Once I adopted this mindset, it was easier to do the "lame" things that were clearly just signalling mechanisms. Better clothes and grooming, a public blog, writing books, leadership in meetups, lots of open source work, conference speaking, reading all the right books, saying the right things, etc. Over time, instead of just doing these for "winning" I grew into someone an order of magnitude better than before I started. Sort of a catch 22.
At some point it's not just signalling anymore. I'm extremely glad I swallowed my pride when I did, and really wish I'd done it sooner.
http://deliberate-software.com/page/books/ http://deliberate-software.com/next-book/
What do you perceive to be the problem with your voice and face?
Quote: The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. – Bertrand Russell