I'm designating 2019 as the year to make progress. That's a big statement. What do I mean by it? I’ll tell you and I have a concept that I think will help. In some ways it’s a very simple and easy concept, it’s actually one that I was previously extremely sceptical about. Now I’m a new convert and 2019 seems like the year to really test it out. The good news is that it’s … [Read more...] about 2019 – The year to make progress
How big is your decision debt?
Never mind technical debt. How big is your decision debt? As a developer we often think about technical debt. Technical debt is a concept in programming that reflects the extra development work that arises when code that is easy to implement in the short run is used instead of applying the best overall solution. ie We take shortcuts to get code live fast. Short term this … [Read more...] about How big is your decision debt?
“Flow, the secret to happiness” & Better Leadership
One of the most important tasks as technology leader is keeping your team motivated. Developers need to be challenged with interesting problems. If their work is challenging yet doable then they can reach a state of “flow”. This means they’re fully involved and engaged in the work their doing. This is a good sign that they’re highly motivated. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s … [Read more...] about “Flow, the secret to happiness” & Better Leadership
What’s your talent stack?
“A talent stack is the overall value or sum of an individual's skills and talents.” (Ben Ford) Scott Adams (author of Dilbert) hinted at this in an older blog post. Being the best at the world at one single thing is almost impossible. Becoming good (e.g. top 25%) at two things can be more valuable and also far easier. This can be extended further to additional skills. Even … [Read more...] about What’s your talent stack?
TEDx Frankfurt 2016 Review
The buzz of the conference is over. The excitement and energy have faded. A few questions remain. What did I learn? How will it help me? How will it help others? What will I now do differently? Well first of all. TEDxFrankfurt was a great success. A great opening from Simon Anholt. An outlandish demo from Greg Gage (even if it was verging on animal cruelty). A perfect ending … [Read more...] about TEDx Frankfurt 2016 Review