daily-writing

We were trying to solve a problem, but we’re going in circles – generating ideas faster than we could consider them. It was like twelve people playing a game of chess. Some people retracted into the shadows; others advanced into the light. Alliances formed around ideas, advancing them and then defending them. Many times I…

I just returned from attending the greatest technical leadership training on the planet, which has been running for over 40 years. It’s over five days of experiential training led by two amazing masters of technical leadership and human systems. (FYI – This is not a sponsored post, just my humble opinions.) So, now my mind…

Long-time friend, Sam, wrote me an important lesson he realized when thinking sbout how I look for coffee. Sam wrote: One big danger I see in the approach is to scan like this, you have to: 1) be a real expert for coffee and 2) know very exactly what you want. This can be good…

Long-time reader Jim was reading yesterday’s email about baristas from the #1 rated coffee shop in America and pointed out an interesting idea: “One thing I’ll add is that the best shops are often rigid or uncompromising about something that ends up being inconvenient for customers.” I also found many practices of great coffee shops…

In my workshop’s I teach people how to spot and capture lessons from everyday situations.  Below is an example of that sort of thinking. =============== I travel about a fair bit. When I arrive in a new place, I always look for where to get a good cup of coffee. (BTW, I could use some…

I’m reading a few books right now which all running around in my brain, impacting my ideas on technical leadership, systems, software, and people. I thought I’d share them with you, in case you had a lull in your summer reading list. I’m going to give them in the order I started them because one…

I’ve been a jittery, nervous wreck for a week because of the workshop which starts on Wednesday. It reminds me of singing a solo in a Junior High musical – I’m terrified that I’ll forget the words, look like an idiot… or pee my pants on stage. Yeah – you get it: I’m nervous. I…

Most people feel the leader’s #1 job is to get people to follow them. After all, they might think, a leader without followers is… just a dude (or dudette) standing out in a field, all alone. Thus, most leadership ideas relate to the acquisition and use of power, influence, and manipulation. At one extreme you…

I’ve been helping a client hire Engineering Managers the past few months, so interviewing (on both sides of the table) is on my mind. Here are four mistakes to avoid when interviewing for a job. Oh, and if you’re the one conducting interviews, ask yourself how you feel when people do these things. Mistake 1:…

I didn’t write to you yesterday because I had nothing interesting to say. As a young Team Lead, I would not have done this. Back then I believed that saying something was always better than saying nothing. Even when I had no specific ideas to contribute, I would open my mouth and fill the void…

The Beast roamed the office hallways; always seeing, always watching, always devouring. My first encounter with the Beast took place a few months after I joined the company. I didn’t recognize it immediately, due to my youth and inexperience. This was, after all, my first job as a programmer. One Tuesday I needed to leave…

This one’s longer than usual, so you can read it on-line here. Just joining in? Catch-up with: part one part two part three As we return to our story, I want to thank those who wrote in this week. You provided many new viewpoints and ideas of where to take the story. And now, back…

Welcome to the intermission of our story. (Part 1 of this story is here Part 2 is here.) Besides a bio-break, let’s pause and remember why we’re here. I’m here to help improve our technical management and leadership skills. You are here for many different reasons, and there are many of you now (over 5,300!).…

Computer, enter stage left… (Miss part 1?  Read it here.) When computers made their debut, the mathematicians were called in to handle these complex machines. But soon enough the mathematicians became bored and went back to doing whatever mathematicians do, leaving the computers to be dealt with by the electrical engineers. It didn’t take long…

Long, long ago in a place far, far away the Managers told people what to do. This seemed perfectly natural because the Managers were smarter and knew more than the Workers. Few Workers contested this, having been trained since infants by the “domestic managers” (aka ‘parents’), at school by the “classroom managers” (aka ‘Teachers’), and…