Catchphrases & workplace wisdom. A collection of pithy one-liners and phrases I often repeat and lean on, during work conversations. They are good advice, IMO. YEMD; your experience may differ.
Some are original; some s̶t̶o̶l̶e̶n̶ inherited, some through reading & research. 👇🏼
Some are original; some s̶t̶o̶l̶e̶n̶ inherited, some through reading & research. 👇🏼
1/ 🌟 Calls for alignment, docs for information exchange
Synchronous = time overlap. What happens when they're not available simultaneously? Or if one person is on leave? Someone else has conflicting commitments? Oops. Documents are better for information sharing.
Synchronous = time overlap. What happens when they're not available simultaneously? Or if one person is on leave? Someone else has conflicting commitments? Oops. Documents are better for information sharing.
2/ Some advantages:
- Writing invites more clarity and thought. 🧠
- Immovable things like accents, mannerisms, cultural contexts, extroversion, introversion? ✅
- Movable things like lousy internet connections, background noises, distractions? ✅
- GTD / Manage work? ✅
- Writing invites more clarity and thought. 🧠
- Immovable things like accents, mannerisms, cultural contexts, extroversion, introversion? ✅
- Movable things like lousy internet connections, background noises, distractions? ✅
- GTD / Manage work? ✅
3/ 🌟 Invest in iteration speed
Think Wright brothers and their famous wind tunnel. Almost all work you will ever do can be done better in iterations built upon each other. A complete iteration helps surface blockers early. So, invest.
Think Wright brothers and their famous wind tunnel. Almost all work you will ever do can be done better in iterations built upon each other. A complete iteration helps surface blockers early. So, invest.
https://twitter.com/visualizevalue/status/1293750153439055873
4/ 🌟 git push to master should deploy to prod in under 15 mins
Listen to @mipsytipsy on this topic. That's all I will say.
Okay, I lied. One more thing:
This great blog post aptly called "When costs are nonlinear, keep it small" by @Jessitron
jessitron.com/2021/01/18/whe…
Listen to @mipsytipsy on this topic. That's all I will say.
Okay, I lied. One more thing:
This great blog post aptly called "When costs are nonlinear, keep it small" by @Jessitron
jessitron.com/2021/01/18/whe…
5/ 🌟 Live with bad code but rewrite for bad architecture
Poor architecture accrues tech debt exponentially because everything you do is a workaround for the core. It leads to bad code, bad deployments, bad tests, bad estimates; you get the point — a spiral of no control.
Poor architecture accrues tech debt exponentially because everything you do is a workaround for the core. It leads to bad code, bad deployments, bad tests, bad estimates; you get the point — a spiral of no control.
6/ 🌟 Speculation was for the gold rush, not you.
Very few circumstances demand that you speculate. And yet, you will find yourself doing so quite often. Don't. When debugging: it's tempting to speculate but to systematically go through scenarios and hypotheses one by one is 💯
Very few circumstances demand that you speculate. And yet, you will find yourself doing so quite often. Don't. When debugging: it's tempting to speculate but to systematically go through scenarios and hypotheses one by one is 💯
7/ 🌟 Don't throw shit over the wall and expect someone else to catch it. 🛑 💩
A large part of collaboration is handing off work to others. If you're a part of it, you are responsible for it — follow through and ensure things don't fall through the cracks.
A large part of collaboration is handing off work to others. If you're a part of it, you are responsible for it — follow through and ensure things don't fall through the cracks.
8/ 🌟 Those who define the work deliver the work.
The moment this invariant breaks, your team is in for a shockingly bad work experience, a "he-said-she-said" nightmare, and yet another downward spiral of wrong estimates and impatient deliveries.
The moment this invariant breaks, your team is in for a shockingly bad work experience, a "he-said-she-said" nightmare, and yet another downward spiral of wrong estimates and impatient deliveries.
9/ 🌟 You build it; you own it.
Makers are responsible for what they make. Engineers better partake in the on-call rotation. Remember our earlier principle, "don't throw shit over the wall expecting someone else to catch it."
So yeah, if you built it, you own it.
Makers are responsible for what they make. Engineers better partake in the on-call rotation. Remember our earlier principle, "don't throw shit over the wall expecting someone else to catch it."
So yeah, if you built it, you own it.
10/ 🌟 Weeks of working can save you hours of planning.
Planning and upfront thinking is demanding difficult work. So, naturally, we tend to avoid it. + There IS such a thing as "too much planning," which makes you forget that "bias for action" is critical.
Planning and upfront thinking is demanding difficult work. So, naturally, we tend to avoid it. + There IS such a thing as "too much planning," which makes you forget that "bias for action" is critical.
11/ But, just a little bit of planning and thinking can save you a lot of wasteful work. The earlier point about surfacing blockers applies here as well.
One way to think about planning is: "frontloading thinking and backloading execution".
One way to think about planning is: "frontloading thinking and backloading execution".
12/ 🌟 Is the Jira board an accurate representation of all work?
I ask this at the end of every standup. You should, too. All work needs to be clearly defined and tracked _somewhere_. Product Managers and Engineering Managers need to get a quick sense of where things fall.
I ask this at the end of every standup. You should, too. All work needs to be clearly defined and tracked _somewhere_. Product Managers and Engineering Managers need to get a quick sense of where things fall.
13/ 🌟 Does everyone have clarity on what they're doing?
I ask this at the end of every standup. You should, too. Clarity and transparency drive alignment and velocity unlike anything else. "Marco" and "Polo" can't help here.
I ask this at the end of every standup. You should, too. Clarity and transparency drive alignment and velocity unlike anything else. "Marco" and "Polo" can't help here.
14/ 🌟 No parenting here; we're a team of grown-ups.
This phrase is one of my favorites. Applicable heavily to the Indian tech ecosystem.
This phrase is one of my favorites. Applicable heavily to the Indian tech ecosystem.
15/ Managers and leaders are so used to "parent" people and treat them like children instead of accepting that everyone is a grown-up professional that can think for themselves and make their own decisions
16/ Caring for others is not the same as patronizing. There is a noticeable distinction.
17/ 🌟 If you're bossy, people will try to avoid you instead of working with you.
It's essential to identify that team members can think for themselves. It doesn't matter if you _are_ technically the boss. Assert your authority, and get worked around. Like clockwork.
It's essential to identify that team members can think for themselves. It doesn't matter if you _are_ technically the boss. Assert your authority, and get worked around. Like clockwork.
18/ 🌟 Don't be snarky, especially in a strained relationship. Be more patient than regular.
When things are tight, niceness and empathy work better. Don't give me bullshit about kindness > niceness. Snark erodes trust. And trust is the most significant currency there ever was.
When things are tight, niceness and empathy work better. Don't give me bullshit about kindness > niceness. Snark erodes trust. And trust is the most significant currency there ever was.
19/ 🌟 What do you want them to do, and how do you want them to feel?
Communication should be effective, not merely good. This great rubric works every time you communicate with strangers or otherwise people you don't know well. Only fools ignore emotion.
Thanks, @jessmartin!
Communication should be effective, not merely good. This great rubric works every time you communicate with strangers or otherwise people you don't know well. Only fools ignore emotion.
Thanks, @jessmartin!
20/ 🌟 Trust by default, assume good intentions.
People coming from toxic environments need time to get off their defensive mode. It wastes time. In code reviews, in discussions, in decisions, everywhere. But we need to give them that time.
People coming from toxic environments need time to get off their defensive mode. It wastes time. In code reviews, in discussions, in decisions, everywhere. But we need to give them that time.
21/ Assume alignment and good intentions, always come from a position of trust, and everyone will have a great time together. High-trust, high-autonomy teams grow fast, do great work, and build fulfilling careers.
22/ 🌟 Take care of yourself first and lean on the team when necessary.
A 💯 expression of trust is _asking_ for help and leaning in. Nothing builds camaraderie like helping each other out in times of need. Wellness, when ignored, always comes back as a more formidable opponent.
A 💯 expression of trust is _asking_ for help and leaning in. Nothing builds camaraderie like helping each other out in times of need. Wellness, when ignored, always comes back as a more formidable opponent.
23/ 🌟 Working 5 hours a day with good focus beats working 12 hours.
Focus is a currency. There is only so much you can do in a day. Sure, there are days when I've done deep-focussed work for 12 hours, but the key is to do anything sustainably.
See:
Focus is a currency. There is only so much you can do in a day. Sure, there are days when I've done deep-focussed work for 12 hours, but the key is to do anything sustainably.
See:
https://twitter.com/visualizevalue/status/1229066493658267648
24/ 🌟 Get permission if you want to work on weekends.
I say this mockingly. We have the "no parenting" rule, but sometimes, you have to put your foot down and make sure your team members aren't self-sabotaging.
I say this mockingly. We have the "no parenting" rule, but sometimes, you have to put your foot down and make sure your team members aren't self-sabotaging.
25/ 🌟 Own your calendar
You can't control all the events that land on your calendar, sadly. But carve out a time for yourself every single day. Whether it's work, reviews, chilling time, it doesn't matter. You must own and control a significant portion of your calendar.
You can't control all the events that land on your calendar, sadly. But carve out a time for yourself every single day. Whether it's work, reviews, chilling time, it doesn't matter. You must own and control a significant portion of your calendar.
26/ 🌟 As much as I want you to be a fit for my team, I want my team to be a fit for you.
As a hiring manager, I only want to hire people who will join my team and see success. Alignment is crucial. I genuinely want my team to be a good fit for them.
As a hiring manager, I only want to hire people who will join my team and see success. Alignment is crucial. I genuinely want my team to be a good fit for them.
27/ 🌟 No gossip: Talk to the other person and try to resolve before complaining.
We don't talk about someone else in their absence. Nope. Leave gossip to the P2P communication protocol. Of course, certain situations mandate talking about others, but those are different.
We don't talk about someone else in their absence. Nope. Leave gossip to the P2P communication protocol. Of course, certain situations mandate talking about others, but those are different.
28/ 🌟 Optimize for developer productivity
Healthy, happy teams build good software. Don't go chasing latency-improving, cost-saving software that costs you developer time. Team salaries are often the most significant expense. AWS bill won't even be comparable.
Healthy, happy teams build good software. Don't go chasing latency-improving, cost-saving software that costs you developer time. Team salaries are often the most significant expense. AWS bill won't even be comparable.
29/ 🌟 Apple is ❤️
No, really — it is. Apple understands how to ship polished, well-finished products better than anyone else. They invent markets, build economies. The onboarding experience of an Apple product is a delight.
No, really — it is. Apple understands how to ship polished, well-finished products better than anyone else. They invent markets, build economies. The onboarding experience of an Apple product is a delight.
30/ You will find a TON of people who LOVE to dunk on Apple. It makes them stand out and make it look like they have subject matter expertise. "Look, ma, I found fault with the $2T company!". Let's give them their moment.
31/ 🌟 I have plenty more to say, but for now, fin.
This is not THE ending, there are neither beginnings nor endings to the grind of everyday work, but it is AN ending.
This is not THE ending, there are neither beginnings nor endings to the grind of everyday work, but it is AN ending.
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