leadership

Mission Defines Success

The purpose of a software team is to complete a mission. If you are a software team leader, your success is defined by the accomplishment of that mission; you must own the result 100%.

Robin Bate Boerop's Blog

Robin Bate Boerop's blog about software development, DevOps, and leadership.

Motivating Psychological Safety

Why software team leaders should create psychologically safe work environments.

Teams exist to complete a mission. If you are a software team leader, you must ensure that the team's mission is well defined and clearly communicated. Without a clear mission, your team’s ability to make decisions is grossly impeded, as is your ability to set goals and measure progress.

Tip: Repeat Yourself Often

A tip for software team leaders: to communicate clearly and to lead effectively, repeat yourself often.

Toxic Developers Destroy Productivity

If you are the leader of a software team, then you have heard of the legendary 10x developer - the superstar worker. To improve your team's productivity, learn this: replacing an average worker with a superstar worker is not nearly as effective as removing a toxic worker. It’s not even close. Toxic workers destroy productivity.

Tip: Stop Solving Your Team's Problems

If you lead a software team, and a team member has a problem, you may be tempted to solve it. Maybe you shouldn’t. This is an opportunity for more than a solved problem.

Tip: They Don't Have to Like You

Are you a software leader worried that the team members don’t like you? You can stop worrying. They don’t have to like you. They just have to trust you.