Dates covered: July 29-August 4, 2019 (week 31 of 52)
Business
How to Do Strategic Planning Like a Futurist (via Harvard Business Review)
Companies need to simultaneously think tactics and strategy, short- and long-term. The article closes with an example of how a golf cart manufacturer could position itself to be useful as things evolve and become disrupted.
Career
Why You Should Stop Trying to Be Happy at Work (via Harvard Business Review)
Happiness is fleeting, whereas meaning is enduring. Focus on getting what you want or need, think long-term, connect and help others, challenges reduce happiness by increase meaning, focus on activities that help you express your true self. To help you determine meaningfulness… 1) keep a journal of activities and how they impact you, 2) align your values and actions when choosing what to prioritize, 3) focus on relationships, not just deliverables, 4) share “best-self” narratives with coworkers.
How to Answer ‘Why Are You Interested in This Position?’ in a Job Interview (via The Software Mentor)
- Reflect an accurate understanding of the job
- Sound interested in doing the work
- Be interested in the the job, not just the company
- Connect it to your career trajectory
- Don’t make it sound too much like a stepping stone to something else
What It Takes to Become a Great Product Manager (via The Software Mentor)
In short… core competencies, emotional intelligence, and company fit. The post goes into much more detail about what those components mean (and don’t mean). Anyone considering getting into project management would benefit from reading this post.
Why does it seem that so many companies treat programmers so poorly? (via The Software Mentor)
The top answer left a lot to unpack — engineers (as an extension of the ever-growing cost center that is IT) cause business people stress. Business people are a source of headaches for developers, as the developers don’t feel appreciated (e.g., “can’t you go push some buttons to do this?”).
To Be Happier at Work, Invest More in Your Relationships (via Harvard Business Review)
- “Effective management of social capital within organizations facilitates learning and knowledge sharing, increases employee retention and engagement, reduces burnout, sparks innovation, and improves employee and organizational performance.”
- Find relationships that are fulfilling, motivating, and aligned with your purpose.
- Have relationships outside of work, preferably by picking activities you can do in a group where you set goals with each other
Communication
You Just Lost Your Temper at Work. Now What? (via Harvard Business Review)
- Be honest with yourself
- Apologize (especially acknowledging responsibility and offering repair)
- Figure out what triggered your blowup
- Be consistent
- Focus on relationships
- Be patient
Culture
Are Companies About to Have a Gen X Retention Problem? (via Harvard Business Review)
“… in the past five years, the majority of Gen X leaders (66%) had received only one promotion or none at all — significantly fewer than their younger millennial counterparts (52%) and more senior baby boomers (58%) who were more likely to have received two or more promotions during the same period of time.” To address this, companies can 1) personalize learning and development, 2) provide Gen X leaders with more external guidance, 3) use data to add objectivity in hiring and promotion practices.
What I’ve Learned about White-collar Crime (via Harvard Business Review)
Mary Jo White (former chair of the SEC) describes some observations about how white-collar crime is a bigger deal in the US than it was in the 1970s. 1) As for motivation, this type of crime seems victimless (as opposed to murder); 2) leaders should make it clear that things must be reported, and by doing so everyone benefits; 3) when it comes to enforcing policies, you must be consistent and “walk the walk.”
The League of Heroic Software Developers (via The Software Mentor)
I’m a Tank, and probably also a Mechanic and Shapeshifter. Protip: Click on the roles, as you’ll see there are other parts of the website that have detrimental developer roles (and other roles such as QC, management).
The Human Skills We Need in an Unpredictable World (via TED)
- “Efficiency works really, really well when you can predict exactly what you’re going to need.”
- There are patterns but they don’t repeat regularly. Small changes can make a disproportionate impact. Expertise won’t suffice because the system changes too fast.
- In an environment that defies so much forecasting, efficiency won’t just not help us; it specifically undermines and erodes our capacity to adapt and respond.
- Just in time management –> Just in case management (generally certain, but specifically ambiguous). We can’t plan, but we can prepare. This is robust but inefficient.
- How do you change this habit in business? Try experiments. Not all experiments work, but they help you learn. These are sources of resilience and strength; they are not efficient, but they help us invent and innovate.
- Every time we use tech to nudge us through a decision we outsource to a machine what we can do ourselves, and it’s an expensive trade off. The more we let machines think for us, the less we can think for ourselves.
- The more time we spend with people that we’re predicted and programmed to like, the less we can connect with people who are different than ourselves.
- What gets left out [of the predictable model]? Anything that can’t be measured, which is just about everything that counts.
- It’s not efficient to have friends at work. Who, then, will give them imagination and stamina and bravery when the storms come?
Generational Differences At Work Are Small. Thinking They’re Big Affects Our Behavior (via Harvard Business Review)
We have five generations in the workforce, and one group makes assumptions about others (stereotypes) and also assumes what those others think about them (meta-stereotypes).
Leadership
How Leaders Can Ask for the Feedback No One Wants to Give Them (via Harvard Business Review)
- Start with the consequences, not the complaint
- Offer workarounds rather than turnarounds
- Suspend judgment; use empathy
Do You Really Know Why Employees Leave Your Company? (via Harvard Business Review)
- How did they leave? (e.g., impulsive quitting to grateful goodbye)
- See what workers closest to the employees have to say
- Examine and learn what the employee does after they leave
Clearbit’s Approach to Management (via Houston Miller)
This is one company’s playbook for how to manage — a “compendium of best practices.” This is a decent collection of things to do and expectations to meet.
What Great Managers Do Daily (via Steve Stamm)
- Lead by example when it comes to working hours
- Ensure an even allocation of work (don’t work less than the people under you)
- Maintain large internal networks across their company
- 1:1s remain vital
- Be engaged at work
Process
Why Self-Organizing Teams Don’t Work (via The Software Mentor)
The Agile Manifesto is often cited as the reason teams should be self-organizing. This article challenges that notion, as there are many reasons why being self-organized isn’t helpful. (The Manifesto’s statement was likely a reaction against how project management behaved at the time of its inception.) “The goal needs to be ensuring that a team operates effectively. That often requires overt leadership, but of a servant leadership and Socratic type.”
Managing High-Stakes Situations: 5 Lessons from the Pentagon (via Harvard Business Review)
- Say something. Feed the beast with whatever you know for sure.
- Do something. Make a list of the most obviously useful immediate actions, and do them.
- Don’t claim things are under control. Promise they will be.
- Take full responsibility, privately and publicly.
- If possible, use the crisis as an opportunity for reform.
This week’s installment from our book club covers chapters 16-20.
6 Reasons We Make Bad Decisions, and What to Do About Them (via Harvard Business Review)
- Decision fatigue
- A steady state of distraction
- Lack of input
- Multitasking
- Emotions
- Analysis paralysis
Software development
Four Better Rules for Software Design (via The Software Mentor)
- Is well-covered by passing tests
- Has no abstractions not directly needed by the program
- Has unambiguous behavior
- Requires the fewest number of concepts
Technology
Building the AI-Powered Organization (via Harvard Business Review)
This lengthy article discusses why AI initiatives haven’t been successful for the most part. Tech and talent aren’t enough — you need to understand the barriers and culture, and how to best apply effort in the right areas.
New Laws on Data Privacy and Security Are Coming. Is Your Company Ready? (via Harvard Business Review)
I remember several attempts at trying to make software engineering have the rigor of other engineering fields; this may be the closest yet — being much more heavy-handed about security flaws.