I find that there are many ways to learn. I hope to provide some insight on the ways that I learn, share knowledge, and be a great community citizen to the web.
CODE REVIEW TASK 1 - WHAT ARE THE GOALS?
Code reviews are one of the most important tools that can be used to improve quality and productivity for a development team. One of the keys to completing a review well is to know what the goals of the review actually are. There are two goals I would ask you to set: Team Goals and Individual Review Goals.
THE ANATOMY OF A REVIEW IN 5 QUESTIONS
In a few weeks I am going to give a presentation on doing great code reviews. Here is a piece that I wrote 5 years ago that captured the 5 W’s. There are a few changes that I felt were appropriate to make as an update. Most importantly, the guidance below doesn’t just apply to code reviews, but any review that you may do.
SETTING BOUNDARIES AS LEADERS AND EMPLOYEES
Do you know a leader who says yes to everything? Their team just finished a significant and stressful month to get an “urgent” marketing experience out the door and the leader agreed to deliver something else urgent on a compressed timeline. Where was the boundary between the finish and start of the next project. It never materialized. Take a more concrete example. Do you ever block time off on your calendar to get work done and people just schedule right over that without any care or thought? Is it ok to get a meeting scheduled for the same day? As leaders, we have a responsibility to set boundaries to protect our team and as employees we have a responsibility to protect ourselves.
CONVICTED TO GIVE MORE OF YOURSELF
Today has been erratic, my heart was not at ease, and my behaviors and thoughts with each interaction have not been grace and mercy, but rather frustration and contempt.
WHAT ARE THE TREASURES YOU VALUE
It is a pretty true statement of what your treasures are, so you heart and mind are. I am personally not one to have lavish goods, however, there are days when I wish for them to be like others, to entertain for selfish reasons, or to just show that I made it. These are all selfish interests. My Personal Treasures Family. I consider my family a treasure that the Lord has given to me which is precious and that I want to care for diligently. My family is growing up, my children are becoming independent. I cherish walks with my wife. I couldn’t have said that 10 years ago. This is because I am investing in the relationship, and seeing the fruits of that investment. Knowledge and learning are other treasures as long as I can give them away. What good does it do me if I learn but don’t share. I am now starting to see mentoring opportunities everywhere. Solomon, the wisest man, became that way because he asked for it. Doing for others just to see a smile, a hint of gratitude, or smidge of happiness. The more I live by example in humility, letting God be in control, and letting go, the more I will let His light shine for others to find the way. These are the riches on earth that everyone can get a hold of. We only have so many days allotted to us. I don’t know when that number starts to take a serious meaning, it is different for everyone. Our mortality in this life is a reminder that we need to spend each day focused on eternity and the gift of love and life that Jesus has bestowed on each of us.
BEING MINDFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO
The apostle Paul couldn’t have said it better:
HOW IS YOUR IMPACT RUBBING OFF?
How do I rub off on others? I had to really think about this question after listening to the EntreLeadership podcast featuring Dr. Jackie Freiberg on being a Person of Impact.
STOP MAKING LABELS
How we create labels every day: That marketer will never understand software development That developer doesn’t do strategy He doesn’t talk in meetings. It is just his introvert nature. Her skills assessment shows she has a temper.
TAKING THE FIRST STEPS
I have found it extremely difficult to get started on projects that I think are daunting. It gets even worse when I don’t know where to start.
SIMPLIFY: A TEN DAY RECAP
Simplify: To make something easier to do or to understand. For the last 10 days I have been doing a study on Simplify. The intro starts out with Overscheduled, Exhausted, Overwhelmed? Sound Familiar? At that point, I just knew I had to dig in and see what insights I could gleam off of the study. As each day progressed, I shared my notes with my wife, who in turn shared her wisdom about the study also. Here are some of the highlights I took away.