💭 Providing a sense of independence in caregiving

Say you’re supporting and providing for someone with reduced mobility1. If you want them to maintain their sense of independence, thn focus on your response times. Make it a priority to respond to their request for help immediately (or as fast as you can). When they have autonomy, people experience a short time from thought to action. This is crucial to give them the sense of independence: thought ➔ action...

December 18, 2023 · 1 min · 133 words
A mural depicting people gathered in a dimly lit room, showcasing unity and diversity

💭 Diversity and Inclusion: Reflections on Empathy, Hiring, and Transformation

Thoughts about 3 aspects of promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace: the need to understand each other, for companies to reveal themselves, and getting a seat at the table.

November 6, 2023 · 4 min · 758 words
Pop art painting of a crowded office party with many people

💭 Navigating people: The antisocial guide to survive social gatherings

Guide to being invisible in a crowded party. The subtle art of staying present and mingling with people, at the same time absent without engaging, all without raising suspicion.

July 10, 2023 · 7 min · 1365 words
An eye, a hammer and question mark, side-by-side next to each other in graffiti style

💭 Talking or speaking? Easily recall how to give good feedback

There are many guidelines on how to structure feedback but human nature is quite common. A simple mnemonic will help your recall your favourite framework when it matters the most — talk about what you “observe”, its “impact” and then “ask”.

June 13, 2023 · 4 min · 741 words
Three silhouette shadows showing behind a translucent curtain

💭 “The Business” considered harmful

Few corporate speak expressions annoy me in as much as these 2 words: 😬 “The business” This is a pet peeve of mine, for sure. But beyond that, it’s important we stop covering decision makers behind “The Business” curtain. There is no such entity called “The Business” in companies. “The Business” isn’t a job function or role or group of people. “The Business” is everyone in the company. So what is happening in reality, behind “The Business” curtain?...

June 4, 2023 · 3 min · 519 words
On the left, red switch with a 1 on top, a 0 on the bottom, and turned to the 1 position + on the right a coaxial selector with the input on the bottom, an A and B position of top, and the central nob set to the A position

💭 Mental model for Booleans vs Enumerates

In programming, Booleans and Enumerates are common data types to represent the concept of “choice”. When there are several things to choose from, the Enumerate is the only one to support it, so that’s clear. But what about when you have two things to choose from? There might be some confusion between both data types since either of them supports handling binary choices. The confusion arrises in particular when you want to add the choice of a new behaviour, on top of an existing one....

May 15, 2023 · 2 min · 352 words
A pair of glasses sitting on a table facing two blurred screens filled with code

💭 Pairing Reviews: Bridging the gap between pair programming and code reviews

Paring technical sessions for kick-offs and reviews can be a good alternative for programmers frustrated with async code reviews and unhappy with continuous pair programming.

May 8, 2023 · 11 min · 2186 words
Ceiling of Borujerdis House in Kashan, Iran with a bright light centre and shaded triangles all around it

💭 Context is everything, even when you don’t see it

We have all heard the common sense1 saying that “context is everything” at some point of our life. It’s a reminder to consider the circumstances before making judgments or decisions. Especially in consultancy, “context is everything” is a famous adage. What is true in one company, almost never applies directly to another. We always need to do major adjustments to the new context and the different realities. But what if I told you that we can take this idea even further?...

April 24, 2023 · 5 min · 953 words
Illustration presenting a transformation from a chaotic, cluttered workspace to an organized, efficient one, depicted in a modern digital painting style. These visuals capture the theme of transitioning from an overwhelming flow of Slack notifications, represented by a garbage landfill, to a structured, clutter-free environment, represented by a river flow and green fields.

💭 Slack Overload? Regain control with Inbox Zero principles

The goal is to apply “inbox zero” concepts to Slack and mitigate the pressures to “respond immediately”. The realisation is that sections can become a pseudo-inbox of channels that need reading (as opposed to considering messages the unit to manipulate).

April 17, 2023 · 10 min · 2070 words
The emojis 🙉 🤔 🎯 side-by-side in a vibrant, abstract style with bold brush strokes, in a dynamic background that features deep blues, bright oranges, and contrasting whites, creating a sense of movement and energy.

💭 Hearing or listening? Unlock the value of receiving feedback

Most information on feedback focuses on how to give negative feedback. But what about receiving negative feedback? How better would it be if both ends shared the burden of having productive conversations? Let’s put our egos to the side and be emphatic with those who give us criticism, so the burden isn’t on the speaker alone.

April 10, 2023 · 4 min · 693 words