Author: Steve
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Know what is important
I enjoy photography and learning how to capture better photos. I’ve been the photographer at a few low-key events, snapping away trying to catch those special photos. It’s not until later that someone asks did you get a picture of this or can I see a particular photo that you realise you didn’t capture it…
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Adjusting for people with different needs
We all have needs and many of these are unique, this is what makes working with people intriguing. Some needs are obvious, others are closely guarded secrets, and more we don’t even know ourselves! As leader’s we have to make every effort to understand the needs of the people in our teams and adjust our…
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To praise, or not to praise: that is the question!
The desire to praise people or teams should be firmly rooted in the mind of every leader. When someone does good work or puts extra effort in for the team it feels natural to praise them for it. I wouldn’t want anyone to think their effort has gone unnoticed. HBR’s blog – The Easiest Thing…
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Investigate before you begin Continuous Delivery
It was the PIPELINE conference last week and, as usual, it was a great day! I highly recommend this for anyone interested in Continuous Delivery (CD), there is value to get out of all the sessions. This year Dan North kicked it off with a entertaining and challenging keynote on Ops and Operability, but it…
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Do you really know your team?
We obviously know who our team is, but do we really know each person?! Each person is unique, each has their own strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. To get the best out of someone you need to understand them well enough. This takes time but it also takes thought with seeking the right information.…
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Considering personality types when recruiting
Over the years I’ve been part of many teams, both as a developer and leader, some teams worked well, others not so. There can be many reasons why teams struggle, some of these are clearly visible while others are more difficult to identify. Covering all the technical skills in the team goes without saying, but…
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Lunchtime conference talks
How often do you go to conferences? Going to 2 one day conferences in a single year is my record! Although there are hundreds of tech conferences each year we often don’t get the chance to go to everyone we would like. On the positive side, most of the talks are recorded and shared online…
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Christmas retrospective – Many Faces of Santa
Regular retrospectives are essential for continuous improvement, but they can get a little tedious if the same format is constantly used. Having variation in location and structure helps to create some interest and hopefully a bit of fun! There are various places to look for ideas, here are a few I use: Fun Retrospectives Retrospective…
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Tech funnies from 2016
Following on from last year’s funnies here are a few from 2016 that I found amusing… (I’ve linked to my source, but that may not be the original) When you delete a block of code… (source) Please don’t feed the coders (source) When the engineer only reads half of your email about the design (source)…