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Eric asked me, “Marcus, why don’t you write about technical topics?  I understand that management and leadership are important but don’t we still have technical problems to solve?” Thanks for asking, Eric!  Of course you still have technical problems to solve.  Architecture problems. Scaling problems. Stability problems. Run-time performance problems. You’ve got an overloaded plate…

It’s going to happen today. Scott, or Jim, or Mindy, or Jessica, or someone at your office is going to want to have that discussion again. You know, the same conversation you had yesterday. Or the same complaints. Or the same unrealistic ideas. Or the same goofy suggestion about something. At that moment, you’ll wilt…

Have you heard of Developer Experience (DX)? Companies like Heroku and Microsoft design their tools, platforms, and APIs for a positive developer experience. They realize that good DX is a competitive advantage because developers have a broad range of choices about the software they use. I applaud this kind of DX, but I don’t think…

Have you noticed that on-line learning courses have exploded in the past five years?  From colleges teaching courses on EdX or Coursera, to individuals learning on Udemy or Pluralsite.  Our ability to learn just about anything at our pace, using whatever format we want, is greater than ever. People close to me have asked, “Marcus, why don’t you…

If you manage a remote team, you need to use emojis. You probably should use them more than you think. Why? Because almost everything you write can be taken multiple ways. And when you have a remote team, you’re probably writing more than you’re speaking. Let me illustrate: Imagine you’re working along when your boss…

Josh told me:”I love working on fun side projects. Sooooo much better than client projects. Like the ping-pong scoring app I built, everyone loves it! I wish I could just work on that stuff.” Generally, when I hear this kind of thing, I think, “Cool, this person is motivated by certain kinds of projects. I…

Leadership doesn’t always happen in front of everyone, in speeches or big events.  Leadership also happens during short, intimate hallway moments when you connect with one of your developers. It could be as simple as turning “How’s it going?” from a time-filling statement into a real question that you’re intently curious about.  A question that causes…

As you might know, I’m building a house.  Well, my general contractor is building it for me.  He’s got a great crew, so I decided to ask him how he interviews. I asked him, “What do you look for to predict success at this job?” He replied, “When someone comes for the interview we chat…

  Kat Lim asked me this great question: “My team has developers that age between 33 to 40 years old. I’m scrum lead (mix of ScrumMaster and tech lead). I try to put the Agile bug in them but still can’t get it done. It’s just they don’t want to divide in user stories, update…

My boss leaned over and quietly asked, “When’s the last time you threw a fit about something, Marcus?” Taken back, I shook my head. “Wha..? Well, never. I never throw a fit. That’s what jerks like Shelly or Doug do with me. I’m better than that. I’m professional.” “Marcus, that’s why they keep beating you.…

In the past, I’ve been too critical of my team, colleagues or customers. And this is hard to admit, but sometimes I brought my critical spirit home to my family as well. Too often I was the father or spouse that was never pleased with anything. It didn’t take long before my influence started to…

Do you care if the person who makes your coffee feels motivated? I do. Because I can taste the difference. For example, if they agree to serve me a Chemex in any size cup, I simply leave.  A Chemex recipe must be tuned to a specific amount of water, and real baristas know that. Unmotivated folks…

The next time you’re in a 1:1 meeting with your boss, ask: How could I make your job easier? The first time I asked my boss that question, he was speechless. After a long pause, he said, “Um… I’m fine. Just focus on your job.” I’m nothing if not persistent, so I asked again at…

Cognitive dissonance theory shows us that when our behavior doesn’t match our intentions, we feel discomfort.  For example, a smoker might understand the health problems associated with smoking, yet may not choose to enter a program to help them quit smoking.  When they become aware that their behavior (smoking) doesn’t match their beliefs (“smoking is…

Will is an introvert, quiet and methodical. He thinks through each move, coding like keystrokes are set it stone. Sean is an extrovert, funny and quick to tell you what he thinks. He talks as he types, and lives by the DELETE and UNDO keys. When my boss worked closely with Sean, he told me,…