Software Lead Weekly Software Lead Weekly

Unconferences: Tap Into the Power of Your People
5 minutes read.

I've been asked for ways to spread knowledge in a playful way and I always come back to unconferences. In my company, every Thursday we gather together and someone from the team has 30 minutes to share something with the rest of us: a story, some photos, funny trivia, how to pick a great wine, how to pick the right tie to match your suit for your next business trip etc. This post is filled with both the practices and ideas you can use at your company.

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The Empire Strikes Out
1 minutes read.

As always, something to start the weekend with a huge smile on your face. I'm still laughing watching it again and again. Share with nerds.

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Zappos Is Offering Severance to Employees Who Aren’t All in With Holacracy
20 minutes read.

Long read but absolutely different and interesting approach, and Zappos are going all-in with it. Whether or not it will work is still too early to know, but I love to see big bets made by companies on the way we work. It is companies such Zappos, Buffer, GitHub, Automattic and others that might set the tone for how future companies will operate. Take a cup of coffee or tea and give it a read.

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Pinterest Unpins Employee Tax Bills
3 minutes read.

This is a huge change for employees in the US and I hope more companies will follow Pinterest's move. Your values as a company is how you act, not what you say or write on your walls. Kudos and well done, Pinterest!

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Work and Rest in a Startup
4 minutes read.

Working in a startup can consume every bit of energy you have. The challenges and stress are always there. We're not running fast enough. We have to pick up speed with hiring. Scaling the team and technology keeps you awake. Here is how Joel from Buffer reduces the pressure: "The suggested way to improve our ability to "fully disengage" is by creating rituals. I have a ritual in the evening of going for a short walk and upon returning going straight to bed and reading a fiction book."

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The Right Way to Use Compensation
12 minutes read.

HubSpot is a great company to learn from how to scale your company. If you're thinking of compensation model for your sales people, this one is for you: "When I look back on the various strategies I used to grow our sales force from zero to several hundred people, I realize that one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned involves the power of a compensation plan to motivate salespeople not only to sell more but to act in ways that support a start-up’s evolving business model and overall strategy."

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Managing Engineers: How to Perfect the "Stay Interview"
3 minutes read.

Six questions you should ask on your 1:1 with your teammates, if you want to get to know them better and understand what makes them tick. The only question I don't like is "What would you like to be doing 5 years from now?". It's one of those questions of a fixed mindset. I'd like them to figure out what they'd like to achieve this year, what is their next step and how I can help them get there.

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Are Programmers Engineers?
42 minutes read.

"The universities don’t teach the art of programming. Most employers don’t either. I love the craftsman movement but so far it only exists in it’s own little alternate reality bubble." -- you probably think about this topic as well. Are we treating our profession with the right attitude? Are we doing enough to cultivate excellence? The video by Glenn Vanderburg on "why software development is an engineering discipline" is good value for your time. Share with your teammates.

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How to Write a Job Post for Development Positions
3 minutes read.

You should bookmark this post and get back to it every time you want to write a job description. Markus Tacker with great tips and wonderful list of companies that you can take inspiration from.

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@mrtazz: "joke’s on you Nagios, I’m already awake" <= a thing I just said out loud to my telephone #opslife

@pmarca: To do original work: It's not necessary to know something nobody else knows. It is necessary to believe something few other people believe.