Stories only happen to people who can tell them. Allan Gurganus I must be able to tell stories, because stories sure as shit happen to me a lot. 26 years ago today, I landed at the International airport in Houston with my parents and older sister. A scrawny 13-year old wearing peach colored jeans and… Continue reading Something amazing, I guess
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What if you don’t want to hire someone until they can prove they have what it takes?
Do you want to hire talented people, but you also don’t want to commit? Do you find that you start disliking people after a while, and would rather spend a bunch of time making them do things for you first so you can be sure you won’t hate them later? Did you have to jump… Continue reading What if you don’t want to hire someone until they can prove they have what it takes?
Staying in Your Lane is Hard
For the first few years, Energy Ogre was fewer than ten people, and I was the only technical resource. We had contractors that came in for specialized work, but on most days, I was everything from technical support to the programmer behind all our systems. These were tumultuous times, not tracking when days ended and nights began,… Continue reading Staying in Your Lane is Hard
Dodging Learned Helplessness in Your Teams
A few weeks ago, a random stream of Google Fu led me to reading about learned helplessness, and like a child that learns a naughty word, I can’t stop telling everyone I know about it. So back in the late 1960s, a psychologist named Martin Seligman was conducting experimental research on dogs, as one does.… Continue reading Dodging Learned Helplessness in Your Teams
Not All Men…
It is a sign of my privilege as a man that until very recently, I did not realize that “not all men” was the man equivalent of “all lives matter”. It’s the argument men jump to when they hear about a woman being harassed or discriminated against or otherwise mistreated in the workplace, or at… Continue reading Not All Men…
Things Are Getting Out Of Hand
The concept of hell as a place you go during your after life if you are “bad” has been around since the day humans developed the ability to bullshit. Some believe hell is weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, darkness, flames, burning, torments and everlasting punishment. Some others believe it is a low budget courtroom drama… Continue reading Things Are Getting Out Of Hand
How I Retain Amazing Developers
If there’s one thing I hate more than being micromanaged, it is having to actually micromanage someone. I have had my fair share of working for and with managers who want to have a say in every aspect of the work done by their teams, and that just seems like such a miserable existence to… Continue reading How I Retain Amazing Developers
How I Hire Amazing Developers
It takes me about three months to hire a new software developer, from the time we decide we’re looking to hire till I put out an offer to a candidate. I’ve been told that this process is too slow, or that my standards are too high, or even that I am too hard to please.… Continue reading How I Hire Amazing Developers
I did it and now it is done. Sort of.
Just over a month ago, I attended my third BP MS 150 ride, where I set out to ride a bicycle from Houston to Austin along with a few thousand other clinically insane people. And let me tell you, guys, it was hard. Like, really, really hard. And did I mention that it was hard?… Continue reading I did it and now it is done. Sort of.
Support Me and Help People with Multiple Sclerosis
I am riding in the BP MS 150 for the third time this year, and I could use your help. Every hour, someone is newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. Every year, the National MS Society organizes a two-day bike ride from Houston to Austin to raise awareness and funds to fuel research… Continue reading Support Me and Help People with Multiple Sclerosis