Success as a Leader, Without the Ego (or, As Long as the Project is Successful, Do I Really Need to Take Credit For It?)

One interesting thing about being a leader is dealing with different types of conflicts. I’ve talked a lot about when there are various aspects or different goals that directly contradict each other. How do you deal with that healthy tension between different competing priorities? The reality is that we all have our personal goals. But […]

Are You a Generalist, or a Specialist?

So I like to work out (sort of). I mean, I don’t always enjoy the act of working out but I enjoy the satisfaction of doing it. But I’m not very good at it. I can’t run a marathon, bench 250, do more than three pullups, and I’m one of the last to finish a […]

Career Advice, or “I want to be a programmer!”

I am occasionally asked for career advice by people wanting to get into the industry, for example, high-schoolers deciding on career choices. One situation that frequently comes up in this situation is people who love programming and want to get a job being a programmer. They ask, “How can I get a job as a […]

Moving From Tech to Management?

A very common question that I see asked is: Should I make the transition from technical to management? Let’s talk about this.  Why are you even asking the question?  The answer is probably because you’re looking for a raise, or for career growth, and your company/peers/mentors/society is telling you that making this transition is the […]