Software Lead Weekly
Issue #57, 20th December 2013
This Week's Favorite
The Last Re-Org You’ll Ever Do
12 minutes read.
This post, for me, is one of the most interesting articles about building a scalable organizational structure. It contains both the frameworks and the steps you can apply at your company, to imagine a different way to lead your company. I think that every CEO should read this post, as any organizational structure should be driven by business value and the ability to keep innovating over time, rather than applying conventions that will not scale as you grow: "... And that is the central problem with modern corporate structure: it doesn’t get better under pressure." Highly recommended!
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
12 minutes read.
This post, for me, is one of the most interesting articles about building a scalable organizational structure. It contains both the frameworks and the steps you can apply at your company, to imagine a different way to lead your company. I think that every CEO should read this post, as any organizational structure should be driven by business value and the ability to keep innovating over time, rather than applying conventions that will not scale as you grow: "... And that is the central problem with modern corporate structure: it doesn’t get better under pressure." Highly recommended!
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Culture
Fun at Work
5 minutes read.
I must admit that this post was a close 2nd after my favorite post for this week. How do you know how many junior/experiences/veterans employees you should have in your team and what is the "right" ratio between them? Michael Dubakov with a brilliant idea to find that balance - judge it based on your product stage and how much fun people in each category find in different tasks. I would hang the image somewhere in my office as a way to judge our balance while we are hiring more employees.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
5 minutes read.
I must admit that this post was a close 2nd after my favorite post for this week. How do you know how many junior/experiences/veterans employees you should have in your team and what is the "right" ratio between them? Michael Dubakov with a brilliant idea to find that balance - judge it based on your product stage and how much fun people in each category find in different tasks. I would hang the image somewhere in my office as a way to judge our balance while we are hiring more employees.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Why Lean Startup Sucks for Startups
10 minutes read.
Every time a new buzzword meets the market, you will find people who try to sell it ("get a certificate!"). That's okay, as these processes and tools need their own distribution channels, but we should be wary of those who sell the rules and tools rather than the reasons. After all, how many of us implement an entire process by the book? While I don't really agree with the author, I agree with the red flag Andreas is raising. Share it with your team, as it will create a discussion around the pains and motivations, rather than the tools you're currently using. People over tools.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
10 minutes read.
Every time a new buzzword meets the market, you will find people who try to sell it ("get a certificate!"). That's okay, as these processes and tools need their own distribution channels, but we should be wary of those who sell the rules and tools rather than the reasons. After all, how many of us implement an entire process by the book? While I don't really agree with the author, I agree with the red flag Andreas is raising. Share it with your team, as it will create a discussion around the pains and motivations, rather than the tools you're currently using. People over tools.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
First, Let's Fire All the Managers
5 minutes read.
Getting rid of the management layer became a highly popular topic lately, and this post is a great reminder for what managers are ultimately great at - navigate in a world of complex decisions that can have a huge impact on our people. The latter are those who actually get things done and help us win, so defining the role of a manager (or a leader) is our real challenge. Can we come up with better ideas to scale ourselves and our people so management positions will become obsolete over time? Can companies be built from builders and mentors, where management are not giving orders about priorities, estimations and defining the deadlines?
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
5 minutes read.
Getting rid of the management layer became a highly popular topic lately, and this post is a great reminder for what managers are ultimately great at - navigate in a world of complex decisions that can have a huge impact on our people. The latter are those who actually get things done and help us win, so defining the role of a manager (or a leader) is our real challenge. Can we come up with better ideas to scale ourselves and our people so management positions will become obsolete over time? Can companies be built from builders and mentors, where management are not giving orders about priorities, estimations and defining the deadlines?
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Peopleware
Taking to Dos and Moving Up the Y Axis
3 minutes read.
An amazing observation from Fred Wilson on Dick Costolo's interview - focus on clear communication, before you focus on how people are happy or mad at you. If you have some more time, listen to the entire interview. Dick Costolo (Twitter's CEO) is an amazingly sharp leader with wonderful insights on building a company.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
3 minutes read.
An amazing observation from Fred Wilson on Dick Costolo's interview - focus on clear communication, before you focus on how people are happy or mad at you. If you have some more time, listen to the entire interview. Dick Costolo (Twitter's CEO) is an amazingly sharp leader with wonderful insights on building a company.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
How Can I Accelerate My Personal Growth?
5 minutes read.
Auren Hoffman is someone I've been following for the past 6 years now and highly respect. His advices on accelerating your personal growth are golden. The assumptions to make such a huge progress in a short period of time, from my experiences are: you are humble enough to listen and learn, you're willing to work really hard and my own secret weapon - you're willing to do it publicly, by writing and talking about it, sharing your lessons learnt (even if they're ugly). It will force you to retrospect on your decisions and be concise on what you've learned from it. Also, it's a great way to create opportunities and expand your network.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
5 minutes read.
Auren Hoffman is someone I've been following for the past 6 years now and highly respect. His advices on accelerating your personal growth are golden. The assumptions to make such a huge progress in a short period of time, from my experiences are: you are humble enough to listen and learn, you're willing to work really hard and my own secret weapon - you're willing to do it publicly, by writing and talking about it, sharing your lessons learnt (even if they're ugly). It will force you to retrospect on your decisions and be concise on what you've learned from it. Also, it's a great way to create opportunities and expand your network.
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
I Want (Predicting the Future)
5 minutes read.
Fascinating post from Dustin Curtis (Maker of Svbtle) on how to predict the future demand of products by using his vision and imagination to define the things he wants to have. I wanted to share this post as it's a great way to also declare our "I want" at work, to imagine how it could be like working with our teammates and colleagues. How do you want to release a product? To test for value? To communicate your vision? To achieve alignment? Like Dustin said: "But who cares about what is reasonable?"
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
5 minutes read.
Fascinating post from Dustin Curtis (Maker of Svbtle) on how to predict the future demand of products by using his vision and imagination to define the things he wants to have. I wanted to share this post as it's a great way to also declare our "I want" at work, to imagine how it could be like working with our teammates and colleagues. How do you want to release a product? To test for value? To communicate your vision? To achieve alignment? Like Dustin said: "But who cares about what is reasonable?"
Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.
Inspiring Tweets
@KentBeck: I now have my own copy of my favorite Facebook poster. Hard to get used to but satisfying. pic.twitter.com/fh1vm8re4M
@peachesanscream: You've seen nothing until you've seen a picture of a pigeon having a job interview to become a pigeon: pic.twitter.com/gfkUGVcb3p
- 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.