Do managers even matter? That’s a good question. This is the question some MBA students asked for a research project at Google. They called the research, data gathered, findings, implementation, and follow-up “Project Oxygen.” It focused on gathering data regarding what qualities staff perceived would make a “good manager.” The results were not surprising. But, …
Productivity is a multi-headed beast. It’s a cocktail consisting of motivation, culture, collaboration, focus, goal setting, and time management, as well as controlling ambiguity to make one simple goal: keeping your staff working.
Having a fully-trained staff is essential to productivity, employee satisfaction, teamwork, and just getting the job done! This is a re-publishing of an article first published in September 2016. It’s a great topic to republish in an issue on testing as a job and the skills needed. At the time this was first published, the …
From expanding your skillset, to showing that you care, EI is crucial to great leadership. This is Part 2 of a 2-Part series. We are picking up the discussion of Emotional Intelligence from Part 1 in the June 2019 issue. After fully understanding Daniel Goleman’s model from Part 1 and references to his model, in …
Investing in Test Automation training will increase your team’s productivity. The availability of reliable jobs in a competitive US market seems to be constantly embattled with competition and replacements of artificial intelligence (AI). In 2016, Foxconn replaced 60,000 employees with robots. However, the growth of Test Automation as an occupation has highlighted an intriguing option …
Emotional Intelligence is largely seen as being more important than IQ when it comes to being a great leader. Explore the ways EI can affect both leaders and team dynamics in this first part of a 2 part series. Part 1 of a 2 – Part Installment “If you show people you don’t care, they’ll …
From vague user stories to differences in personal styles, learning how to deal with ambiguity is important for tech leaders. My first Manager in Testing was the famous author, Cem Kaner. He taught me many things that still impact my work decades later. One quote from him that has always stuck with me is: “Software …
HR issues can be detrimental to a work teams productivity. So it’s important to have HR knowledge and a resource to help you navigate these waters. Handling “HR issues” well may in fact save your life and build your career. I have a friend who works at a Silicon Valley Tech/Media company. No, not a …
HR issues will negatively impact team dynamics. HR can send shivers down the spine of many Tech Team Leaders. They are a complicated set of topics, especially for people and technology. Geeks have always posed unique issues and many small tech companies and start-ups do not have a strong centralized HR team but continue to distribute …
A practical approach to building culture in a modern work environment Working as a Lead or Manager or simply being a team leader has always had its pitfalls. Today they are more numerous, multi-faceted and more perilous for you.
