When they don’t know what to do, they’ll do what they know.
My team once took on Project X, which was vital to the department’s success. We had quite a few other projects going on, so I paused the other projects so we all could focus on it. People were happy with this idea, and that we’d all work together to accomplish it. But after a…
Read MoreAre your engineer’s bees or chickens?
So, are your engineer’s bees or chickens? Well, let’s talk about the differences, at least on my little farm. The ten chickens are kept in a coop in the yard, where I provide food, water, and protection. I check for egg production every day, and I am concerned if it falls below normal. Production…
Read MoreBridging the PM Gap with Rich Mironov
Episode 48 Have you ever been told to be more “innovative” with your code? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus and his guest, Rich Mironov, discuss the all too common disconnect between developers and those on the marketing side of organizations. According to Rich, this is the result of two very different work cultures…
Read MoreHow Core Values Influence Diversity and Inclusion with Kim Crayton
Episode 47 In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus and his guest, Kim Crayton, discuss how organizations are shaped by core values, and why values are integral for establishing true diversity and inclusion. Kim dives into some very uncomfortable truths in this episode, pointing out how most organizations are not actually ready for inclusion and…
Read MoreNo Fighting In This (Agile) Dojo with M. David Green
Episode 46 How can we train teams to consistently produce quality code without negatively impacting productivity? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus and his guest, M. David Green, discuss Agile Dojos and how they can make teams more effective. Dojos provide a six-week training ground where teams focus on recognizing and replicating value by…
Read MoreFinding Career Opportunities Through Experimentation with Josh Doody
Episode 45 Engineers love to experiment, but is experimenting with your career a good idea? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus talks with salary negotiation expert Josh Doody about how this counterintuitive decision can benefit you over the long term. According to Doody, the key is to stop thinking in binary terms of “good”…
Read MoreHow Agile Work Actually Works with Allen Holub
Episode 44 How do organizations actually work with Agile? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus and his guest, Allen Holub, discuss what organizations get wrong about Agile. Allen has been an Agile transformation consultant for nearly 40 years and has seen the best and worst it has to offer. Luckily, he says the worst…
Read MoreLeveraging Remote Work with Laurel Farrer
Episode 42 How do we leverage remote work in our businesses and on our teams? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus talks with Laurel Farrer, CEO and founder of Distributing Consulting, about the challenges facing remote workers and their managers. Despite being around for decades, there are still many managers pushing back against remote…
Read MoreMaking Software Development Teams Hum with Ron Lichty
Episode 41 Is your team running so smoothly that it hums? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus and his guest, Ron Lichty, discuss what makes high-performance teams versus what makes low-performance teams. Most teams already know which category they fall into, but the solution to a low-performing team isn’t always clear. Drawing on 20…
Read MoreBeing Your Own Leader in Times of Transition with Han Yuan
Episode 40 What does it look like to be your own leader in times of professional transition? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus talks with Han Yuan, friend and former Senior Vice President of Engineering at Upwork, about transitioning into entrepreneurship from a traditional job and vice versa. How do you know it’s time…
Read MoreChanging How We Change Software with GeePaw Hill
Episode 39 What if we could create a trade culture that allowed for change rather than relying on mechanical thinking? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus and his guest, GeePaw Hill, discuss how the doubling rate in the software industry has resulted in a complete lack of trade discipline. Drawing on his 40 years…
Read MoreImprove your Product Management with Ellen Gottesdiener
Episode 38 How do we improve in the area of product management? In this episode of Programming Leadership, Marcus and his guest Ellen Gottesdiener, President of EBG Consulting, discuss ways companies can better oversee the development and lifecycle of a product in its entirety. Marcus and Ellen also discuss her Agile Product Planning method, best…
Read MoreSafety not guaranteed
It’s not an act of courage to enter a grocery store. Unless it’s on fire. We expect firefighters to be courageous enough to run toward situations we run from. When the situation isn’t dangerous, courage isn’t necessary. Anyone can do it. When we ask our team to “speak up” with courage, we’re subtly acknowledging that…
Read MoreBuild better relationships through coding
When I first started this list, back in 2014, I wrote that technical leaders should stop coding and focus on their teams. Now, here I am, working as an Engineering Manager, and I’m learning Go and Kubernetes. Why? I need a shared vocabulary with my team to be an effective leader. After all, if my…
Read MoreThe uneven distribution of onboarding
Onboarding might be defined as, “A process of experimentation necessary to learn the unspoken rules, expectations, and norms in a new environment.” Never heard that before? I’m not surprised, as I just made it up. But, let me explain it. It’s a process – It takes a lot longer than you think, and doesn’t move…
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