Work Chronicles·1y(comic) Inside-the-box Brainstorming
A comic explores the concept of 'inside-the-box' brainstorming, focusing on workplace humor and the dynamics of team meetings. It is a light-hearted take designed to entertain and perhaps provide a fresh perspective on traditional brainstorming sessions.
Manager.dev·1yThe victim trap of engineering managers
Engineering managers often fall into the drama triangle during conflicts or stressful situations, taking roles such as victim, villain, and hero. This mindset can prevent effective problem-solving and keep teams in reactive loops. To avoid this, managers should recognize when they are in a victim mindset, try to understand the perspective of others involved, and focus on outcomes rather than problems. Shifting from a victim to a creator mindset can lead to proactive improvements and better overall team performance.
Code Like A Girl·1yWhy You Should Speak Up More
Discusses the importance of speaking up in the workplace, particularly for early-career women. Highlights research showing teams perform better when members share their ideas, and reveals the barriers that cause many women to hold back their valuable insights. Emphasizes that hesitation to speak up can lead to missed opportunities and suggests rethinking what it means to contribute in a corporate setting.
The Developing Dev·1yStaff Engineer @ Meta by Age 25
Evan quickly rose from a Junior to Staff Engineer at Meta within three years by leveraging high code output, strong leadership abilities, solving real problems, and seeking impactful projects. He emphasizes the significance of soft skills, technical breadth versus depth, and the importance of pursuing opportunities proactively. His journey included leading teams, handling high-stakes projects, and eventually moving to the startup world, showcasing both the rewards and challenges of fast-tracked career growth.
Community Picks·1yKind Engineering: How To Engineer Kindness
The post outlines how to practice kindness in the workplace through empathy, good communication, and honesty. It discusses the importance of understanding and helping colleagues, giving constructive feedback, and fostering psychological safety. Key advice includes being open, inclusive, and avoiding blame to build trust and improve team dynamics.
iO tech_hub·1yThe power of integrity in both work and life
Integrity is essential for effective leadership and personal growth. The author shares experiences and a framework to achieve and maintain integrity in both personal and professional life. Key points include honoring commitments, clear communication about unmet promises, and aligning actions with core values. Practical tools like using a calendar and task management app can aid in keeping one's word.
Managing Dev·1yOne great question you want to ask during performance review
Learn how performance reviews can go beyond KPIs and deliverables by promoting reflection and a positive atmosphere. Discover a powerful question to ask from Garry A. Bolles' book 'The Next Rules of Work' to foster growth mindset and meaningful discussions.
The Mountain Goat Software·1yWhat to Do When Teams Complain about Too Many Scrum Meetings
Scrum meetings are often criticized for being time-consuming, but these complaints usually stem from misunderstandings or reluctance to adopt agile practices. Scrum requires minimal meetings, with only a daily fifteen-minute meeting plus a few longer sessions at the start and end of each sprint. Effective Scrum meetings occur at the right time, for the right length, and with appropriate focus. Scrum Masters should ensure meetings fulfill their purpose and manage time well. Resistance to meetings may indicate broader discomfort with agile principles. Emphasizing Scrum's benefits like visibility, customer feedback, and team coordination can help gain team buy-in.
Stay SaaSy·1yThis Is How You're Eroding Accountability
Accountability is crucial for scaling businesses effectively. A strong culture of accountability includes clear priorities, regular check-ins, and appropriate incentives. Common pitfalls that erode accountability include neglecting to ensure tasks are completed, frequently changing strategies (strategic whiplash), setting incorrect incentives, and having broken or overly deep org charts. These issues can be mitigated with regular check-ups, structured plans, and clear lines of responsibility.
Organizing Automation·1yIT decision-making
Making decisions in uncertain environments can be challenging, especially when high costs and long-term consequences are involved. Indecision can be detrimental, but having a robust decision-making process can help. The post discusses the importance of distinguishing between one-way and two-way door decisions, advocating for rigorous processes for irreversible decisions while allowing flexibility for reversible ones. Empowering individuals with good judgment to make decisions can increase organizational efficiency and morale, leading to better long-term outcomes.
Manager.dev·1yBeing an Engineering Manager at Meta
Gilad Naor shares three key lessons from his 3.5 years as an Engineering Manager at Meta. First, at Meta, managers support rather than manage teams, reflecting the company's strong bottoms-up culture. Second, managers are evaluated on their contributions to their team’s impact and growth. Lastly, Meta's focus on 'Move Fast' enables rapid development through substantial investments in tools and processes. Additionally, Gilad discusses the high-pressure but noble performance evaluation process, and emphasizes Meta's unique culture of open and genuine human connections.
Directus·1yThe Real Impact of Context Switching in Dev Teams
Context switching significantly undermines developer productivity, with losses up to 60% when handling multiple tasks. It disrupts mental focus, leading to increased cognitive load and higher chances of errors and burnout over time. Effective sprint planning can mitigate these issues by grouping similar tasks, setting clear definitions of done, and creating substantial uninterrupted work periods. Although it cannot be entirely eliminated, intentional strategies and async communication can make context switching manageable and maintain momentum in development.
RUBYLAND·1yOvercoming Resistance to Extreme Programming
Resistance to Extreme Programming (XP) practices can come from developers, management, and tools. Developers might resist due to misconceptions and the counterintuitive nature of practices like Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Continuous Integration (CI). Management often inadvertently discourages XP through individual-based incentives and short-term goals. Tools like Jira can reinforce non-collaborative workflows. Effective support for XP involves inviting teams to try new practices, sharing experiences, and providing coaching and time for experimentation.
