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Dry Shampoo: The Great Equalizer Between Men and Women
Bethany Crystal – Jan 19, 2019
I don’t like to brag, but I like to think of myself as above average speediness in terms of how long it takes to get dressed in the morning or get ready for a night out. I’m often lauded at [...] Read more
Organizational resiliency
Bethany Crystal – Jan 18, 2019
Earlier today, my colleague Nick wrote a blog post on the importance of resilience in the long-term success of decentralized systems. As he puts it, if technical systems and protocols fail to adapt and change over time, it’s unlikely that [...] Read more
The Worst Way to Apply for a Job You Really Want
Bethany Crystal – Jan 16, 2019
About 10 years ago, when I was trying to move to New York City, I really *really* wanted to work for a certain company. Let’s call it Dragon Co. I’m telling you, I was a little obsessed with the idea [...] Read more
Hamilton in Puerto Rico: The Eye of the Hurricane
Bethany Crystal – Jan 16, 2019
I love invited dress rehearsals. I’ll never get tired of being a part of a work in progress or helping “beta test” a new work of art. I love watching the faces of the actors on stage as they finally [...] Read more
Saying it’s okay when it’s really not
Bethany Crystal – Jan 16, 2019
Stop me if any of these sound familiar: Scenario 1: Work connection cancels / reschedules a meeting on you for the third time in the row. You: “All good!” Scenario 2: Friend outright stands you up for dinner; says they [...] Read more
Measuring the impact of a VC platform strategy
Bethany Crystal – Jan 14, 2019
Yesterday I joined into a pretty extensive Twitter thread about the importance of “platform efforts” at venture capital firms — or, the post-investment value add engagement work that I do on the Network team at USV. In this thread, folks [...] Read more
Beware of “nostalgia creep”
Bethany Crystal – Jan 13, 2019
You’ve probably heard of “scope creep” — when you tack on extra features or add-ons to the initial scope of a project. The more you add in, the more complicated the project becomes, and the greater the risk that deadlines [...] Read more
What does it mean to be on a board?
Bethany Crystal – Jan 10, 2019
I joined two non-profit boards in 2018. The first, as a director at large for the Northwestern University Alumni Association, where I went to school. This was perhaps the more obvious transition. I’ve been volunteering as an alumni leader in [...] Read more
Forming “accidental communities” with strangers
Bethany Crystal – Jan 9, 2019
It was one of those rare nights out where everyone at the bar was raptly a part of the same conversation. “Okay, okay, I’ve got another one!” I exclaimed. The bartender refilled the patron’s wine to my left, and the [...] Read more