Agile
If Estimates Were Accurate, We’d Call Them Actuals (via Spikes and Stories)
I’m not sure how I feel about this piece. Part of me says his thesis is against estimation because it rarely works. Then he gives a metaphor of planning a road trip, and in my opinion, shows why software development is not like a road trip. The only takeaway I got was “work smaller,” but I don’t think that was the point.
Spotify’s Failed #SquadGoals (via Software Lead Weekly)
Another post about how Spotify doesn’t use their eponymous process that received so much praise.
- Matrix management solved the wrong problem. Product managers should be accountable for prioritization. Engineering managers should be accountable for execution.
- It fixated on team autonomy. Autonomy requires alignment and accountability; cross-team collaboration must be defined.
- Collaboration was an assumed competency. Eventually you need middle management to coordinate things.
- Mythology became difficult to change
Business
How Tech Companies Can Help Fix U.S. Health Care (via Harvard Business Review)
- Partner with and empower systems rather than disrupting them
- Rethink design principles; “move fast and break things” isn’t appropriate when lives are at stake
- Create instantly scalable systems for testing, tracing, and isolating populations
- Transition from “sick care” to “health assurance” that’s optimized by virtual care platforms
How Should We Allocate Scarce Medical Resources? (via Harvard Business Review)
- Use Rawl’s veil of ignorance
- Make comparative rather than one-off choices
- Pre-commit to evaluative standards
What Makes an Office Building “Healthy” (via Harvard Business Review)
This article has implications beyond having employees return to the office after COVID-19. A healthy workplace makes people more productive and generally happier. There are also some metrics of how you know you have a healthy workplace.
Career
How to Recover When Your Career Gets Derailed (via Harvard Business Review)
- Take time to rest, gain perspective, and recover
- This could be an opportunity to take a chance on a different direction
- There’s a difference between moving on and moving forward; your painful experience comes with you
- Share what you’ve learned with others
Communication
How to Combat Zoom Fatigue (via Harvard Business Review)
We find video meetings draining because the only way to show we’re paying attention is to look at the camera (“constant gaze”), which we wouldn’t do in person.
- Avoid multitasking, which makes you less focused overall
- Build in breaks where you listen instead of stare at the screen, turn off your camera, or make meetings 25/50 minutes instead of 30/60.
- Reduce on-screen stimuli by having everyone use a virtual background so you don’t feel you’re in many different rooms at once
- Make virtual social events opt-in
- Switch to phone calls or email
- For external calls, avoid defaulting to video, especially if you don’t know each other well
Leadership
Coaching Your Team Through Uncertain Times (via Harvard Business Review)
- Servant leaders help employees explore and grow; reach out them and ask how you can help
- Help employees discover their own personal purpose; people want to do work that matters
- Encourage employees to reflect on opportunities to recraft their jobs; are there other abilities and talents they could use?
Firing with Compassion (via Harvard Business Review)
- Don’t wait for a “firing offense”
- Do be willing to fire friends or family
- Don’t surprise people
- Do prepare and practice
- Don’t hand off the dirty work
- Do deliver the message immediately and clearly
- Don’t overexplain the decision
- Do be human; people will remember how they were treated
- Don’t shift the blame
- Do be generous
Make the Right Personnel Decisions Now to Thrive After the Crisis (via Harvard Business Review)
- Can you repurpose your personnel elsewhere in the market or for another purpose in your company?
- Communicate clearly and consistently with your people; designate someone to understand the “pulse” of the people
- Dedicate more time to learning and training
- Have a clear strategy for letting people go if that’s absolutely necessary
Leading Your Team Past the Peak of a Crisis (via Harvard Business Review)
“In the middle of a crisis, everything looks like a failure. But it’s possible to come out the other end with a strong company — and often with a plan for growth. Companies with a people-first culture can succeed by paying attention to three things: establishing clear accountability in the leadership ranks; developing a nuts-and-bolts, collaborative plan for getting through the crisis; and putting a separate group in charge of defining the ‘new normal,’ when the worst is over.”
Our book club discussed managing growth, getting stuck, partnering with your manager, and finding managerial scope.
Stress
Empathy Starts with Curiosity (via Harvard Business Review)
“One of the effects of social distancing and working from home is that we are left, much more than usual, with ourselves. Which can lead to some loss of our sense of self. Do we even know who we are without all the external recognition? No fancy clothes and cars to project an image. No praise or even rejection. No feedback at all to define us. The author shares how his own emotions have been affected by the pandemic and why he sees this time as a unique moment in which we all need to be more curious — about each other and ourselves.”
To Take Care of Others, Start by Taking Care of Yourself (via Harvard Business Review)
- Start with self-care. What’s your plan around routines, exercising, managing triggers (e.g., the news), staying mentally engaged, connecting with others?
- Ask for help when you need it, and make yourself available to others.
- Listen to how others are doing; they need to feel heard.
- Look for the positive and say it aloud; if you see something good, speak up.