The title of this post employs an operating system metaphor for a team member as a thread in a process (team). I recalled this morning a book that I was reading 3 years ago and dug it from one of my dark dusty office corners:
My Job Went to India: 52 Ways to Save Your Job (Pragmatic Programmers)
I think it is relevant in this economic downturn if you replace India as an empty set or empty string: My Job Went to ”".
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
Many people don’t want to accept help either personally or in inter-team context (bit). Never suggest what you don’t want for yourself and even if you want help for yourself suggest assistance (tip).
I originally learnt about this advice from Weinberg’s book “Becoming a Technical Leader: An Organic Problem-Solving Approach”. Today one of my colleagues sent me the link about M. Dell proposing help to Putin’s Russia. May be Dell needs help in this time of economic uncertainty?
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
From time to time it is useful to have formal thank-you-for-your-service letters emphasizing how customers need your services for day-to-day running of their business processes and / or during their critical situations (bit). Have ready templates for asking about such letters (tip).
Follow-through prioritized service requests with feedback templates. If there are no critical issues schedule periodical questionnaires. When people ask you for a service-favour request a letter clarifying how your service-favour reply helped them to do their business.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
To look at your salary expectations from a new angle I recommend at least to read the description of the following book that I “wrote” and published:
Salary Figures: A Codebook of Expectations
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
A book can serve the role of CV but a CV can serve the role of a book. Elaborating on this idea I decided to publish my old CV (1987 - 2003) as a book and as an example of a person with CV-writing obsession like I had 5 - 8 years ago. Book details can be found here:
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
To my shame I have never read the famous book “AntiPatterns: Refactoring Software, Architectures, and Projects in Crisis”. Being interested in antipatterns which I often figure out myself in the practical domain of software technical support (see Crash Dump Analysis AntiPatterns) I looked for the most recent collection of the management ones and found this book which I’m reading now:
In addition to their own patterns, the authors of the book provide the description of Brown’s antipatterns (the book mentioned earlier, “AntiPatterns: Refactoring Software, …”), provide two tables for easy antipattern identification in an organization or a team (Management Antipattern Locator and Environmental Antipattern Locator), list and comment on Myers-Briggs personality types, discuss Keirsey temperament groupings and Bramson’s human personality phenotypes. Highly recommended. I especially liked “All You Have Is a Hammer” antipattern of which I was guilty myself during my earlier Team Lead role experience.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
Some people don’t feel good when they see themselves second or last on To: and Cc: email recipient lists or any other list that lists them (bit). Alphabetize the list and even mention casually that you do so (tip).
Prioritize, Alphabetize, Perspectiwise
The second P is not a misprint but the summary that puts the alphabetization of To: and Cc: lists into perspective wisely!
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
Have you ever seen or worked with a person that never provides concrete answers or in the worst case doesn’t answer at all? Perhaps this persons considers any question as rhetorical and therefore has RQD. You need to stop asking questions and make statements instead.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
The pressure to deliver is great nowadays (bit). Utilize time-proven software engineering techniques like reuse of accomplishments and artifacts (tip).
Classical example of this is called WORM: write once, report many. For example, you write an article once and report the number of views every month. Of course, the article needs to be popular enough to report.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
I found this book in a local bookshop a few months ago and now I recommend it to everyone dealing with customers, either internal or external:
Managing Expectations: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, NOW!
Foreword was written by Gerald Weinberg.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ ManagementBits.com -
