In my previous post I discussed the problem of expecting a candidate with a competitive mindset to work in a collaborative environment. This time I would like to focus on the experiences that have led to a successful integration. I ended with a few notes on Team-Think. The goal of Team-Think is to alter the […]
Collaboration versus Competition
Working with others is never easy. It takes hard work and the proper mindset to accomplish. This is a lesson taught to small children with varying degrees of success. I learned from an early age that sharing was important. I was taught to play well with others and to understand that others have needs that […]
Tech Lead Training
One of the goals that I have set for myself over the past several years was to start to train engineers in a semiformal manner. This goal would accomplish a few things: Long term team viability Not everyone will want to stay on the same project long term Not everyone will want to stay on […]
On Recognizing Good People
As a leader, recognizing good people for their work and effort is both the most important and most difficult things that you can do. I learned this during my time in the Army and have carried it through my life for the past ~16 years. As a leader you must earn the trust of those […]
Book Review – The Toyota Way – Jeffrey Liker
What’s the point? This book focuses on Toyota’s manufacturing process and the Lean attributes. The book takes you through the philosophy and the bare bones implementation of the production models and practices that make the Toyota Way sustainable in other companies. The interesting point of the book was that there were many companies claiming to […]
Book Review – Coaching for improved work performance – Ferdinand Fournies
What’s the point? This book focuses on the idea that you can get better performance out of employees through positive coaching. Rarely do negative actions result in anything other than fear and poor performance. The book gives techniques and tips for improving performance and tackling potential problems. Strategies are presented for dealing with employees that […]
Book Review – User Stories Applied For Agile Software Development – Mike Cohn
What’s the point? This book takes you through the formulation of user stories, from perspectives that should be considered (user, tester, manager, etc…) to some guidelines that should be applied (Is it testable, is it estimateable, etc…). The book shows how a team can use estimated user stories to determine releases and iterations. How was […]
On Leading – Expectations
The cause of almost all relationship difficulties is rooted in conflicting or ambiguous expectations around roles and goals. Whether you are dealing with the question of who does what at work, how you communicate with your daughter when you tell you her to clean her room, or who feeds the fish and takes out the […]
On Leading – why people matter
*If you are the leader, your people expect you to create their future. They look into your eyes, and they expect to see strength and vision. To be successful, you must inspire and motivate those who are following you. When they look into your eyes, they must see that you are with them. – *Gordon […]
