Retro Time // A Software Podcast

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13. What Is Your “Why?” Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
– Antoine de Saint Exupéry

What motivates you to get out of bed every morning? What motivates you to keep going when times get tough? Have you ever thought about the “why” that drives your “what?” If you are one of the few who have, have you ever thought about all the ways your passion can inspire others to join you on your journey?

Simon Sinek has several books that discuss finding your “why.” Your “why” isn’t what you do, or how you do it, but what drives those things that we do every day. It’s what motivates us to keep going when things aren’t going our way.

Taking it one step further, the author Antoine de Saint Exupéry says that if you want to build a boat, don’t just find workers and give them orders, but teach them to long for the immensity of the sea.

If we want to build great software, we can’t just spin up a pod and expect great results. If we want to build great software, we need to motivate our team to want to build great software. If we can figure out how to motivate our teams to want to build great software, there’s no stopping us.

Topics:
• 00:25 – Wash your hands
• 00:55 – Simon Sinek is smart
• 01:45 – Why do we do what we do?
• 02:45 – Apple vs Others
• 04:30 – Is your organization a good fit?
• 05:20 – Why are we still here?
• 07:30 – Finding your “why” opens your options
• 08:00 – How to build a boat
• 08:32 – How does this relate to software?
• 09:49 – Finding shared a shared “why” builds a coalition
• 12:15 – Your “why” can be strengthened by your experience
• 12:50 – Your strong “why” can influence other’s “why”
• 13:00 – Influence is not about Coercion
• 13:15 – Your passion can spread
• 14:05 – You can lead without being the “leader”
• 14:29 – Your emotional intelligence matters
• 16:55 – How do we find our “why”?
• 18:00 – Now might be a good time for a reset
• 21:15 – Podcast Soulmates

Helpful Links:
• Simon Sinek
• Start With Why
• How Great Leaders Inspire Action
• How to build a boat

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12. The Butterfly Effect in Software Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

You probably haven’t heard of the theory of long-range dynamical behavior associated with chaotic dynamics. But the odds are good you’ve heard of its more common name, The Butterfly Effect.

You may have also seen Ashton Kutcher’s 2004 smash hit of the same name. In that movie, Evan Traborn, played by Kutcher, figures out how to go back in time to change traumatic events from his past. As he does this he realizes that even though his intentions are good his actions have unforeseen consequences.

In software, we make a lot of choices each day. Some of these choices seem small and insignificant, but sometimes our choices can have ripple effects that come back to the surface later. Sometimes, what surfaces can be nothing but trouble.

With so many unknowns, how do we ensure that what we’re building won’t come back to haunt us later?

Topics:
• 02:05 – What is the Butterfly Effect?
• 04:10 – In software, our decisions tend to stick around a while
• 04:54 – The Butterfly Effect isn’t always bad
• 05:35 – The origins mean a lot
• 08:22 – We can’t always be sure how our tools will be used later
• 15:35 – Plan ahead with a Pre Mortem
• 19:24 – Consistently ask if you’re impacting the future
• 21:15 – Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
• 21:34 – How do I make the wrong decision less often?
• 22:49 – Enterprise software lasts forever
• 26:08 – “Best Practices” can be a dangerous term
• 29:49 – Who will be maintaining your code years from now?
• 32:30 – Did you read the AWS fine print?
• 33:05 – Enterprise software lives longer the longer it lives
• 36:56 – Who are the people you’re building software for?
• 39:20 – Eliminate bad paths before they can cause trouble

Helpful Links:
• The Butterfly Effect
• Benjamin Franklin’s Poem
• Atlassian’s Pre-Mortem Template
• Ashton Kutcher’s best movie

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RetroByte: Quick Moving Update Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

Over the last few months, we’ve packed up our stuff and moved our families over 800 miles across the country. Since then, we’ve been busy unpacking boxes, moving furniture, getting settled in, and exploring Cincinnati. Now it’s time to get back to it.

We’ve been hearing from a lot of you asking where we went and when to expect the next episode to drop. Your support means so much to us, and we can’t tell you how happy we are to hear that you’re excited to hear more.

Topics:
• 00:20 – We moved to Cincinnati!

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11. Empathy for Everyone Aug 06, 2020

Show notes

A great man once said, “If empathy for the users is the key to a product’s success, then empathy for your team is the key to getting a great product shipped.”

As UX designers we talk a lot about empathy for the end users- getting in their head, understanding their perspective and reasoning, and creating an experience that exceeds their expectations.

But how often do we attempt to do the same for our own team? For the stakeholder that always disagrees with us, the product manager that’s always asking for things out of the blue, or the developer who always pushes back on that fancy new design?

Understanding our teammate’s perspective and how they see the product, creating a shared understanding and shared experiences fosters better relationships. It allows us to work more closely together with fewer conflicts. It increases overall team health, which allows us to work more collaboratively and ultimately, more efficiently. It just makes work way more pleasant overall.

Topics:
• 01:58 – Jeremy’s words of wisdom
• 03:32 – Daniel’s words of wisdom
• 05:10 – It’s like when you really want pizza
• 05:58 – Be intelligent with your empathy
• 08:30 – How do your decisions impact your team?
• 10:15 – Tom’s words of wisdom
• 11:16 – User stories for your team
• 13:25 – Set expectations for responsibilities
• 14:20 – Respect your teammate’s skills
• 16:10 – Team user stories can help identify Overlaps
• 17:10 – Derek’s words of wisdom
• 20:16 – Sharing empathy with your team creates less chaos
• 22:05 – Recommendations
• 27:03 – An ode to bigbrother82

Helpful Links:
• Stakeholders are People Too
• Behavior Driven Development
• Why Empathy is the Secret Sauce for Good Software Development
• The five keys to a successful Google team
• Episode 10. Interview: Tom Greever

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RetroByte: COVID-19 Week 18 Check In Jul 23, 2020

Show notes

Can you believe it’s been 18 weeks of quarantine and working from home? Well, somehow we’ve managed to make it this far, even with our kids constantly interrupting us while we’re trying to work. We might complain a lot, but we know we’re fortunate.

Topics:
• 00:57 – We’re moving to Cincinnati!

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10. Interview: Tom Greever, Author of Articulating Design Decisions Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

Many times, the hardest part of our jobs is not finding the right solution. Too often, the hardest part of our job is selling the right solution to our stakeholders. In Tom Greever’s book, Articulating Design Decisions, he discusses how to do just that and provides some solid tactics on how to get stakeholders on board with your complex, technical decisions.

This week, Derek and Jeremy talk with Tom and explore how these techniques can be used not only by designers but by people in other types of technical roles as well. Whether you’re an architect discussing the benefits of one vendor’s offering over another, a software engineer interested in changing front-end frameworks, or a product manager hoping to change the ingrained processes of a mature team, the tactics laid out in Articulating Design Decisions can be used to help you convince stakeholders to hop on board your gravy train to delivering great software.

Listen through to the end to find out some top-secret details on how O’Reilly chooses their cover animals, whether or not being good at articulating decisions makes you a better lover, and if Tom prefers Star Trek over Star Wars.

Topics:
• 07:50 – Your ability to articulate your solutions might be more important than your ability to design a solution.
• 10:20 – Other technical roles can use the same tactics laid out for designers.
• 12:00 – The way we relate to people on our teams has a direct influence on how they react to our work.
• 12:22 – We need to have empathy for our stakeholders.
• 14:40 – Write user stories for stakeholders.
• 16:45 – Don’t worry about consensus. Get support to move forward.
• 18:30 – Have a clear understanding of who makes decisions on various parts of our work.
• 19:18 – Look for a path to move forward.
• 20:23 – Highlight the risks or consequences of doing something we don’t recommend.
• 22:22 – Have some sort of goal and a way to measure it.
• 25:01 – Have more shared experiences with stakeholders to build relationships.
• 26:55 – The Office can teach us about building relationships.
• 28:38 – Breaking the ice can break the tension.
• 30:02 – TOP SECRET: How O’Reilly chooses animals for their books.
• 32:01 – The meaning of the rose-ringed parakeet: Tom’s Version
• 36:20 – Does being a better articulator of design decisions make you a better lover?
• 37:10 – This or That with Tom
• 42:10 – Where to buy the book

Helpful Links:
• tomgreever.com
• Purchase Articulating Design Decisions on Amazon
• The Office – Chili’s Meeting
• The wild parrots of New Orleans

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09. Freelancing for Dummies Jun 12, 2020

Show notes

With all the layoffs happening recently due to COVID-19, there will, no doubt, be a lot of people picking up freelance work while they hunt for their next full-time job. Some of you may have never done freelance before and aren’t sure where to start.

Chances are good that if you’re freelancing, you’re doing this all on your own. You’re responsible for tracking work. You’re responsible for client communication. You’re responsible for delivering. You’re responsible for invoicing. Unfortunately, sometimes, you’re also responsible for dealing with clients who don’t want to pay on time.

Because of all of this, it’s all too easy to get stressed out. But you might not know you’re stressed out until it’s too late.

This week, Derek and Jeremy give some tips to keep you from getting to the point where the stress becomes too much to handle. With a few simple ways to prepare and pitfalls to look out for, there’s no reason why freelancing can’t be a successful side hustle or full-time gig.

Topics:
• 00:50 – Jeremy is committed to this show.
• 05:40 – Use the Freelancers Union’s free templates.
• 08:10 – Stay on top of clients so the work doesn’t drag on.
• 10:10 – Taking on work you aren’t comfortable doing is risky.
• 11:38 – Don’t make less money because you’re efficient.
• 14:04 – Relying solely on Stack Overflow is very risky.
• 15:02 – The best freelance work is “easy breezy” and also “lemon squeezy.”
• 16:21 – Desperation freelance work is very stressful.
• 17:08 – Raindrops are falling on Jeremy’s head.
• 17:20 – Check yourself before you wreck yourself, the project, and your bridges.
• 17:54 – Word of mouth can help you, but also hurt you if you’re not careful.
• 18:30 – Always have a contract for work.
• 21:01 – Beware of the contracts you sign.
• 21:55 – Get in and get out — on to the next one.
• 22:53 – Do what you were paid to do — no more, no less.
• 24:50 – Try to have a clear picture of the solution before you start.
• 30:50 – Regular communication is important for freelance.
• 37:00 – When you get overwhelmed step away and come back.
• 38:15 – Jeremy’s terrible nautical analogy.
• 42:20 – Learn to manage your stress.
• 43:22 – If you make a mistake, own up to it.
• 44:55 – Have a reason to do freelance work.

Helpful Links:
• The Freelancers Union
• The Freelancers Union’s Free Resources
• Insurance for Freelancers

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08. Hunger Games or How I Learned to Love Job Hunting May 28, 2020

Show notes

There is no doubt that searching for a job is a full time job on its own. The resume writing, the portfolio design, the case studies, the submissions, the interviews. But before all of that, how does one even find the right job to apply to?

This week, Derek and Jeremy play a fun game called “Guess the Job Title.” Unfortunately for those on the hunt for a new job, most job titles out there can be pretty useless in helping narrow down the search.

But never fear! Derek has some words of wisdom to help you keep your chin up.

We’ve got some special news for our Retro Time fans: Leave a comment on Facebook, twitter, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher, and Derek will write a song about you. We might also send you a sticker.

Topics
• 01:10 – We have some big News
• 03:25 – Derek will write you a song!
• 03:50 – Maybe you’ll get a sticker?
• 10:20 – We don’t agree on titles for things
• 11:55 – Don’t rely on titles & broaden your search
• 23:55 – Cast a wide net, and learn about topics you aren’t familiar with
• 24:45 – Network Network Network!
• 26:00 – Beat the resume bots
• 27:20 – We can learn from the Gatorade League
• 31:40 – Jeremy’s kids are winning
• 33:35 – Beware of the work obituary
• 35:40 – Parting words of wisdom

Helpful Links
• Resume Writing Tips
• Custom Resume Per Submission
• Beat the Resume Scanning Bots

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The post 08. Hunger Games or How I Learned to Love Job Hunting appeared first on Retro Time.

RetroByte: A Work Trip Through Time May 09, 2020

Show notes

Sometimes we just need a little pick-me-up. For Derek and Jeremy, this was one of those weeks; They just needed a little laugh.

We’re keeping it light with a RetroByte this week. Derek and Jeremy talk about all the shenanigans they’ve had on past work trips, even insulting the women of Budapest with their poor Hungarian speaking skills. If you listen closely you can even hear the Blue Angels fly over Jeremy’s house.

Stay tuned next week for another full episode.

Topics
• 05:15 – Jeremy is into Bouncy House
• 10:15 – Derek feels the Pálinka burn
• 10:50 – Jerermy loves the roofs of Budapest
• 11:34 – Jeremy meant “St Matthews” Cathedral
• 11:54 – Jeremy lives like a President
• 13:50 – Derek insults a Hungarian
• 14:40 – Jeremy meant Túró Rudi
• 17:30 – Derek has Chipotle for the firrst time
• 18:00 – Jeremy loses a contractor
• 23:15 – Blue Angels Flyover
• 30:12 – Linus’ big reveal

Helpful Links
• St. Mathews Cathedral, Budapest
• Great Market Hall, Budapest
• Túró Rudi
• The Roofs of Budapest

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The post RetroByte: A Work Trip Through Time appeared first on Retro Time.

07. Coding After COVID Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

What will life be like after COVID19 is behind us? Will we ever get back to “normal?” What is “normal” anyway? Will our society end up like Demolition Man with no more handshakes and VR hanky panky? Will the COVID19 TP shortage of 2020 lead to the widespread use of three seashells?

Until Derek gets his used psychic kit up and running, we’ll have to just wait and see. Once he gets his machine running though you’ll be the first to get an update on what the future holds.

Special thanks to our good buddy David for the topic suggestion this week.

We’d love to hear your predictions on what life after COVID19 will be like. Let us know what you think, we’d love to hear your thoughts.

Topics
• 03:55 – It’s actually possible to WFH
• 05:40 – “Normal” won’t be normal for a while
• 06:30 – More WFH but not fully remote?
• 09:45 – Less open offices?
• 10:25 – Less shared office spaces?
• 11:05 – Derek’s big idea #1
• 16:30 – Social distance dating?
• 17:10 – Junior high dances will be the same
• 19:15 – Closer knit neighbors?
• 23:20 – Derek’s big idea #2
• 27:30 – Demolition Man was right?
• 30:30 – Episode 09 teaser

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