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When you’re a technology leader, there’s always something new to learn — both for you and for your team. Whether you’re migrating to or from the cloud, changing or automating a manual process, introducing a new library or language, or switching some corporate system, you and your team will often need to “upskill.” And you…
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For many managers, end of year is when you’re asked to review the performance of your team members. And while there are many great reasons to reject the idea of an annual review in favor of regular performance feedback throughout the year, at some point, a manager has to decide how to allocate increases in…
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For you to be effective at selling – whether it’s a product or a proposal or idea – it’s often said that people need to know you, like you, and trust you. Trust really is the key factor; knowing and liking can help with the trust. What kind of trust? → Trust that you care→…
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My kids are all in their twenties, but there are still a few very silly things from their childhood that we repeat when we’re together. Just last week, as I was leaving our house for a meeting, I formed the American Sign Language gesture for “I love you” and waved to my son who was…
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I’d like to call foul on the old cliché that says, “The truth hurts.” When you’ve believed a lie, or when you have invested resources under a faulty assumption, then the moment of learning the truth can certainly feel uncomfortable. But you have a choice of how to respond. And I suggest that knowing the…
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“My boss doesn’t recognize that I’m ready for a promotion. How do I help them to see what they’re overlooking?” I recently participated in a public conversation in which an anonymous community member asked a question that could be paraphrased that way. I’m honestly surprised at how frequently that sentiment comes up in conversations with…
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For much of my career leading software engineering teams, “accountability” was often described in rather violent terms. Who is the “one throat to choke?” Whose “head is on the chopping block” if things don’t go well? Eeew… We actually talked that way. In some respects, it was an artificial grab for respect or authority. We…
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Thinking outside the box seems to be a hallmark of creativity. At least, we like to think it is. John G. Miller, in his book QBQ!: The Question Behind the Question wrote that true creativity is actually succeeding within the box. People for whom art is a profession find that, rather than stifling creativity, the…
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I’m convinced that the strength of my family relationships was one of the biggest contributors to my success in the workplace. A few weeks ago I shared an idea that helped me develop strong relationships with my children. Today, I want to share another non-work idea that I’ve been doing this year. My wife picked…
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You have a vision for where you want your career to go. But you look at people who currently hold the position you want, and you think to yourself, “That’s just not me.” And maybe it’s not … yet. One of the complaints I have about many assessments that result in a number, a string…
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What is your ultimate career goal? Do you know? Do you need to know? I’ve had a number of conversations with people recently who shared the path of their career journeys. Some of them knew exactly what role they wanted, and they pursued it relentlessly. Others just did the best work they knew how in…
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“You don’t trust me, and it’s frustrating to work like that.” That’s what I heard from one of my team leads. I was still inexperienced enough in leadership that I became defensive instead of listening. I said I needed to understand what was going on in enough detail that I could answer for them in…
Musings
Insights on leadership, management, success, and personal growth every Tuesday and Thursday.