Agile
Value Definition in Agile Transformation (via Leading Agile)
This article about business value and IT value alignment reminded me of the Steve Maraboli quotation about relationships, “Let’s not forget it’s you and me vs. the problem… NOT you vs. me.”
Business
When to Take a Chance on an Imperfect Job Candidate (via Harvard Business Review)
“When evaluating candidates for a position, start by understanding that you’ll never find the perfect candidate for the job — that person doesn’t exist. Hiring the wrong person can do a lot of damage, so start by using data to understand the basic requirements of the role. Next, assess the candidate’s capacity to learn and their predictors of potential, such as curiosity, confidence, and motivation. Throughout the assessment process, gather opinions from colleagues, and use reference checks to help gauge a candidate’s emotional maturity. Importantly, you shouldn’t compromise on character flaws, such as lying and abuse.”
Leadership
Research: Becoming a Manager Doesn’t Always Feel Like a Step Up (via Harvard Business Review)
Sometimes a promotion takes you away from the work where it was clear what impact you had. This disconnection can lead some managers to feel like they don’t provide much value. I’ve definitely experienced this before.
Psychology
This Could Be Why You’re Depressed and Anxious
I’ve watched this TED talk several times, and I thoroughly enjoyed his book Lost Connections.
- “You need to feel you belong. You need to feel your life has meaning and purpose. You need to feel that people see you and value you. You need to feel you’ve got a future that makes sense.”
- “…you’re not, in the main, a machine with broken parts. You’re a human being with unmet needs.”
- We’re more connected, yet more alone. We evolved to be part of a tribe, but we’ve largely disbanded small tribes.
- I agree that our society, at least in the US, values the wrong things — individualism, accumulation of wealth, power. Many of those currents are difficult if not impossible to affect at the individual level, in turn leading to a sense of powerlessness and little to no agency.
- It’s a powerful message that to address common forms of depression and anxiety, you need to treat the disease (e.g., use social prescribing) instead of treating the symptom (e.g., take antidepressants). It’s too bad we spend so little energy fixing people’s actual problems, and instead try to sell them some other solution that kicks the can down the road.
Software development
Working Effectively with Legacy Code (Part 1)
Our book club discussed the introductory sections and the first two chapters of our new book.