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In my previous article, we conducted the beginning of my thought experiment for a team working in serious chaos. We'll refer to the team as Extreme Z. John joins and is immediately drowning in a swir…
GPT-4oDo you see the light at the end of your backlog? Do you know where to start prioritizing? Is your process working for you? What about compounding technical debt? Regression rates? How long does it ta…
GPT-4oWorry makes you do stupid things. Perhaps you suffer from insomnia, bite your nails or lips, eat too much, or not eat enough. If you let it linger, consume and debilitate you, you could actually get …
GPT-4oAUTHOR'S NOTE: When something is obscure it means that it is not clear or is difficult to understand. This implies that something is vague, hidden, or lacking in detail. Cryptic indicates that someth…
GPT-4oTL;DR Software engineering isn’t just about writing great code—it’s about avoiding pitfalls that hinder progress and morale. Common mistakes like over-complicating deployments, burning out the team, …
FreepikTL;DR Decision making is a team effort that works best when it’s clear, collaborative, and intentional. By asking the right questions and seeking diverse perspectives, teams can unlock better solutio…
freepik.comTL;DR Belonging in remote teams can be tough due to obstacles like physical distance, lack of casual interactions, time zone differences, and then the unnecessary hurdles like imposter syndrome. To o…
freepik.comTL;DR Belonging in a team turns chaos into collaboration by fostering trust, purpose, and open communication. When people feel connected, they work better together, trust each other, and have a clear…
freepik.comTL;DR Imposter syndrome can feel like an ever-present shadow, especially for software engineers and team leads, but it doesn’t have to hold you back. In this article, I share how I’ve learned to refr…
DALL-EMy previous article hit you with a bunch of ways to make remote work a success as a superstar developer and manager. But let’s be real—remote work isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Things can go sidew…
ChatGPTLet’s imagine a group of software developers spread across different parts of the world, working remotely. They rarely meet in person - if at all - and rely heavily on video calls, chats, and online …
ChatGPTAs a manager, I know my intrinsic leadership skills are just the beginning. To truly excel, I need to tap into the wisdom of those who’d walked this path before. So, armed with a love for the printed…
ChatGPTI want to express my gratitude to Sylvester Jalnaiz for prompting me to revisit an article I wrote back in 2017 called "Discovering yourself." Sylvester introduced me to the Fingerprint for Success M…
Take feedback as objectively as possible. Don't be married to your ideas and code. Instead explore, learn, be curious and continuously grow by learning from those around you. Maintain clear, open cha…
I was leaving the corporate world behind and needed to rebrand. I had a hard deadline. I had a new job, a new domain and new hosting, I needed a new blog. I could have rebranded my old blog but I did…
Stay tuned if you are interested to know what I learned, did and achieved in the past week. Maybe something I did could be of interest to you. Only time will tell. Read on. Monday I started the week …
Mark Twain said, "I am an old man and I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." It’s unsustainable to experience many days feeling exhausted, uninspired and anxious. I bel…
Page 172 of the book Rewire: Changing Your Brain to Break Bad Habits, Overcome Addictions, Conquer Self-Destructive Behavior written by psychotherapist Richard O’Connor says that whatever we pay atte…
Germany Kent says that it's a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack. In the part 6, Neuroplastici…
Lara Boyd challenges us by asking how do we learn? And why does some of us learn things more easily than others? In the part 5, The Satir Change Process Model, we looked at how the model can help tra…
Virginia Satir says that we can learn something new anytime we believe we can. Therefore we can learn to cope with what we are dealing with by readjusting the way we think. In the part 4, Survival Ru…
Virginia Satir says that you have learned what you have learned very well. It has helped you survive. In Part 3, Distress Tolerance, we learned how to "Distract. Relax. Cope." We identify negative co…
Oliver Goldsmith says that the mind is ever ingenious in making its own distress. In Part 2 we looked at how we can activate five neuro pathways in order to create new neural networks in the brain. T…
Dr. Hilary Stokes says that we have trillions of brain cells, resulting in thousands (if not millions) of strings of lights (chemical reactions) correlating with our habits in all areas of our life. …
John Medina said, "what you do and learn in life physically changes what your brain looks like - it literally rewires it." You are learning something new everyday. Whether it be a new skill, new way …
"Your beliefs don't make you a better person, our behavior does." I have a far way to go on my journey. My journey of self-discovery and healing. It's a life-long journey and sometimes it's a real ba…
Nathaniel Hawthorne says that happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. I've been plagued for years…
"Know your limits, know when to give, know when to demand, know when to say no, know when enough is enough" Face your fears, get out of your comfort-zone, do something that you won't normally do. Yes…
Mahatma Gandhi says to start changing yourself if you want to change the life around you. "Change starts with you"... how cliché Clarice. Thanks for that one. Okay, I really feel I need to deep dive …
"Words are free. It's how you use them, that may cost you." - KushandWizdom How often do you listen to yourself when you speak? Not just hear your own voice but actually listen to the words that you …
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” ― Aristotle Sometimes I struggle to consciously understand my actions. This makes it hard for me to find out why I react the way I do in certain sit…
"The reason why we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind the scenes with everyone else's highlight reel," Steven Furtick Think of someone successful in the industry who you admire…
I spoke at Rubyfuza 2017 in Cape Town about how Imposter Syndrome impacts my day-to-day decisions and confidence, affects growth by limiting opportunities and makes me feel unworthy. I wanted to shar…
“Did I do anything wrong today,” he said, “or has the world always been like this and I've been too wrapped up in myself to notice?” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Just over a …
"Do you really squeeze more productivity out of yourself by powering through your weariness?", Caroline Webb To make good decisions you need your mind to be fresh. If you keep grinding through tasks,…
The aim is simple. I wish to boost my overall sense of wellbeing by living a more fulfilling life day-to-day. I decided it was time to consciously unpack why I feel overwhelmed: The city feels rushed…
I am proud to announce that my article got published on A List Apart giving me the chance to share my career experiences with the community. My article — "Finding Opportunities in the Mistakes We Mak…
"I am an old man and I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." by Mark Twain As software developers we have a lot of things that build unnecessary stress and anxiety in ea…
Everything I did today was done with intent and slower than usual. I was mindful. Today I had complete control of my day and my emotions because I was mindful. I walked mindfully. I spoke mindfully. …
Communication is essential to minimize stress and get the support a team needs to be successful. We are seven days into our two week sprint and our burndown is flat-lining. Until today, this sprint f…
Be the change you want to see even if it doesn't change anything right away. An ego is a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance. It can be detrimental to a person and those around them if r…
Accelerate your learning by sharing what you learn with others while you are learning it. Experts aren't people who know absolutely everything in their field of expertise. Take GPs for example, they …
"We only grow when we are doing things that makes us uncomfortable." by John Sonmez I have been following John Sonmez for a while now. He has personally guided and motivated me during the conception …
"If you don’t fail it’s because you did not risk enough, and if you didn’t risk enough it’s because you didn’t put your whole self out there." by Carlos Barrabes People do stupid things. It's guarant…
Do you remember how excited you were when you wrote your first program? It's easy to forget when you've been in the real-world for a long time. Sometimes we just need to reignite that passion that we…
"I think that we grow when we are outside our comfort zone. If it's not breaking you down, it's not building you up." quoted by Scott Hanselman The comfort zone. What a wonderful place. It's so safe …
It's sad when people leave because bonds are formed but we can't stay in the same environment and position forever. I had a bad experience. I once joined a team that had pressure from all angles. Fix…
The art of making software for people with people. Today the words "people oriented software" materialized in my mind. It's not a new (I Googled it) but it is new to me. As a software developer I nat…
Are you chasing after unicorns - perfect things that may not exist? Perfection is a subjective perspective. I dive into this "illusion" and how it has affected me. Media often creates a perception of…
