Book Reviews
Separating Title, Responsibility, and Capability
A crucial part of being a people manager is making hiring decisions, and an overlooked part of that responsibility is to make a judgment on not only whether someone passes the hiring bar, but which bar they clear. That is,…
Skills for Aspiring Engineering Directors
Prevailing wisdom suggests that within the ranks of management, despite their proximity on most career ladders, the roles of a manager and a director are meaningfully different. Just as it's difficult to appreciate the responsibilities of line management…
Recounting a 14-Year Career in Software, Part V
Previously: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV. This final entry covers my time at Counsyl which has its own retrospective as well. As usual, I will bold major lessons learned. Assimilation vs. Differentiation My engagement with the folks…
Recounting a 14-Year Career in Software, Part IV
Previous entries: Part I, Part II, Part III. This part covers my time at Square, which I also wrote a retrospective about. Bold sentences indicate learnings or insights gleaned. Start with the Unscalable Y Combinator famously gives this advice: work…
Recounting a 14-Year Career in Software, Part III
Previous entries: Part I and Part II. I will continue to bold statements which come from that specific work experience. MTV It's testament to Google's technical DNA and stellar reputation that the company remains a very…
Recounting a 14-Year Career in Software, Part II
Part I is available here. As before, I'll bold insights and lessons I've picked up from those experiences. A Scrum in Social Networks I joined Tagged in the beginning of 2008. It billed itself as an…
