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Next up, we have Adam Cuppy. Adam is from San Diego, where he works as the Chief Operating Officer at ZEAL.
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At times, he has a really ridiculous sense of humor, but he's toned it down for the Australian audience today. Adam is also a semi-professional actor and has done everything from improv to full-stage shows. In between being a COO, he still manages to perform a full-stage show every year.
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His talk today draws on his experience in theatre and focuses on how consistent processes build confidence. This is Adam's second appearance at RubyConf AU, so please join me in welcoming him back.
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Well, hello to all of you! I assume if your experience has been anything like mine thus far, it has been enlightening. Full of simple concepts wrapped in a lot of complexity.
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I imagine that you’ve captured all of it, and you have tons of knowledge to take away, am I right? Of course you have! Like was mentioned earlier, as you probably saw in the schedule, this talk is about confidence, and more specifically, mechanical confidence.
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You might be asking yourself, 'What the hell does that mean?' That's a reasonable question. But before we get too far, can we bring the house lights up just a little bit so everyone can see one another?
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Could you please raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like you lacked confidence? Great! Now, keep your hand up if you ever told someone that you lacked confidence, and their response was something along the lines of, 'No, you just need to believe in yourself more.' Now, keep your hand up if you felt that was a total load of horseshit.
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If you’re anything like me, this sentiment is not new. In fact, you get told this a lot. As I mentioned earlier, I come from an acting background, and the two most common questions I get are: 'How do you memorize all those lines?' and 'Do you ever get stage fright?' The response to both of these questions is effectively the same.
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The first is, 'That's why you rehearse!' because there’s an actual process to go about doing that. And the second is, 'Every single time!' But it doesn’t matter, because I’ve done this for 20 years. I’ve been performing longer than I’ve been writing software, or owned a company for that matter.
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What I discovered was that the most successful, consistently confident individuals on the planet are those who have developed routines, patterns, and practices that ingrained confidence into their body. It wasn't just that they believed in themselves.
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Coincidentally, they did learn to believe in themselves over time. Personally, I believe in myself confidently as an actor, but that belief developed as a trailing indicator rather than a leading one. My hypothesis is that confidence is the result not of belief over time, but of ingrained successful patterns and habits.
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Unfortunately, I can't see the lights, but if you've written code for more than a week, please stand up! Great! Now stay standing if you’ve written code for over a month. Wonderful! Keep standing if it’s been over a year. Fantastic! How about two years? Five years? More than five? Wow! Now, who here has been coding for ten years or more? Excellent! Twenty years or more? Wow!
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Now, those of you who are still standing, raise your hand if you feel a degree of confidence now, writing software as a developer. If you feel confident, it's okay; you can raise your hand. Now raise your other hand if you feel like you’ve been learning something over the last two days. So you're telling me that with 20 years of experience, you still had to learn how to add numbers? Wow!
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Let's do this. We can take two plus two, and if we turn it into blocks, we make the left side green and the other side rainbow. Then we'll stack the rainbow on itself. If we start to fill in that rainbow with all the things that matter.
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Imagine if we take those blocks and turn them into the Millennium Falcon. Converting that Millennium Falcon into empty spaces, you’d notice that there are 11 squares that are blue. So let me ask you all, what number won’t divide 11 to create an even number? The answer is 2. Two plus two equals four, which you should know, so please sit down, impostors.
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I say it again: confidence is not the result of belief over time. If that were true, there would be nothing left to learn. All of you have been doing this for a period of time, but clearly that isn’t the case. If you've learned how to drive a car, I'm sure you remember the first time. Everything was new, and you had little confidence, probably thinking, 'I won’t die today.'
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However, over time, you would gain a sense of understanding about how this process works. Today, you could probably eat something while driving, using your left knee and checking your rearview mirror. Your mind creates habits and routines, all because the car experience generally stays the same.
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Now, if you were to switch to driving on the left side of the road, your first instinct would be confusion. You’ve been doing it a certain way for so long, but shortly after, your mind goes through a checklist of similarities and differences. This process underscores how we often focus on the new or different and overlook the many things that do remain the same.
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Conscious awareness of these similarities can immensely benefit us. Our minds are built to allow for these adaptations. But to help it, we need to consciously focus on process.
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Let me tell you a story about Eugene Pauly. He baffled neuroscientists because, after contracting a bacteria that damaged his brain in the 60s, he could never retain short-term memory again. From then on, he lived his life without a sense of time passing. His routine became to repeat things without recalling he had said them just before.
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As time went on, his family sensed he needed more controlled care and moved him. Yet here’s the twist: despite not having memory recall, Eugene was able to navigate his house and make breakfast. This baffled scientists because, even without short-term memory, he was still performing routines.
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They discovered that certain brain compartments exist: one for short-term memory and another for long-term memory. Despite Eugene’s inability to remember anything short-term, his long-term memory managed to retain routines and patterns that allowed him to function effectively.
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This led researchers to conclude that habit was the key to retaining knowledge and developing skills. This brings us to the concept of limited cognition — the inability to remember everything and the frustration that arises during the learning process.
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Stick with it! Even if you're not consciously aware of it, having a routine or practice that resembles a successful model will eventually integrate into your brain. Here are the steps you might consider: First, create a straightforward routine that fosters the success you want.
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Next, find a trigger and a reward. Your trigger could simply be your cue to start or end a task. By combining these routines — say remembering to apply sunscreen next to your car keys — this simple association will help you remember.
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Then, follow through with your plan. Confidence can be automatic, but commitment is a choice. Without commitment, your routine will offer less benefit. Therefore, it's crucial to celebrate your successes and milestones! Jump up, cheer, and create a positive anchor associated with your experience.
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Finally, continuously refine and iterate your processes. For example, how can you amplify your effects? Understand that confidence is linked to successful routines. This is why it's essential to get perspective on your experiences. For instance, one simple symbol can represent different numbers depending on context.
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Providing context and perspective is crucial. If you only focus on what without why, you'll struggle to amplify and apply your new knowledge. So, always remember the significance of context when sharing knowledge with your team.
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Lastly, commitment matters. Whether leading a team or working solo, help your team embrace commitment to improve routine efficiency. Moreover, if rapid changes occur in an iterative environment, be mindful - don’t rush!
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I urge you to visit mechanicallyconfident.com and fill out a survey. It will help me understand what fosters confidence in your life. Thank you for your time! I'm excited about the possibilities of learning together!
