Some interesting thoughts here about what causes high performance, and therefore how we should interview for it. Performance is influenced by, among other things, expectations (so, management), the team and the environment (so, how does the interviewee fit?). Worth spending the time to read and think through.

Yep.

Why are people rude? May sound like a silly question. It isn’t. Jen Dary digs into it and suggests ways of dealing with rudeness at a more fundamental level than shutting down, or being rude back (our normal reactions).

If somebody is rude, many of us will tend to go into what the Radical Candor model describes as “Obnoxious Aggression”. Some ideas about how to avoid digging yourself into that hole (because, in response, the other person will probably dig in harder).

My notes: what does “being professional” really mean? How do we reconcile the clear need, and power, of being authentic, with the realities of the workplace? How can we “bring our whole selves to work?”

It’s tricky, and been on my mind for a while.

A rather cool and on point post about the realities of hiring senior engineers, starting from this POV: “When hiring senior engineers, you’re not buying, you’re selling”. This changes everything, from job descriptions to interviewing.

This is very cool. “(accountability) is a means and not an end. Having or creating accountability will not solve your team or organizational performance problems”

Which is to say: yes, you need to set the guardrails. But you still have to figure out how and why to keep your team inside them.

A nice riff on Manager Mind vs Maker Mind: the satisfactions of Making come more quickly and readily than those of Managing. It can be a disappointment on each step “up” the management ladder that the time between moving a lever and getting a result gets longer and longer.

Very neat. Difficult situations and some ways of dealing. Examples - how to deal with: “somebody asks you something you don’t know”, or “there is a decision you don’t agree with”. Nicely written, insightful.

Interesting, thoughtful post about mentorship.

“As ghosts, we haunt them with our mistakes and burdens; as ancestors, we free them from our flaws and walk alongside (or behind them) and help them find their own way”

I remain fascinated by “authenticity” - such an important trait, but so hard to pin down. This article is an example: obviously we create our current self from our memories, but it’s also apparently the case that we create and bend memories to suit our current view of ourselves. Humans are complicated, part 102.

My notes on digging out of overwhelm: a standard, simple structure for prioritization; how to use it in an “everything is top priority” environment; how to stop frittering away the precious “quiet time” that you’ve managed to set aside.

Sam Altman on how he manages his productivity. I like the emphasis on “compound growth” of getting stuff done - small steps add up. And I like this:

“My system has three key pillars: “Make sure to get the important shit done”, “Don’t waste time on stupid shit”, and “make a lot of lists”

This is nice. Things we cherish about great employees but rarely talk about. Read it - you’ll recognize some things that you love but don’t put in your reviews.

OK, so somebody gave you feedback. You have to change something. How do you go about it? Super post from the always excellent Chelsea Troy.

A useful set of notes on CTOs, VPEs and Eng Managers, with an emphasis on what an Eng Manager actually does.

This is great. Software is a creative process. If you are managing software people, you are managing people who like (well, more than like - are driven to) build and create. Designers, hardware engineers, many others - same thing. Don’t forget to notice and celebrate the joy of building. (If this resonated with you, check also my post on why managing software people is more like managing writers than engineers).

Liked this because of the emphasis on belonging, which I think is the underlying issue that can bedevil geographically separated teams. Some nice, creative ideas here about how to grow the sense of being one team whilst working in many different places.

Tons of interesting, pithy stuff in here. Including this (do I believe it? dunno, but it made me think):

“What the smartest people do on the weekend is what everyone else will do during the week in ten years.”

Great post. The critical point: if you have a micro-managing boss, there is a reason! Encourages curiosity and empathy to discover said reason, and work with it.