A lot of times in IT I’ll hear the phrase, “I was told”. For example, “I was told we are going to use Chef.” This is the worst possible phrase you can use. It suffers from two major defects: First it uses the passive voice. I think the passive voice is the enemy of productive and … Read More
I’ve coached a couple of people lately who have made a career change into technology from other disciplines and have noticed a pattern emerge that I want to share more broadly. People from other disciplines bring diversity to their roles. In this context, we’re not talking about their gender or ethnicity. We’re talking about their background. … Read More
At the start of 2018, Annie and I feel like we’re at the start of a brand new journey. We’ve decided to move to Boulder, Colorado in the coming months. Our jobs are going great, so we plan on working remotely with our companies after making the move. We’re both very excited about what’s in store; every … Read More
I started my career as a developer at a worker’s compensation case management company. We wrote software that nurses, who were employees, used to manage worker’s compensation cases in hopes that we would get people back to work quicker and thus lower costs. I had a talented and opinionated boss who gave me a lot … Read More
Years back when NCR bought Radiant Systems, there was a lot of talk about a new term I hadn’t heard until then: the funnel. It took me a few years to understand this concept and how it relates technology change initiatives but NCR’s rich history as an effective sales organization was instrumental in gaining that understanding. Over … Read More
A while back I was working with someone who wasn’t new to technology, but was new to the style of software development that my team was operating within. We worked on getting honest about where he was at over the first few weeks of working together. I could tell this was uncomfortable for him, and, frankly since then I’ve … Read More
When someone starts on my team, regardless of their experience level but especially if they’re new to technology, my first goal is to ensure that we are honest in our communication with each other. This is easier said than done. From their perspective, you just gave them this job and they now have to prove things to … Read More
I’ve been hiding out a bit this summer, but hopefully you trust me enough to know that I’ve been up to a lot. Earlier this year, my wife decided it was time to go back to work after a decade out of the full time workforce. She considered a lot of different options, but after a few … Read More
As a part of the hour of code initiative, I was pleased to present my perspective on computer programming to first and third graders at Grapevine Elementary School in December. Through the presentation I was able to inspire the students to see programming in their future. I’ve been frustrated over the years with how little people know about programming. When I … Read More
On the bad mornings, I begin by rolling over and checking my phone. I cycle through ESPN Dallas, WFAA, CNN, and look at my feedly feed, personal and work email. The work email in particular, since I work with Czechs who are well into their day, causes me to start thinking about work. My mind races to the world’s problems, … Read More