In the software development realm, people often debate about 10x engineers or rockstars. But what does that really mean? How can you become one? There isn’t an easy answer, but I’ll try to explain what I believe it is. Over time, the industry has realized that being a “rockstar engineer” has little to do with producing elegant code or hitting […]
This week, Ender and I checked out Amsterdam. It was pretty neat. We landed on Friday night and zipped straight to our hotel in an Uber. After dumping our bags, we hit the city streets. The nighttime vibe of Amsterdam is something else. It’s alive and kicking. Our dinner was a comedy of errors with some bizarre kebab action, but […]
I’ve had all kinds of bosses over the years. Some of them were visionaries. Some others were quiet geniuses. One thing I’ve learned is that if you want to survive and maybe even thrive, you need to understand what they want, what they need, and how they operate. In other words, learn to manage your managers. But before you can […]
As a leader, part of the job is helping people grow. That usually means giving feedback. And while we often picture feedback as a simple “I share, you listen,” the truth is it only works if both sides are open to the conversation. Here is the challenge: our brains do not always treat feedback as helpful guidance. Criticism, even when […]
In the realm of software development, testers are the silent guardians. Their role is often misunderstood and underappreciated, especially when they do their job so well that no one notices. It’s easy to overlook the importance of testing, particularly when testers are so good that no critical or high-priority issues are found. This doesn’t mean their work is less valuable; […]