Software Lead Weekly
Issue #269, 19th January 2018
This Week's Favorite
Stop Answering Your Own Questions: An Episode of “Bad Management Habits”
2 minutes read.
"This is one of my bad management habits. I jump to conclusions. I pretend to ask a question but then make it clear that only one answer can be right... One of the less-obvious ways we make people afraid is by offering our opinions too early," -- I have to admit that this is something I often do as well, and always regret it. We never stop learning. We should never stop trying.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
2 minutes read.
"This is one of my bad management habits. I jump to conclusions. I pretend to ask a question but then make it clear that only one answer can be right... One of the less-obvious ways we make people afraid is by offering our opinions too early," -- I have to admit that this is something I often do as well, and always regret it. We never stop learning. We should never stop trying.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Culture
Me Working on a Project VS Me Trying to Promote Said Project
1 minutes read.
My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
1 minutes read.
My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
How to Build a Company Where the Best Ideas Win (Video)
16 minutes read.
TED talk by Ray Dalio that I highly recommend watching: The concept of idea-meritocracy with a framework for resolving conflicts and setting decision criteria upfront can be powerful tools to scale an organization.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
16 minutes read.
TED talk by Ray Dalio that I highly recommend watching: The concept of idea-meritocracy with a framework for resolving conflicts and setting decision criteria upfront can be powerful tools to scale an organization.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
How to Feel Progress
5 minutes read.
Do you feel it too? "A pervasive sense of overwhelm is common these days. We feel like we have too many things to do, and not enough time to do them. We work tirelessly but rarely feel like we’re accomplishing anything of import." -- physical system or something else, find a way to cherish the path and your steady progress there.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
5 minutes read.
Do you feel it too? "A pervasive sense of overwhelm is common these days. We feel like we have too many things to do, and not enough time to do them. We work tirelessly but rarely feel like we’re accomplishing anything of import." -- physical system or something else, find a way to cherish the path and your steady progress there.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Scrum? Kanban? It Doesn’t Really Matter
3 minutes read.
Maybe it's the fact that I've been working on products for the past 17 years, but I find myself looking into (mostly) "boring technologies" and now - Boring processes. Do what makes the team effective and happy so the company can do well. Make your process compliment your culture.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
3 minutes read.
Maybe it's the fact that I've been working on products for the past 17 years, but I find myself looking into (mostly) "boring technologies" and now - Boring processes. Do what makes the team effective and happy so the company can do well. Make your process compliment your culture.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Peopleware
On Being an Engineering Manager
4 minutes read.
Rui Peres shares his lessons learned from 2017, and so many of them still reminds me of how complex and emotional it is serving a team of engineers, these two above all: "Striking the balance between keeping a good relationship and having a tough conversation is tricky and no article or book prepares you for that." and "That warm feeling you get after shipping a feature is gone. In the half year, the imposter syndrome hit like a train. As a manager, it's difficult to quantify what I, as a single individual, deliver."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
4 minutes read.
Rui Peres shares his lessons learned from 2017, and so many of them still reminds me of how complex and emotional it is serving a team of engineers, these two above all: "Striking the balance between keeping a good relationship and having a tough conversation is tricky and no article or book prepares you for that." and "That warm feeling you get after shipping a feature is gone. In the half year, the imposter syndrome hit like a train. As a manager, it's difficult to quantify what I, as a single individual, deliver."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
When Your Manager Isn't Supporting You, Build a Voltron
4 minutes read.
Try helping managers in your company build the support system they need to operate. It's so easy to make mistakes; it's so hard to know what is "right" for day to day dilemmas. It can be internally, with a forum of managers from the organization, or externally with a coach or a group of people from various companies. This tip by Lara Callender Hogan is critical if you want others to help you more than once: "If you’re asking someone for support, identify what you need before you meet, and go so far as to write down questions in advance and identify what else you’ve tried to solve this problem. Make good use of their time."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
4 minutes read.
Try helping managers in your company build the support system they need to operate. It's so easy to make mistakes; it's so hard to know what is "right" for day to day dilemmas. It can be internally, with a forum of managers from the organization, or externally with a coach or a group of people from various companies. This tip by Lara Callender Hogan is critical if you want others to help you more than once: "If you’re asking someone for support, identify what you need before you meet, and go so far as to write down questions in advance and identify what else you’ve tried to solve this problem. Make good use of their time."
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
A Visualization of the Transition From Individual Contributor to Manager.
1 minutes read.
I kind of wish there was a "contribution visualization" for managers, some way to make it as immediate and clear as committing code. For managers out there who miss these moments yet fulfilled in their role.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
1 minutes read.
I kind of wish there was a "contribution visualization" for managers, some way to make it as immediate and clear as committing code. For managers out there who miss these moments yet fulfilled in their role.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Inspiring Tweets
@candacerthomas: Can I just say that it doesn't take much to potentially brighten someone's day? A coworker went out of her way today for me. It wasn't huge, but it was just enough to lift me up, boost my productivity, and remind me that we work as a team. My Goal: Be that guy/girl tomorrow.
@roidrage: Business networking hack: start every business meeting by asking the other party how their crypto portfolio is doing.
- Oren
P.S. Can you share this email? I'd love for more people to experiment and improve their company's culture.
P.S. Can you share this email? I'd love for more people to experiment and improve their company's culture.