A while ago I was talking to a manager about some concerns they had about their “senior tech person”. They knew this person was very knowledgable, but there was a … Continue reading The secret skill of the senior tech person
Category: Industry
Working with charismatic leaders
It’s often great to have a charismatic and influential team member. Things get done quickly—possibly miraculous things, that people never before thought possible. There’s an excitement about the place. If … Continue reading Working with charismatic leaders
Empathy from in-person working
A lot of people I meet—particularly very senior people, not so much others—talk about the efficiency and productivity benefits of working together in-person. For example, they talk about the ability … Continue reading Empathy from in-person working
Innovation doesn’t need to be dramatic
A long, long time ago there was a new thing called “blogs”—a kind of page or website run (at that time) by a fairly small number of people. This was … Continue reading Innovation doesn’t need to be dramatic
Speed and simplicity beat elegance and completeness
I’ve hitched a ride on a few technological bandwagons over the years. Some of those have lasted and some haven’t. In particular I remember CORBA, SOAP and EJBs. Once upon … Continue reading Speed and simplicity beat elegance and completeness
An example of good product management
I’ve spoken a lot in the last few articles about the work of good product managers, and how they deliver more than just features—things such as security, reliability, performance, and … Continue reading An example of good product management
Taking a stand
As Russia attacked Ukraine a few days ago, and generally horrified the world, I encountered some discussion about the extent and value of sanctions. The discussion was about the rights … Continue reading Taking a stand
Society inside companies
Last week the small but influential software company, Basecamp, made some internal policy changes. You can read their (much-amended) public announcement, as well as some well-informed background and a follow-up. … Continue reading Society inside companies
Companies taking a stand is basic humanity
In recent days a number of high-profile US corporations have publicly criticised lawmakers in the US state of Georgia for implementing voting laws that particularly penalise voters of colour. The … Continue reading Companies taking a stand is basic humanity
Tweaking the variables of transparency
I’m a big fan of openness and transparency; hiding things creates extra work, and showing others what’s going on in our world can allow them to help us, or at … Continue reading Tweaking the variables of transparency
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