“The five thieves of time are: too much work in progress, conflicting priorities, unplanned work, unknown dependencies, and neglected work." Dominica DeGrandis is the author of “Making Work Visible”. In this episode, we discussed how we can optimize our workflow and reclaim control of our work and time. Dominica unveiled the concept of the five thieves of time that rob us of our productivity, that includes too much work-in-progress (WIP), conflicting priorities, unplanned work, unknown dependencies, and neglected work. She also shared actionable practices and tips on dealing with each of these thieves. Towards the end, Dominica emphasized the importance of bringing visibility to and measuring the flow of what leadership and customers care about - the delivery of customer value—big picture items that span end-to-end value streams.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:47]Making Work Visible & Five Thieves of Time - [00:08:45]Thief: Too Much WIP - [00:15:31]WIP is a Leading Indicator - [00:18:33]Thief: Unplanned Work - [00:20:45]Making Sense of WIP - [00:23:04]Thief: Conflicting Priorities - [00:24:38]Thief: Unknown Dependencies - [00:29:17]Managing Dependencies - [00:32:53]Thief: Neglected Work - [00:36:40]Make Organization Work Visible - [00:41:21]Measuring Flow - [00:50:19]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:55:11] _____ Dominica DeGrandis’s BioA huge fan of using visual cues to inspire change, Dominica DeGrandis, author of Making Work Visible - Exposing Time Theft to Optimize Work & Flow, and Principal Flow Advisor at Planview, helps organizations make work visible to improve workflow. Obsessed with useful metrics & influencing change, Dominica advises customers on flow metrics, value stream management and how to effect change. Follow Dominica: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/dominicadegWebsite – ddegrandis.com/ _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/156 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Product driven means you understand what your customers’ problems are, but you don’t let yourself get held back by what your customers are saying. You’re not building your product for a customer that you’re already working with. You’re building a product for a customer that you haven’t yet met." Ben Foster is the co-founder of Prodify and the co-author of “Build What Matters”. In this episode, we discussed how product driven and vision-led product management helps organizations deliver key customer outcomes and achieve business goals. Ben first began by describing the product management paradox and some of the common product management dysfunctions. Ben then dived deep into the three important aspects of a vision-led product management, which are key customer outcomes, customer journey vision, and product strategy.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:31]Product Management Paradox - [00:05:59]The Role of Product Manager - [00:08:10]Product Dysfunctions - [00:09:50]Product Driven - [00:14:25]Vision-Led Product Management - [00:18:40]Key Outcomes - [00:22:52]Key Outcomes Pyramid - [00:28:52]Customer Journey Vision - [00:33:12]Customer Experience Stages - [00:35:36]Product Vision - [00:40:04]Product Strategy - [00:43:43]Product Roadmap - [00:47:49]Product Roadmap Duration - [00:55:50]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:58:51] _____ Ben Foster’s BioBen Foster has been working in product management in the tech scene for 25 years, and is co-founder and partner at Prodify, a product consulting and coaching firm he started 9 years ago. He cut his teeth at eBay during its heyday and was most recently the chief product officer at the wearable company Whoop. He has experience from startups to multi-billion dollar companies and everything in between. He’s spoken at several major tech events, has produced the definitive course on product leadership, and co-authored the Amazon bestseller Build What Matters. He lives in Arlington, VA with his wife and son. Follow Ben: Website – https://www.prodify.group/LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/benfoster/ _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/155 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Lean is not about how we organize work, but how we think about it. It’s not a production system; it’s an education system." Catherine Chabiron is a Lean expert and the co-author of “Learning to Scale at Theodo Group”. In this episode, Catherine and Fabrice–the co-founder and CTO of Theodo–shared their lessons learned from implementing Lean at a fast-growing scale-up company. Catherine and Fabrice first started by sharing the “big company disease” challenge and how Theodo started its Lean journey. We then discussed Lean essentials that include some of its principles, such as an obsession with customer value and lead time. We also talked about Lean practices adopted from the Toyota Production System, that include Gemba, Jidoka, Andon, and Kaizen. Along the way, Catherine and Fabrice also emphasized the importance of always building quality right the first time.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:41]Big Company Disease - [00:07:26]Theodo’s Lean Journey - [00:10:19]Implementing Agile at Scale - [00:14:35]The Essence of Lean - [00:18:41]Gemba - [00:23:16]Normal vs Not Normal - [00:26:26]Doing More Gemba Walks - [00:29:40]Obsession With Customer Value - [00:32:59]Obsession With Lead Time - [00:37:07]Jidoka & Andon - [00:40:25]Built-in Quality Right First Time - [00:44:16]Kaizen - [00:46:39]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:52:19] _____ Catherine Chabiron’s BioCatherine Chabiron is an established expert in Lean management with a professional journey spanning over 40 years. Catherine is not only a Lean executive coach but also a renowned author. Her notable contribution, “Learning to Scale at Theodo Group: Growing a Fast and Resilient Company,” exemplifies her unique know-how and offers practical advice to leaders seeking growth without compromising on core values and employee engagement. Fabrice Bernhard’s BioFabrice co-founded Theodo in Paris in 2009, which has grown on average 50% a year for the last 8 years and generated 90M€ turnover in 2022. He is now based in London to help on the international expansion of Theodo. Follow Catherine: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/catherine-chabiron-43ba6b16 Follow Fabrice: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/fabricebernhard/X – @fabriceb _____ Our Sponsors Miro is your team's visual workspace to connect, collaborate, and create innovations together, from anywhere.Sign up today at miro.com/podcast and get your first 3 Miro boards free forever. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/154 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Architecture touches on the software, the business, and the team organization. Modernization updates something that has some outdated thinking, e.g. technologies, ideas, business models." Nick Tune is a principal consultant and the author of “Architecture Modernization”. In this episode, we discussed how organizations can successfully go through an architecture modernization journey. Nick began by defining architecture modernization and discussing the socio-technical aspects involved. He then introduced the concept of an independent value stream and its four key characteristics: domain alignment, business outcome driven, empowered teams, and software alignment. Nick also shared tips on how to get buy in for a modernization journey, why it is beneficial to do it collaboratively, and explained in-depth the Wardley Mapping technique. Towards the end, Nick described the idea of Architecture Modernization Enabling Team and gave advice on creating an architecture modernization roadmap.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:31]Writing Architecture Modernization Book - [00:09:51]Architecture Modernization - [00:11:18]Socio-Technical Architecture - [00:13:35]Independent Value Stream - [00:17:47]Domain Aligned & Change Coupling - [00:19:32]Business Outcome Driven - [00:24:11]Owned by Empowered Teams - [00:27:02]Software Aligned - [00:28:34]Getting Buy In - [00:31:00]Collaborative Modernization Journey - [00:35:28]Wardley Mapping - [00:38:59]Product Taxonomy - [00:45:06]Architecture Modernization Enabling Team - [00:47:13]Modernization Roadmap - [00:53:51]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:58:35] _____ Nick Tune’s BioNick works with product and technology leaders to map strategy, model domains, design architecture and build continuous delivery teams while helping to deliver successful business outcomes. He is the author of Architecture Modernization (Manning), and Principles and Practices of Domain-Driven Design (Wrox). Follow Nick: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/nick-tuneMastodon – @nick_tune@hachyderm.ioWebsite – nick-tune.me _____ Our Sponsors Miro is your team's visual workspace to connect, collaborate, and create innovations together, from anywhere.Sign up today at miro.com/podcast and get your first 3 Miro boards free forever. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/153 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“We need to change our ways of working to give importance to the work quality that we deliver, ensure we keep raising our bar, and pass it on to the next generation of developers." Srihari Sridharan is a software architect and the author of “Craft Your Code”. In this episode, we discussed software craftsmanship and how to become better software engineers. Srihari first began by sharing the relationship between software craftsmanship and high-quality code. He described some practices for improving code quality, such as establishing coding standards, improving code readability, doing effective code review, and managing technical debt. He also explained the importance of software engineers understanding different architectural styles and domain knowledge. Srihari also shared strategies for creating high-performing teams by establishing psychological safety and trust.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:08]Bridging the Students Gap with Industry - [00:06:11]Writing “Craft Your Code” - [00:09:36]Software Craftsmanship and High Quality Code - [00:12:18]Root Causes of Low Quality Code - [00:15:26]Coding Standards - [00:20:15]Code Aesthetics - [00:24:17]Code Readability - [00:28:09]Tabs vs Spaces - [00:32:31]Code Review - [00:34:12]Managing Technical Debt - [00:39:36]Psychological Safety & Trust - [00:46:23]Mind Maps - [00:52:09]Architecture & Domain Knowledge - [00:54:00]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [01:02:33] _____ Srihari Sridharan’s BioSrihari Sridharan is a Software Architect and Engineer with a hands-on approach. He is a speaker, conducting courses and delivering talks on software craftsmanship and writing clean code. Srihari’s areas of expertise encompass refactoring, design patterns, enterprise application architectural patterns, integration patterns, and cloud-native design patterns. Srihari is also a reviewer and a senior technical proof-reader for Manning Publications Co, and he serves as a member of the ‘Board of Studies - Department of Information Technology’ at B.S Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science & Technology. Residing in Chennai with his wife Swathy and son Advaith, Srihari enjoys spending quality time with his family. In his leisure time, he loves playing cricket, writing blogs, reading books, and cooking. Follow Srihari: Website – https://topmate.io/srihari_sridharanLinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/srihari-sridharan/ _____ Our Sponsors Miro is your team's visual workspace to connect, collaborate, and create innovations together, from anywhere.Sign up today at miro.com/podcast and get your first 3 Miro boards free forever. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/152 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Leading change is high stakes, but we don’t spend a great deal of time focusing on conversation and creating space to engage in real conversation." Marsha Acker is the author of “Build Your Model for Leading Change” and the host of “Defining Moments of Leadership” podcast. In this episode, we discussed building our own model for leadership and leading change. Marsha first started by sharing the concept of a model and some of the common challenges for organizations in making changes. Then we discussed David Kantor’s theories on structural dynamics and functional awareness for understanding behavioral model, which include the concepts of leadership range and communicative competence. Marsha outlined what makes communication so challenging and what we can do to achieve a more effective communication. Towards the end, she shared the three different models that leaders need to think about, i.e. model for leadership, model for living, and model for leading change.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:54]Defining Moments of Leadership Podcast - [00:10:14]Building Our Model - [00:14:11]Challenges for Making Organization Change - [00:19:48]Behavioral Model - [00:23:57]Structural Dynamics - [00:27:30]Functional Awareness - [00:33:01]Communication Challenges - [00:38:12]Model for Leadership - [00:40:55]Model for Living - [00:44:12]Model for Leading Change - [00:46:10]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:54:44] _____ Marsha Acker’s BioMarsha Acker is the founder and CEO of TeamCatapult, an executive & leadership team coach, author, speaker, facilitator, and the host of Defining Moments of Leadership Podcast. Marsha’s unparalleled at helping leaders identify and break through stuck patterns of communication that get in their way of high performance. She is known internationally as a facilitator of meaningful conversations, a host of dialogue and a passionate agilest. She is the author of The Art and Science of Facilitation: How to Lead Effective Collaboration with Agile Teams and Build Your Model for Leading Change: A guided workbook to catalyze clarity and confidence in leading yourself and others. Follow Marsha: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/marsha-acker-3486a72Website – teamcatapult.comTwitter – @marshaacker _____ Our Sponsors Miro is your team's visual workspace to connect, collaborate, and create innovations together, from anywhere.Sign up today at miro.com/podcast and get your first 3 Miro boards free forever. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/151 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“A CTO gives the business the technology it needs to drive success by delivering a roadmap to grow and scale at a level and speed where technology never holds up their growth." Alan Williamson is the author of “Think Like a CTO”. In this episode, we discussed in-depth how to become a great CTO. Alan first described what a CTO role is, how the role differs at different company stages, and the attributes of a good CTO. Alan then explained the importance of a CTO coming up with a vision and how we can improve ourselves in visionary thinking. He then touched on how a CTO should work together and understand the expectations of the CEO. Alan also gave his tips on how to build engineering teams that can produce high-quality results. Towards the end, Alan gave his personal advice on how a CTO can deal with imposter syndrome and the importance of a CTO doing a personal review.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:28]The CTO Role - [00:07:47]Different Flavors of CTO Role - [00:12:47]CTO at Different Company Stage - [00:13:42]What Makes a Good CTO - [00:17:04]Visionary Planning - [00:19:40]Learning How to Create a Vision - [00:23:40]Working with the CEO - [00:30:54]Building Engineering Teams - [00:36:47]Building Quality In - [00:39:58]Dealing with Imposter Syndrome - [00:45:36]Reviewing Yourself - [00:52:11]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:59:09] _____ Alan Williamson’s BioAlan was the first U.K. Java Champion and has contributed much to open source, including OpenBD, a Java based CFML runtime engine, that once powered MySpace.com, as well as many other blue-chip CFML sites. Alan has published a number of books in the Java space covering Enterprise Java, Servlets, JavaMail and database access. He also served in the role of Editor-in-Chief for Java Developers Journal. His recent book, ‘ Think like a CTO ’ aimed at the new and upcoming CTO. Filled with real-world actionable items, including case studies and interviews. Alan is currently a partner with New Harbor Capital, heading up their Portfolio Operations Group, providing interim and executive CTO services to New Harbor’s portfolios, advising on all levels on how to maximize technology for the growth of the business. Follow Alan: Website – alan.isLinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/a1anw2/ _____ Our Sponsors Miro is your team's visual workspace to connect, collaborate, and create innovations together, from anywhere.Sign up today at miro.com/podcast and get your first 3 Miro boards free forever. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/150 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“A lot of the traditional wisdom said the best teams are the ones that stay stable or the same; you need long-lived stable teams. The fact is, team change is inevitable. So let’s get better at it." Heidi Helfand is the author of “Dynamic Reteaming”. In this episode, we discussed dynamic reteaming concept, or team changes in simple words. Heidi explained how her experience working in various startups and scaleups led to her coming up with the dynamic reteaming idea. She also explained how dynamic reteaming differs from the common advice of having long-lived teams. We then discussed the five patterns of dynamic reteaming as outlined by Heidi in her book. Our discussion also covered various other topics, such as onboarding, offboarding, maintaining company culture, ideal team size, and leadership role in dynamic teams.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:34]How Dynamic Reteaming Idea Came About - [00:08:30]Dynamic Reteaming - [00:12:08]Social Dynamics - [00:13:51]Dynamic Reteaming vs Long-Lived - [00:18:14]One by One - [00:26:19]Onboarding New Joiners - [00:27:42]People Leaving - [00:30:54]Maintaining Culture - [00:37:18]Grow & Split And Merging Patterns - [00:42:42]Ideal Team Size - [00:45:51]Isolation Pattern - [00:51:43]Role of Leader/Manager - [00:54:56]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:57:47] _____ Heidi Helfand’s BioHeidi Helfand is author of the book Dynamic Reteaming and SVP of Strategy & Innovation at Artium. She’s passionate about helping companies build great products and high-performing teams, and she’s particularly interested in the people side of engineering. With over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, including roles at AppFolio, Procore and Expertcity/GoToMeeting, Heidi has gained a deep understanding of how to help organizations successfully navigate change and scale their teams. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys spending time with her family and exploring the outdoors. Follow Heidi: Website – heidihelfand.comLinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/heidihelfand/X – @heidihelfandMastodon – @heidihelfand@mastodon.socialArtium – thisisartium.comEmail – HeidiHelfand@thisisartium.com _____ Our Sponsors Miro is your team's visual workspace to connect, collaborate, and create innovations together, from anywhere.Sign up today at miro.com/podcast and get your first 3 Miro boards free forever. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/149 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“BDD is about helping you collaborate with the different parties involved in software delivery to understand what’s actually required of your system, why you need to deliver it, and then find the best possible way to automate your requirements." John Smart and Jan Molak are the co-authors of “BDD in Action: Second Edition”. In this episode, we discussed in-depth behavior-driven development (BDD) and its essentials. Jan and John first began by introducing what BDD is, the benefits of using BDD, and the Gherkin language with its given-when-then syntax. They gave advice on how to introduce and apply BDD, especially for legacy software, and how to manage the BDD specifications effectively. Jan and John then shared several BDD techniques, such as feature mapping, example mapping, impact mapping; and went deep into the screenplay pattern and the Serenity projects they both create to implement screenplay pattern. Towards the end, Jan and John shared their insights on which testing layers we should apply BDD and some anti-patterns we should avoid.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:04:49]Challenges Before BDD - [00:11:30]Behavior Driven Development (BDD) - [00:15:24]Benefits of BDD - [00:22:33]Gherkin - [00:27:39]Introducing BDD - [00:32:24]BDD for Legacy Software - [00:38:41]Managing BDD Specifications - [00:43:15]Screenplay Pattern - [00:47:09]Serenity Project - [00:58:42]Other BDD Techniques - [01:11:33]Testing Layers to Apply BDD - [01:14:13]BDD Anti-Patterns - [01:18:28]4 Tech Lead Wisdom - [01:23:01] _____ Jan Molak’s BioJan Molak is a consulting software engineer and trainer who specialises in enhancing team collaboration and optimising software development processes for global organisations. Jan is the author of the Serenity/JS acceptance testing framework, a contributor to the Screenplay Pattern, and a co-author of a renowned book “BDD in Action, Second Edition”. John Ferguson Smart’s BioJohn Ferguson Smart is a specialist in BDD, automated testing, and software lifecycle development optimization. He is the founder of the Serenity Dojo, an online training platform for testers who want to become world-class Agile Test Automation Engineers, and the creator of the Serenity BDD test automation framework. Follow Jan: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/janmolakX – @JanMolak Follow John: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/john-ferguson-smartX – @wakaleoSerenity Dojo – serenity-dojo.com _____ Our Sponsors Miro is your team's visual workspace to connect, collaborate, and create innovations together, from anywhere.Sign up today at miro.com/podcast and get your first 3 Miro boards free forever. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/148 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Collaborative modeling is getting the relevant people into a room to solve a problem or get on the same page about what it is you’re solving and getting some directions for that solution." Evelyn and Gien are the co-authors of “Collaborative Software Design: How to Facilitate Domain Modeling Decisions”. In this episode, we discussed collaborative software design and why we need it in software development. Evelyn and Gien started by explaining the Cynefin framework in software development and the importance of having heuristics for making quick decisions. We then dived deep into discussing what collaborative modeling is, how to get people involved to collaborate, and the important role of a facilitator. We also talked about the socio-technical aspects and skills required in collaborative modeling, in particular, understanding the influence of cognitive bias and ranking. Towards the end, we discussed when we should do a collaborative modeling exercise, how to structure it, and tips for doing it remotely.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:06:53]Collaborative Software Design - [00:09:28]Complicated vs Complex Problems - [00:12:24]Heuristics - [00:15:07]Collaborating Modeling - [00:19:03] The Facilitator Role - [00:24:55]Socio Technical Skills - [00:30:10]Cognitive Bias - [00:33:10]The Influence of Ranking - [00:38:51]Collaborative Modelling Structure - [00:47:00]When to do Collaborative Modeling - [00:51:38]Remote Collaborative Modeling - [00:55:34]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:58:45] _____ Evelyn van Kelle’s BioEvelyn van Kelle is a strategic software delivery consultant, with experience in coaching, advising, facilitating, and guiding organizations and teams in designing and maintaining socio-technical systems. She blends different techniques, tools and approaches from behavioral and social sciences, collaborative modeling and Domain-Driven Design, to help leadership teams achieve sustainable transformations. Evelyn loves to share her knowledge by speaking at international conferences and meetups. Gien Verschatse’s BioGien Verschatse is an experienced consultant and software engineer that specializes in domain modelling and software architecture. As a Domain-Driven Design practitioner, she always looks to bridge the gaps between experts, users, and engineers. As a side interest, she’s researching the science of decision-making strategies, to help teams improve how they make technical and organizational decisions. She shares her knowledge by speaking and teaching at international conferences. When she is not doing all that, you’ll find her on the sofa, reading a book and sipping coffee. Follow Evelyn: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/evelynvankellX – @EvelynvanKell Follow Gien: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/gien-verschatseX – @selketjah _____ Our Sponsors Miro is your team's visual workspace to connect, collaborate, and create innovations together, from anywhere.Sign up today at miro.com/podcast and get your first 3 Miro boards free forever. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/147 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Do not start a job search by looking for jobs. Start a job search by understanding at a deeper level who you are, what you value, how you like to work, and what are you solving for." Andre Martin is an organizational psychologist and the author of “Wrong Fit, Right Fit”. In this episode, he shared the importance of finding the right fit company for us in our work. Andre used the analogy of writing with a non-dominant hand to explain working in a wrong fit company. He shared some of the common misalignments, such as the modern hiring practices, infinite browsing, and company culture deck trend. Andre then explained how we can work towards finding our right fit company by doing more self reflection using some fit excursions shared in his book. He also touched on the important concept of buffers and the role of leaders and managers in the workplace. Towards the end, Andre shared some practical tips on how companies can create a better right fit culture in the organizations.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:53]Wrong Fit, Right Fit - [00:05:28]Writing with Our Non-Dominant Hand - [00:07:27]Common Wrong Fit Misalignments - [00:10:25]Way of Working - [00:14:50]The Danger of Culture Deck - [00:22:04]The Danger of Infinite Browsing - [00:23:51]Finding the Right Fit - [00:26:18]Fit Excursions - [00:28:31]Interviewing and Onboarding + Right Fit - [00:33:07]Buffers + Right Fit - [00:37:52]The Role of the Leader & Manager - [00:40:04]Company + Right Fit - [00:43:46]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:47:39] _____ Andre Martin’s BioAndre Martin is an organizational psychologist and talent management executive with 20+ years of experience in talent development, executive team development, employee engagement, culture change, c-suite assessment & succession planning, innovation/design thinking, strategy development, and employee experience design. He is also a father, a husband, and a wildly curious learner who is dedicated to ensuring iconic brands become iconic companies. Follow Andre: Website – www.wrongfitrightfit.comLinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/docmartinpdx _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/146 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Lifestyle engineering is about taking the idea we have within us to create a different reality in our own lives. It’s amazing what’s possible when you get in the driver’s seat and engineer your lifestyle." Zachary White is a career coach for engineering leadership and the host of the Happy Engineer Podcast. In this episode, Zach shared how engineers can become happier in their work and life through the lifestyle engineering approach. He discussed what lifestyle engineering entails, such as debunking the myth of work-life balance, getting out of comfort zone, mastering mindset, building our own blueprint, and doing less. Zach also opened up and shared his personal story of getting burned out and gave great insights on how we can manage burnout before it happens. Towards the end, Zach explained the importance of coaching for engineering leaders to reach their full potential.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:40]Lifestyle Engineering - [00:07:22]The Happy Engineer Podcast - [00:10:09]Forget Work-Life Balance - [00:13:20]Getting Out of Comfort Zone - [00:17:42]Examples of Stepping Out of Comfort Zone - [00:21:19]Mastering Mindset - [00:25:37]Building Our Own Blueprint - [00:30:40]Doing Less - [00:34:10]Burnout - [00:38:02]Coaches for Engineering Leaders - [00:46:13]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:50:53] _____ Zachary White’s BioZach White is known as the premier career coach for engineering leadership. He has worked with hundreds of leaders at top companies worldwide to achieve breakthrough results and avoid burnout. Zach is the founder and CEO of Oasis of Courage, a fast-growing company with unique and proven coaching programs exclusively for engineering and technology professionals. He also hosts a top-rated show, “The Happy Engineer Podcast.” As a coach for engineering leaders, Zach understands the journey firsthand, holding both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and spending over a decade building his career in the Fortune 200. Follow Zachary: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/thezachwhiteCoaching Website – oasisofcourage.comHappy Engineer Podcast – oasisofcourage.com/happy-engineer-podcastPodcast Mobile Listen – plnk.to/the-happy-engineer _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/145 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“The goal is not Agile. The goal is not DevOps. The goal is not Cloud. The goal is value, time to value, safety, happiness, and quality." Jonathan Smart and Simon Rohrer are the co-authors of “Sooner Safer Happier”. In this episode, Jon and Simon shared how we can deliver better outcomes in a more humane way of working, by delivering better value sooner, safer, and happier. They shared several principles, patterns, and anti-patterns described in the book, such as focusing on outcomes, the leadership as team number one, intelligent flow, creating alignment, and having the ability to unlearn and relearn.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:41]The Age of Digital - [00:06:29]Patterns & Anti-Patterns - [00:11:15]Better Value Sooner Safer Happier (BVSSH) - [00:13:18]Focus on Outcomes - [00:17:06]Empower the How - [00:19:28]Role of Leadership - [00:23:30]Leadership Team is Team #1 - [00:26:41]Intelligent Flow - [00:31:28]Stop Starting, Start Finishing - [00:34:43]Building Alignment - [00:36:48]Limited Velocity to Unlearn and Relearn - [00:40:10]4 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:43:41] _____ Jonathan Smart’s BioJonathan Smart is co-founder and CEO of Sooner Safer Happier, a thought leader and a coach. He has been an agile and lean practitioner since the early 1990s and the lead author of the award winning and bestselling ‘Sooner Safer Happier: Patterns and Antipatterns for Business Agility’. He is also the founder of the Enterprise Agility Leaders Network, a member of the Programming Committee for the DevOps Enterprise Summit, a member of the Business Agility Institute Advisory Council, a guest speaker at London Business School, and speaks at numerous conferences a year. Simon Rohrer’s BioSimon Rohrer has been a hands on practitioner across both software engineering and enterprise architecture for over twenty-six years, and has had a passion for agile software development since picking up the eXtreme Programming white book in 1999. He’s passionate about an eclectic and pragmatic approach to modern ways of working, incorporating lean, agile, systems thinking, DevOps and other principles and practices at the right pace and in a human context in enterprises, typically with a legacy of existing technology and a drive to do things better. Follow Jonathan and Simon: Jonathan Smart’s LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/jonathansmartSimon Rohrer’s LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/simonrohrerWebsite – soonersaferhappier.comSlack – soonersaferhappier.com/community _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/144 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Think about delegation as more of a coaching mindset instead of the doer mentality. It’s not about looking at the immediate task at hand, it’s about teaching that to others." Akanksha Gupta is the author of “Think Like a Software Engineering Manager”. In this episode, Akanksha described the role of an engineering manager and the key traits of being a good engineering manager. She gave advice on how one can transition to the EM role and talked about the difference between an engineering management and leadership. Akanksha then walked us through the three key pillars of engineering management, which are people, process, and projects. We discussed topics, such as delegation, performance management, cross functional collaboration, and time management. Akanksha also shared her practical advice for women in technology who are also interested in becoming an engineering manager.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:38]Writing the Book - [00:05:54]Engineering Manager (EM) Role - [00:08:25]Transitioning to an EM Role - [00:10:48]Traits of a Good EM - [00:14:17]Engineering Manager vs Engineering Leader - [00:18:31]Boss Mindset - [00:20:01]Advice for Women to Become EMs - [00:21:56]Delegation - Learn to Let Go - [00:24:30]Managing Performance - [00:27:33]Cross-Functional Collaboration - [00:33:27]Setting Up Processes - [00:37:20]Managing Up - [00:40:00]Time Management - [00:42:02]A Growing Todo List - [00:45:50]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:47:28] _____ Akanksha Gupta’s BioAkanksha Gupta is an experienced Engineering Manager at AWS. Prior to joining Amazon, she was an engineering manager with Robinhood, Audible and Microsoft. She completed her Masters in Computer Science at Columbia University. She is also part of the IADAS (The International Academy of Digital Arts and Science) and was awarded the Fellowship by the British Computer Society and the RSA. Akanksha is also a huge advocate in Women in Technology. She is an Amazon Bar Raiser at Amazon and is an active mentor at PlatoHq, GrowthMentor and FastTrack mentorship programs. She has served as the jury member for several esteemed awards such as Stevie Awards, SIIA Codie, GraceHopper and the Webby awards. She has also been part of the Grace Hopper committee review for Software Engineering track and has served as a Track chair for Global WomenInTech conference. Follow Akanksha: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/akankshaguptamgrPlato HQ – platohq.com/@akanksha-gupta-1364542759Growth Mentor – app.growthmentor.com/mentors/akanksha-gupta _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/143 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“To build trust, you need to do the right thing, do the best you can, and show people you care. And when you do that, it builds commitment. Trust and commitment are how teams do best and win the most." Michael Foss is a leadership coach and the founder of CoachFoss LLC. In this episode, we discussed the power of leadership principles and positive leadership. Michael started by sharing the important principle of building trust and creating a shared commitment with the people we work with. He then shared what he learned from his time at Amazon and explained why creating leadership principles is important for any company to thrive. Michael also explained the powerful techniques for leading a successful process improvement: creating standard work and using Andon from the Toyota Production System. Towards the end, as a certified trainer, Michael summarized leadership essence of both John Maxwell’s Leadership and John Gordon’s Power of Positive Leadership. So many leadership insights you can learn just from this summary alone!   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:04:04]Building Trust - [00:15:35]Creating Standard Work - [00:23:00]Pulling an Andon - [00:26:18]Power of Principles - [00:30:19]Building Shared Commitment - [00:33:18]John Maxwell & Positive Leadership - [00:38:58]Mental Health & Wellbeing - [00:48:34]4 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:53:30] _____ Michael Foss’s BioMichael is the Founder & CEO for CoachFoss LLC. As a speaker, trainer, and consultant, he is passionate about Finding Optimal Solutions for Success and thrives on inspiring and motivating leaders, teams, and individuals to achieve and sustain transformational success. Michael is certified to train The Power of Positive Leadership & The Power of a Positive Team by Jon Gordon and is an active Executive Program Director John Maxwell Leadership Certified Speaker, Trainer, and Coach. Michael has extensive global experience and success as a logistics and supply chain operations leader, having worked for companies including Walmart, Flexport, CloudSort, Caterpillar, Amazon, Cameron, Weir, and FedEx. Michael is a Fellow, Past President, & IAB chairman of the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE). He earnt his Lean / Six Sigma Black Belt from the University of Villanova and he was awarded the Texas Tech Whitacre College of Engineering Distinguished Engineer’s award, one of only 27 industrial engineers ever awarded. Follow Michael: Website – coachfoss.comLinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/coachfossInstagram – instagram.com/coachfoss11Linktree – linktr.ee/CoachFoss _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/142 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“You should never do something just because the auditors want you to do it. They should be able to explain the risk and controls in accordance with your risk appetite and tolerance." Clarissa Lucas is an audit and risk management leader and the author of “Beyond Agile Auditing”. In this episode, Clarissa shared a novel approach to internal auditing called auditing with agility. She shared this concept at the DevOps Enterprise Summit 2022, which drew some parallels to the revolutionary birth of the DevOps movement. Clarissa explained the three core components of auditing with agility, which are value-driven auditing, integrated auditing 2.0, and adaptable auditing.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:04:27]Purpose of Internal Audit - [00:08:38]Challenges with Traditional Auditing - [00:11:01]How Auditing with Agility Started - [00:16:48]Parallels with the Birth of DevOps - [00:22:02]Segregation of Duty - [00:25:04]Auditing with Agility & Value-Driven Auditing - [00:30:21]Integrated Auditing 2.0 - [00:33:52]Adaptable Auditing - [00:41:33]Extending to External Auditing - [00:45:32]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:47:26] _____ Clarissa Lucas’s BioClarissa Lucas is an experienced audit and risk management leader with over 15 years of experience. As a thought leader on Auditing with Agility, she has written articles on the topic published by both the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and IT Revolution press, as well as her first book, Beyond Agile Auditing: Three Core Components to Revolutionize Your Internal Audit Practices. Clarissa has spoken at a number of IIA, ISACA, and IT Revolution conferences, as well as local IIA chapter events and various podcasts, on this topic. Clarissa is a Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Certified Investments and Derivatives Auditor. Follow Clarissa: Website – clarissalucas.comLinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/clarissalucas _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/141 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“It’s so important to start with a problem and make sure you understand it is a big market. Many tech founding teams end up building a technology that is still in search of a problem." Jothy Rosenberg is a serial entrepreneur who has founded 9 startups with exits of over $100 million. He is the author of an upcoming book “Think Like a Tech Founder: Anecdotes of an Incorrigible Entrepreneur”. In this episode, Jothy shared his valuable lessons learned on founding and managing a startup, such as why and when you should decide to startup, valuable advice for founders (including letting go founders who don’t work out), dealing with failures, being the CEO of your own startup, and traits of a bad CEO we should avoid. Towards the end, Jothy shared inspiring message about his story overcoming physical disability that resulted in a foundation “Who Says I Can’t”, and described his formula why people with physical disability so often overachieve.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:04:48]Jumping into Startup - [00:12:34]When to Start a Startup - [00:16:36]Definition of Founders - [00:19:01]Advice for Founders - [00:21:44]Letting Founders Go - [00:24:20]Dealing with Failure - [00:26:47]Lessons from Big Companies - [00:30:20]Being a Startup CEO - [00:34:16]Bad CEOs - [00:38:18]Who Says I Can’t Foundation - [00:44:31]Who Says I Can’t Formula - [00:49:10]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:54:00] _____ Jothy Rosenberg’s BioJothy Rosenberg has been an entrepreneur since 1988, and has founded and run nine technology startups—two of which had exits of over $100 million. He was the general manager of Borland’s Developer Division from 1992-1997, where he led Borland’s Languages division, including Delphi, C++Builder, and JBuilder. He has a PhD in computer science, and has authored two technical books, a business book, memoir, and childrens book. Jothy is the creator of the series Who Says I Can’t on YouTube, and established and runs the The Who Says I Can’t Foundation. Follow Jothy: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/jothyWho Says I Can’t – whosaysicant.orgDover Microsystems – dovermicrosystems.comEmail – jothy@dovermicrosystems.com _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/140 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“An effective developer is an effective software tester. As a developer, it’s your responsibility to make sure what you do works. And automated testing is such an easy and cheap way of doing it." Mauricio Aniche is the author of “Effective Software Testing”. In this episode, Mauricio explained how to become a more effective software developer by using effective and systematic software testing approaches. We discussed several such testing techniques, such as testing pyramid, specification-based testing, boundary testing, structural testing, mutation testing, and property testing. Mauricio also shared his interesting view about test-driven development (TDD) and suggested the one area we can do to improve our test maintainability.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:43]Winning Teacher of the Year - [00:06:07]An Effective Developer is an Effective Tester - [00:09:33]Reasons for Writing Automated Tests - [00:10:43]Systematic Tester - [00:13:45]Testing Pyramid - [00:17:50]Unit vs Integration Test - [00:20:25]Specification-Based Testing - [00:22:55]Behavior-Driven Design - [00:25:34]Boundary Testing - [00:27:01]Structural Testing & Code Coverage - [00:30:16]Mutation Testing - [00:35:31]Property Testing - [00:38:45]Test-Driven Development - [00:42:00]Test Maintainability - [00:46:03]Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests - [00:48:07]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:49:24] _____ Mauricio Aniche’s BioDr. Maurício Aniche’s life mission is to help software engineers to become better and more productive. Maurício is a Tech Lead at Adyen, where he heads the Tech Academy team and leads different engineering enablement initiatives. Maurício is also an assistant professor of software engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. His teaching efforts in software testing gave him the Computer Science Teacher of the Year 2021 award and the TU Delft Education Fellowship, a prestigious fellowship given to innovative lecturers. He is the author of the “Effective Software Testing: A Developer’s Guide”, published by Manning in 2022. He’s currently working on a new book entitled “Simple Object-Oriented Design” which should be on the market soon. Follow Mauricio: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/mauricioanicheTwitter – @mauricioanicheWebsite – effective-software-testing.comNewsletter – effectivesoftwaretesting.substack.com _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/139 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“Building an application security program is about ensuring security is built into the software development lifecycle and how to respond to vulnerabilities." Derek Fisher is the author of “Application Security Program Handbook”. In this episode, Derek shared about building an application security program and how to implement it in our organization. First, we discussed some security fundamental concepts, such as shift-left, CIA triad, and threat modeling. Derek then outlined how to start an application security program and measure the program’s success. Derek also touched on the security program maturity model and gave his tips on how to build and hire application security teams. Towards the end, Derek also gave his insights on how to address zero-day vulnerabilities when it becomes prominent.   Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:51]Building Application Security Program - [00:06:56]Shifting Left - [00:11:58]CIA Triad - [00:16:30]Threat Modeling - [00:19:04]Threat Classification - [00:22:49]Starting Application Security Program - [00:27:04]Security Program Maturity Model - [00:32:45]Building Security Teams - [00:35:27]Measuring the Program’s Success - [00:40:19]Zero Day Vulnerabilities - [00:42:48]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:44:59] _____ Derek Fisher’s BioDerek is an award winning author of a children’s book series in cybersecurity as well as the author of “The Application Security Handbook.” He is a university instructor at Temple University where he teaches software development security to undergraduate and graduate students. He is a speaker on topics in the cybersecurity space and has led teams, large and small, at organizations in the healthcare and financial industries. He has built and matured information security teams as well as implemented organizational information security strategies to reduce the organizations risk. His focus has been to raise the security awareness of the engineering organization while maintaining a practice of secure code development, delivery, and operations. Follow Derek Fisher: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/derek-fisher-sec-archYouTube – @securelybuilt5967Website – securelybuilt.com _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/138 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.

“It’s not about the tools or processes. Most important is you understand the target outcomes for your customers and establish the right level of shared situational awareness across the teams." Robert Benefield is the author of “Lean DevOps: A Practical Guide to On Demand Service Delivery”. In this episode, Robert shared insights on how we can apply the Lean DevOps mindset for building successful IT delivery organizations. Robert started by sharing what initiated him writing the book and how it differs from the other available DevOps books. Robert described the concept of on-demand service delivery and important concepts, such as knowing the target outcomes, building situational awareness, and making effective and timely decisions based on the OODA loop. Robert also shared a few practices and techniques he outlined in the book, such as mission command, workflow board, queue master, service engineering lead, value stream mapping, and Einheit.  Listen out for: Career Journey - [00:03:58]Writing a DevOps Book - [00:14:14]On Demand Service Delivery - [00:18:58]Mission Command - [00:21:42]OODA Loop - [00:26:56]Building Situational Awareness - [00:33:16]Workflow Management - [00:39:43]3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:49:41] _____ Robert Benefield’s BioRobert Benefield is an experienced technical leader who has decades of experience delivering robust on-demand services to solve hard problems in demanding ecosystems including banking and securities trading, medical and pharmaceutical, energy, telecom, government, and Internet services. His continual eagerness to learn and work with others to make a difference has taken him from building computers and writing code in the early days of the Internet at Silicon Valley startups to the executive suite in large multinational companies. He shares his unique experience in the hopes that others can continue to build on it without having to collect quite as many scars along the way. Follow Robert: LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/robert-benefield-25482Website – leandevops.comTwitter – @leandevops _____ Our Sponsors Are you looking for a new cool swag? Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online. These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available. Check out all the cool swags available by visiting techleadjournal.dev/shop. And don't forget to brag yourself once you receive any of those swags. Like this episode? Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/137 Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Buy me a coffee or become a patron.