has that helped your situation? Now that you have decided to cry the whole day, how has that better your condition? Now that you have decided to lament for the whole day, has the lamentation helped you with your problem?

Don't get me wrong at this stage, of course, smiling will not also help you get out of your problem but it is magic. When you smile, you free your mind from all the wrecks and have the opportunity to concentrate on a way forward. Like a Nigerian musician sang: "Put a smile on your face, no matter condition, feyin e!". Think of how your situation is not the worst in the world; think of how you are not the first victim of that circumstance; think of how you can concentrate to ameliorate your condition.

A friend sent this to me today and it actually prompted this blog post:

"A wise man stood in front of a large audience and cracked a very funny joke everybody laughed like crazy. After sometime, he cracked d same joke again; this time, less people laughed. He cracked the same joke again & again until everyone got tired of it and started wondering what he was doing. 

When he saw that there was no more laughter in the crowd, he smiled and said:"You can't laugh at the same joke again and again but why do you keep crying over the same thing over and over again?"

I still could not find an answer to this question. Would you rather say people prefer crying to laughing? Maybe you will help me out with your comments.

credits: Laughing Diva

You can not expect life to be a bed of roses, so, you have to prepare for the difficult times. Don't be sad in any situation. Bloom with smile and find solutions to your problems easily.

My name is +Taslim OKUNOLA and I am a progressive Nigerian youth.

Check out "Bent but not broken"

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The mathematics of life

"Mathematics is great because so far you are solving the same question, no matter how tedious or easy the method you use, you will arrive at the same answer" - Taslim Okunola (October 2014)

File saved from a Google+ post

It's been long I posted last because I have been lazy. Lots of inspirations but no zeal to pen them down. Mathematics being one of the subjects I love in high school has proven to be a subject that can be applied to the concept of life. Like someone said: "Life is like Math, if it goes too easy, then something is wrong". I basically wasn't thinking in that direction when I was said 'Life is like mathematics' anyways.

The concept of life and mathematics

If life is like mathematics, then what is the question we are solving and what is the answer required of us? All of us did Math in school. We know that when we are given a question in form of word problem or equation, there is always an answer to the question. For subjects like Philosophy and Logic, you might express one answer in a thousand ways that wouldn't look alike but in Mathematics, only one answer will be accrued to one question.

Well, when we are given questions like that, our teachers would have solved it and know the answer. They just wouldn't talk during our tests and examinations but they have a marking scheme with answer. 'Life' is the question given to us and 'Success' is the answer.

The process with which we attain this success is the different methods that we use to solve our mathematical problem (Life). Some use the shortcut method and end up getting a shortcut answer. Some has opportunities like statistical tables and calculators to solve this general question of life. Some didn't have the opportunities and have to toiled and show all workings just to arrive at this same answer. Some made just a little mistake which turned them away from the answer.

How are you solving your own question of life?

The major problem most people are having is using the wrong method. Take a look at what you are doing. Are you putting your best? Are you engaging your intellectual mind? Are you handling your life with your in-born creativity? Are you on the lookout for opportunities? It is very important that you take into consideration, your career and work towards achieving it. You have the question (Life), work and work and work until you get the answer (Success).

My name is Taslim OKUNOLA and I am a progressive Nigerian youth.

Click here to check out the article I wrote about Job and Career months ago.

P.S: Happy Birthday to +Peace Itimi, you rock!

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