Business
The Cost of a Feature (via Software Lead Weekly)
I understand the value of this checklist; however, I wonder how many companies have the luxury of computing all of these things with any degree of accuracy. Additionally, many of these line item have nebulous inputs and outputs. (Sure, that doesn’t give people the excuse to ignore them either.)
Collaboration
6 Ways to Convince Someone to Collaborate with You (via Harvard Business Review)
- Sweat equity (i.e., you’ll do much of the work)
- You bring subject-matter knowledge
- You bring process knowledge
- You can connect them to others
- You can help get them funding
- It helps their image
Collaborating with Someone You Don’t Really Know (via Harvard Business Review)
- What are our goals and process for this project?
- Who will do what, and by when?
- What are our individual preferred working styles and strengths?
- When and how will we give each other feedback on our working relationship?
- What do we need from each other to do our best work?
Culture
Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already with the Business Case (via Harvard Business Review)
- “Add diversity and stir” doesn’t work.
- Most of the studies done about diversifying leadership have more examples of correlation rather than causation.
- The benefits diversity brings (e.g., more equality, higher quality work) may bring about financial benefits, but it’s not guaranteed.
- Leadership often only “invests” in DEI because it expects some financial gain; when that isn’t realized, they pull the plug.
- Sometimes diversity has negative effects; you need environments that foster inquiry, egalitarianism, and learning.
- Actions: (1) Build trust. (2) Actively work against discrimination and subordination. (3) Embrace a wide range of styles and voices. (4) Make cultural differences a resource for learning.
- I wonder if a root cause for DEI problems is that neo-liberal capitalism is inherently exploitative, and that if some action doesn’t immediately cut costs or boost revenues, it’s unworthy of investment.
Leadership
How to Lead When Your Team Is Exhausted — and You Are, Too (via Harvard Business Review)
Many found it easy to rally during the early part of the pandemic, when arousal spurred us into action. Riding out the remainder will be difficult, with feelings of fatigue, disconnection, and even boredom. (1) We’d rather be doing anything than nothing. Find ways to work on the important but not urgent work. You need time to recover, but don’t waste work time because things aren’t actively on fire right now. (2) Find a balance of acknowledging people where they are and charging straight ahead. “Stability comes from setting limits, raising the bar, keeping the pressure at the optimal level, and helping each other snap out of self-pity and moodiness.” (3) Look for ways to instill energy in focused ways, not just “we will get through this.” These genuine acts of engagement will help build resilience, which is about treating hardships as temporary and as events one can learn from.
Use OKRs to Set Goals for Teams, Not Individuals (via Harvard Business Review)
Individual OKRs tend to be binary (i.e., I did or didn’t do X) or they are oriented around targets they know can be hit. The author makes the case that OKRs still have value, but when made at the team level where it’s easier to see if you’re making a real impact.
Marketing
Is Your Marketing Organization Ready for What’s Next? (via Harvard Business Review)
This article describes ways that marketing can bring more to the table in areas of customer value (engagement, experience, exchange) and company value (knowledge, strategy, operations).