Is Technical Debt Strangling Your Department and Your Career?
“It just feels like most of the time, we are trying to crawl up a muddy hill while people push boulders from the top at us.” A developer speaking about tech debt Pat, a director of a team of software developers, cried out with dismay. “What do you mean that technical debt is strangling […]
Make The Audience Part of a Grand Story
“THIS IS THE POWER OF GATHERING: IT INSPIRES US, DELIGHTFULLY, TO BE MORE HOPEFUL, MORE JOYFUL, MORE THOUGHTFUL: IN A WORD, MORE ALIVE.” ALICE WATERS I have observed many all-hands meetings. The mediocre sessions address a distracted audience. The worst ones have an audience who leave with less energy than they entered with. The best […]
Base your Body of Work on Making a Positive Difference
“I ALSO BELIEVE THAT IT MAY HAPPEN THAT ONE SUCCEEDS, AND ONE MUSTN’T BEGIN BY DESPAIRING; EVEN IF ONE LOSES HERE AND THERE, AND EVEN IF ONE SOMETIMES FEELS A SORT OF DECLINE, THE POINT IS NEVERTHELESS TO REVIVE AND HAVE COURAGE, EVEN THOUGH THINGS DON’T TURN OUT AS ONE FIRST THOUGHT.” FROM VINCENT VAN GOGH, TO BROTHER THEO, […]
Focus on the Big, Scary, Long Term Goals
“YOU’LL FIND I’M FULL OF SURPRISES.“ LUKE SKYWALKER Despite how much we complain, there is a joy to working on urgent items. They give us a ready excuse for not working on the hard things. We might shout, “Oh, I can’t work on the crucial long-term work. This crisis must be dealt with quickly!” […]
Everyone Makes Mistakes
“I HAVE LEARNED ALL KINDS OF THINGS FROM MY MANY MISTAKES. THE ONE THING I NEVER LEARN IS TO STOP MAKING THEM.” JOE ABERCROMBIE About 23 years ago, I did a course in software development where I tracked every mistake I made. It was shocking and disheartening. I made too many mistakes. And I found […]
Are You Prepared
“I’VE HAD A LOT OF WORRIES IN MY LIFE, MOST OF WHICH NEVER HAPPENED.” MARK TWAIN Last night, it snowed about 7 inches. The snow was not a surprise, and we were prepared. I was out at daybreak, clearing pathways for all to enjoy. I have always appreciated the Mark Twain quote noted above, but […]
Why Invest $ in Training, Coaching, & Making Leaders Better?
YOU MUST HAVE CONVICTION. THE FIRST SALE IS TO YOURSELF. “THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN TRAINING YOUR EMPLOYEES AND HAVING THEM LEAVE IS NOT TRAINING THEM AND HAVING THEM STAY.” — HENRY FORD Leadership is the number one factor in organizational and team productivity. In one of my Masters of Science courses, I learned an important […]
Thank Some Engineers, FOR OUR SECOND LIVES
“IT AIN’T NO SIN TO BE GLAD YOU’RE ALIVE.” — BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, BADLANDS This Thursday in the United States is our Thanksgiving holiday. This holiday means many things for many people. For me, this is a week of conscious gratitude. Today, I want to thank the engineers and scientists who have advanced the state of […]
That Feeling When What You Delivered Doesn’t Work
INSTEAD, KNOW IT WILL WORK “GIVE THEM QUALITY. THAT’S THE BEST KIND OF ADVERTISING.” — MILTON HERSHEY Everyone in the NASA mission control live feed was in varying states of despair. I vividly remember watching this with the same feeling of worry myself. One of the Mars probes had failed to respond after the estimated […]