Managing Failures

Why Being a Manager Doesn't Make You a Leader

Knowing the difference between a DevOps cultural shift and individual title and how it can help trigger change within your organization

Knowing the difference between a DevOps cultural shift and individual title and how it can help trigger change within your organization. Photo by RealToughCandy.com on Pexels.com In software development and IT operations, DevOps has emerged as a prominent methodology that aims to bridge the gap between development and operations teams. However, the term “DevOps” can be understood in two…

A quick synopsis on the difference between the Kanban and Sprints methodologies and which might benefit your project.

A quick synopsis on the difference between the Kanban and Sprints methodologies and which might benefit your project. Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com Agile methodologies have revolutionized software development teams’ project approach, enabling them to deliver high-quality products efficiently. Two popular Agile frameworks, Scrum and Kanban, offer different approaches to project…

Burnout and the consequences on staffing and performance

Burnout and the consequences on staffing and performance. Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com THE SETUP We were in a crunch. A new oncoming client required features many other industry products had standardized, which we had yet to support. Making matters worse, as a part of a POC effort run by our consulting team, the customer had been able to utilize several of these standards that…

Tune in with Mike Stern, SDM at Amazon, about his time as a new manager at IBM and all things hats.

Tune in as I talk with Mike Stern, SDM at Amazon, about his time as a new manager at IBM and his love for all things hats.

After a little Rest and Relaxation I’m back with some thoughts and reflections on manager self care

Since April, I have been burning the candle at both ends. Worried about finding my next position, concerned about creating new content for this blog, and taking on the personal challenges in my own life have left me tired, irritated, and quick to react. So for the past two weeks, I have been out on vacation. During that time, I thought much about work-life balance, mental health, and our…

A follow up on agile methodology what it is and how it helps in software development.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations must adapt quickly to changing market conditions, customer needs, and technological advancements. This need is particularly true in software development, where new tools and techniques are emerging at an unprecedented pace.  Traditional project management methodologies, which rely on rigid planning…

How using small wins can build team morale and create a performance culture.

Using small wins to build team morale and create a performance culture. Photo by Sebastian Arie Voortman on Pexels.com THE SETUP  I once had a manager who, during our daily standups, would request that individual team members call out Kudos to one another. It was a strange concept to me then and seemed almost forced. To call out accomplishments and show praise to our fellow team members seemed…

Follow up on Tuckman’s model and how it can be used to help build a team in it’s very beginning stages.

The Bruce Tuckman model, also known as Tuckman’s stages of group development, is a widely recognized framework for understanding the dynamics of group formation, performance, and dissolution. Developed by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in 1965, the model describes the five stages that groups go through as they move from initial formation to a state of high performance and eventual dissolution. These…

A thank you to the management and staff following my last day in my current management position

Last Thursday marked the end of my journey in my current management journey. I learned a lot from the team I worked with and the management I worked alongside. I am grateful to every one of the individuals I worked with for the opportunity to learn alongside such a talented and dedicated team. Their hard work, commitment, and passion have been an inspiration to me and have helped to drive our…

A further explanation of OKRs what they are and how they help groups get things done.

OKRs, or Objectives and Key Results, is a popular goal-setting framework that many organizations use to align their teams and drive results. Intel initially developed the framework in the 1980s. Still, it gained wider recognition and adoption in the technology industry in the 2000s, particularly after companies like Google and Twitter adopted it. OKRs are a simple yet powerful framework for…

Join more for episode 2 of Managing Failures, with special guest Jon Scarbrough

Tune in as I talk with Jon Scarbrough, CTO of omni local, as we go into his past history as a math teacher, coach and his “acting” skills. All history which led him to his rediscovery of the golden rule and its definition on his journey into management.

A follow-up explanation of retrospectives and how they are used in organizations.

A retrospective is a meeting held by a team or group of individuals at the end of a project, sprint, or another work period to reflect on what went well, what didn’t go well, and what could be improved for future work. The goal of a retrospective is to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and to learn from past successes and failures. Retrospectives are a common practice in agile…

A follow-up explanation of retrospectives and how they are used in organizations.

A retrospective is a meeting held by a team or group of individuals at the end of a project, sprint, or another work period to reflect on what went well, what didn’t go well, and what could be improved for future work. The goal of a retrospective is to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and to learn from past successes and failures. Retrospectives are a common practice in agile…

Getting on my soap box and speaking on the tenants of transparency and its importance to the managed

I’m a young manager. In the world of managers, a year is little more than a blip on the screen of learning. I have much more to take in and many failures still to make. That said, I feel strongly that a company’s make, or break has to do with the transparency shared with those who support it. These support staff are not the managers but the workers. The people in the trenches making the…

1-on-1s conversations...now as a podcast!

By pure luck or a penchant for punishment, I was invited back to the devblabs podcast with Brian Olson. This episode is all about 1 on 1’s what they are, what they aren’t, and why they are important. Brian and I both touch on our experiences with 1-on-1s from the manager and engineering perspectives and how they have affected our jobs and the employees we work with and around.   So join both…

Recently many comments have been made related to skip level meetings but what are they? And why are they needed?

Skip-level meetings, or skip meetings or skip-level interviews, are effective for managers to communicate directly with employees one or more levels below them in the organizational hierarchy. These meetings allow senior leaders to understand the concerns and perspectives of frontline employees while also building trust and transparency within the organization. The origins of skip-level meetings…