Software Lead Weekly Software Lead Weekly

The Top 10 Reasons Companies Fail at Promoting From Within
11 minutes read.

You need to bookmark this post by Jason Evanish and set a reminder in your calendar to go and read it once a month. I see so many companies failing to promote from within because they never prepare for it (see mistake #3 "Not preparing people before they’re promoted.) -- this kills any trust with your teammates, as no matter their contribution and success, they won't see a future with you and the company.

Read it later via Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

You Can't Have Production Errors if You Never Ship
1 minutes read.

My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face.

Read it later via Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

Culture and Revolution (Video)
29 minutes read.

When Ben Horowitz talk, I listen. As always, inspiring and fun to watch. I loved the "create shocking rules" -- never thought about that way, but it can really set you apart from others.

Read it later via Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

Warning: This Is Not Your Grandfather’s Talent Planning
12 minutes read.

Except for the terms "superstar" and "rock star," (do not contribute to the actual distinction in personalitites) this post serves as a really powerful reminder, with helpful framework, on how to create well-balanced teams.

Read it later via Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

Being an Effective Ally to Women and Non-Binary People
7 minutes read.

Important post by the team at Etsy that we should all read, as we have so much more room to grow and improve as an industry: "microaggressions are cumulative. Over time, these subtle comments build and reinforce traditional power structures by reminding women and non-binary individuals of their position in society."

Read it later via Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

The New Manager Death Spiral
5 minutes read.

The Death Spiral is something that I for sure did when starting to lead a team. No training, no network and a lot of pressure. Kind of wish that I could read this 12 years ago, and learn this lesson earlier in my career. Build a network, let it be your safety net for your emotions and a place to seek wisdom.

Read it later via Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

The One Thing You Need to Get Right as a Manager
4 minutes read.

"I have seen managers overcommitting, struggling and eventually burning out on more than one occasion. First your personal life starts to suffer: you hang out less often with your friends, you stop going to the gym and can’t switch off anymore." -- when it comes to building relationships, the most important part as a leader is to try to figure out what's your added value to the relationship there. Most leaders focus on their technical skills, thus adding a lot of pressure as you cannot keep up with senior engineers that spend their time writing code while you do many other things that take you far away from it. Improve your other skills, so you could leverage that to mentor engineers on soft skills.

Read it later via Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

Managers: Let Your Reports Fail
4 minutes read.

It's very hard to get to someone's heart and head if you don't let them play and learn from failures. Do it with care (i.e. not on critical path), and be there afterward to say a good word and be helpful with retrospection: "We're here to learn, I'm here to help, failure is part of it of your personal growth."

Read it later via Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

@bendystraw: I've seen way more people fail on the job for inability to work on a team than for lack of a tech skill, yet we value the latter above all

@auren: OK to sleep a night on a big decision but taking a month will not likely lead to a better decision (just a delayed decision)