Platform Team Pattern
Pro - Easier to staff Platform teams are typically the easiest to understand (everybody is working on Android, or everybody is working on microservices in node, etc.). Since the tech stack is very explicit, recruiting is more manageable (e.g., everyone can phone screen in theory). Pro - Technology Alignment
Patience is a Manager's Best Friend
One of the hardest things to learn as a manager is to have patience. You’ve likely been told over and over that patience is a virtue. But this wars with everything you’ve done in your career to get into management. All of that was * have a sense of
Teams are people, not resources
I work with people. It’s not uncommon to run across folks that still use the language of “resources” when talking about people or teams. I think this language emphasizes the wrong philosophy. Resources is a “nice” term when you don’t have to care about feelings, people, life, problems,
The first time you manage shouldn't be the first time you thought about managing
Most managers have to learn how to do their job while actually doing their job. This is equivalent to asking pilots to figure out how to fly while taking off, flying, and landing the plane. Unfortunately, every person on the team is along for the ride while their manager learns
Surviving in the Job Market: 3 Mistakes You Should Never Make
I spend a lot of time with people trying to get them to look more than one step ahead of where they’re going. They’re optimizing for the short term - to get through the week and go out on Friday, to get to the next vacation, etc. Most
Teams are People, not Resources
It’s not uncommon to run across folks that still use the language of “resources” when talking about people or teams. I think this language emphasizes the wrong philosophy. Optimistically this is just an engrained speech pattern in people that have been working for a long time, but I think
Stand Out in a Crowd: Tips for Being the Memorable
My son and I talked about him getting a summer job the other day. Around here, getting a job as coffee barista is one of the choice teenager jobs. My comment to him was: Be the person they remember, not the person they forget. What do I mean? There are
Adapting to the Challenge: Why Managers Learn on the Job
Most managers have to learn how to do their job while actually doing their job. This is equivalent to asking pilots to figure out how to fly while taking off, flying, and landing the plane. Unfortunately, every person on the team is along for the ride while their manager learns
I work *with* People
For the past 20 years, I’ve said I work with people instead of people working for me. I’ve been a lead, manager, director, etc. and I’ve worked for my fair share of bosses. I’ve worked for small R&D teams, large contracts, startups, and large
