Yesterday I heard a principal technical consultant say this to a software development team lead…

“If you have any problems with this mob let me know. I find that an elbow to the head works great.”

Is this effective?

No. I’d say this is a good way to destroy the creative mind and zap passion. The heart is a fragile thing. It needs open eyes. Open ears. Not elbows. Care leads to profit. Developers who care work ten times harder.

Are you a tyrannical leader?

Here’s a quick check list.

  • Do you jokingly threaten people with physical violence?
  • When people dislike you do you default to making them fear you?
  • Do you tend to suppress the discontent of others?
  • Have you ever created a spy network?
  • Is your project more important than people?

Nurturing the creative mind

Being creative is important when it comes to writing good software. Thinking outside the square, moving quickly and understanding concurrent process requires mindful divergence.

Scrum or Kanban

Do you Scrum or Kanban?

I find scrum provides progression and metrics whilst kanban keeps unnecessary pressure off. There are various opinions on what is more effective to get people moving quickly and keep them evolving with real world feedback. I think both approaches have their benefits.

Choosing a project tracking system is important. Capturing hearts and minds is mandatory.

Passion and care is the way to building software that jumps over unexpected hurdles.