Developer Tea

This episode discusses how to reframe areas of growth identified in performance reviews with your manager, turning potential weaknesses into strategic strengths. It emphasizes focusing on excelling in your existing strengths rather than spreading efforts thinly across all areas of improvement. Understand why it's misguided to immediately convert a list of growth areas into a to-do list and the importance of collaborating with your manager on this. Learn to identify the growth areas you are interested in and determine what has kept you from excelling in them, such as time, opportunity, or self-confidence. Discover why focusing on becoming extraordinarily good in your already strong areas can lead to unique opportunities for you and your company. Explore how to strategically discuss your growth areas with your manager, focusing on a limited set of areas for improvement and suggesting compromises or delegation for others. Challenge the conventional wisdom of balancing skills and instead consider how to become a top performer (top 2%) in your areas of strength. Realise that a team composed of individuals excelling at different things, will probably be more effective than a team of well-rounded individuals.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review!

This episode provides a tactical question to elicit useful feedback by taking responsibility for seeking it out and framing the request in a way that encourages advice rather than judgment. Understand that your manager giving you feedback is your responsibility, which means you should actively seek it out rather than waiting. Discover how a simple question can shift the dynamic with your manager to get better feedback, focusing on advice for the future rather than dwelling on past behaviours. Learn the tactical question to ask your manager: "What do you think will hold me back from growing?" or a modified version like, "What do you think will hold me back from getting X promotion?". Explore why framing your feedback request as seeking advice is more effective because managers generally enjoy giving advice and it focuses on future improvement. Understand that the intent is not to analyze past behavior but to identify potential roadblocks to future success and growth.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!.

This episode introduces a simple quadrant tool to visualise different working modes that a team or individual task might be in, based on levels of autonomy and definition. Understand how the quadrant is built using the X-axis of dependency (high to low) and the Y-axis of definition (high to low) to visualise different work modes. Explore how the bottom left quadrant represents work that is highly exploratory and highly dependent, often requiring collaboration across multiple departments. Learn how a "spike" usually fits into the bottom right quadrant, signifying autonomous exploration. Discover how the top left quadrant is for work that is highly dependent but highly defined, such as a migration project or adopting a new tool. Understand how the top right quadrant represents work that is the most defined and the most autonomous, typically a singular task assigned to an individual. Recognise that many development frameworks focus on optimising work to fit in the top right quadrant to improve flow by reducing dependencies. Consider that the top left quadrant is often the lowest value production due to high dependencies without creative thinking. Realise that exploratory work, if unguided, can be a liability, and it may be useful to involve more people in the exploration or ensure the individual has significant experience. Be aware that processes are often optimised for tasks in the top right quadrant, potentially leading to the avoidance of work in other quadrants.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

This episode introduces product lifecycle governance, offering practical techniques for engineering managers to tackle challenges like backlog prioritisation and leadership misunderstandings, helping turn potential problems into strategic advantages. Uncover how to use product lifecycle governance to expose vulnerabilities in your product development process, by understanding where decisions are made and who makes them. Learn how to move beyond simply managing a product to governing its lifecycle, turning unexpected issues into opportunities for better alignment and strategic advantage. Discover why understanding your governance model is crucial for ensuring that everyone is working on the most important tasks, and how to iterate on it for better clarity and effectiveness. Explore why focusing on a clear governance model and identifying decision points can be more useful than simply executing processes without understanding the bigger picture. Learn why surfacing tech debt and integrating it into your backlog is essential for a healthy product lifecycle. Understand that documenting and sharing your governance model can lead to better collaboration and alignment within the organisation.This episode provides language and a mental model around product lifecycle governance to help navigate challenges, especially when transitioning to a new role or company. It emphasises understanding where decisions are being made, what your power is as a manager, and how to collaborate to develop a better governance model. The goal is to ensure everyone is working on the right thing at the right time, optimising decision-making and processes.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

This episode explores philosophical frameworks—ontology, teleology, and dynamism—to inform decision-making in uncertain situations, providing practical advice for applying these concepts in your professional and personal life. Understand how ontology, teleology, and dynamism can help you navigate conversations about future actions for teams, companies, families, or yourself. Ontology focuses on a thing's intrinsic characteristics, teleology on its purpose or outcome, and dynamism on the changing environment. Learn how these philosophical frameworks address the uncertainty of the future and provide tools for making intentional decisions. The episode connects these concepts to practical advice, especially for engineering managers, demonstrating their relevance to your career. Explore how ontology identifies a thing's characteristics in isolation, while teleology considers its purpose or outcome. Discover how dynamism identifies changes in the environment and intent, providing a contextual understanding. Consider how dynamism can recognize the need to change a team's role due to external factors, like AI, which contrasts with the potentially static views of ontology and teleology. Understand that 'should' implies value in decision-making, with choices leaning towards desirable or undesirable outcomes. The episode explores how to define the criteria for 'should' in various contexts. Realise the importance of adapting your thinking to new realities, which is crucial in decision-making.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioWix Studio's developer-first ecosystem allows you to focus on crucial functionalities by reducing time spent on tedious tasks. Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub. Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions. Use Wix Studio’s AI code assistant to ship faster.Work within a developer-first ecosystem by visiting wixstudio.com.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordTo join a supportive community of engineers, visit the Developer Tea Discord community at https://developertea.com/discord.🧡 Leave a ReviewSupport the show by leaving a review on iTunes to help other developers discover the podcast.

This episode includes practical techniques to prepare for the unexpected by identifying vulnerabilities and building resilience, using the "curse question" and the "assumption audit" to help you turn potential problems into strategic advantages.• Uncover how to use a "curse question" to expose vulnerabilities you didn't know you had, by imagining realistic negative scenarios and what could go wrong.• Learn how to move beyond resilience to antifragility, turning unexpected events into opportunities for growth and strategic advantage, by making them benefitial rather than harmful.• Discover why your medium-confidence assumptions might be the most dangerous and how an "assumption audit" can help you rate them and their potential impact if they are wrong, to help you better understand your weaknesses.• Explore why preparing for a range of possibilities, including black swan events, is more effective than trying to predict specific outcomes, and how to spot opportunities in the unexpected.• Learn why focusing on areas of fragility and identifying risks can be more useful than focusing on trying to avoid negative events altogether.• Understand that counterfactuals can help you challenge your assumptions and create more robust plans.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

In this episode, we discuss how invisible inertia can cause us to misinterpret our reality in work scenarios.• Discover why common misconceptions about behaviour are so difficult to spot.• Explore why your "unique" situation might be a common trap, a "uniqueness bias".• Learn how exceptional states can become the norm and impact your life.• Uncover how people's values shape company culture, and how to evaluate this.• Why might expecting a culture to change in the direction you want be unrealistic?• Learn why you should evaluate situations for what they are right now, instead of expecting future change.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

Time-crunched and data-scarce? Learn how the RPD model can leverage expertise and intuition to speed up decision-making, and how the 'Rubicon' moment can make your team more action-oriented.Stop endless planning and start doing: Learn how understanding action phases can help your team move faster from discussion to delivery.• Is your team stuck in debate? Discover the "Rubicon" moment and how crossing it can boost productivity.• Learn to recognise when deliberation is costing you more than it's worth, and how to commit to a plan, even with limited information.• Is your team over-analysing? See how intuition and expertise can drive faster, "good-enough" decisions using the Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD) model.• Learn to make quick decisions in high-pressure situations using experience, even without perfect data.• Trust your team's expertise to move from talk to action sooner and more effectively.• Want to improve your team's speed and decision-making? Tune in to find out how to get moving!🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

Use "What" to get more specific. Align actions with intentions for better time management.• Stop wasting time on autopilot. Discover the power of the Five Whats and start being intentional with your time.• Tired of vague labels? Ask yourself, "What am I actually doing?" to gain clarity over your activities.• Learn how to move beyond "focus time" and define the specific actions you're taking.• See how your actions align with your goals (or don't!). Use this to refine your schedule and achieve your objectives.• These concepts can flex to apply to every aspect of your life🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

In today's episode, we're focusing on taking your resolutions and making them matter. I will give you two challenges in this episode to improve the quality and potential of success for your resolutions.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

Today, we celebrate 10 years of Developer Tea. I wouldn't be doing this podcast without you listening. Especially if you have been listening for many years, thank you!📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

How can you create better scientific wild a** guesses when the work is not well defined? We discuss a few strategies in this episode. We also talk a bit about what an estimate is in the first place, and how it differs from a commitment / deadline.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

Are you operating in the world, or are you working on a problem? This shift in agency can make all the difference in your career.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

Can you use ChatGPT to become a better engineer? I'm not just talking about learning a language or fixing a bug with ChatGPT providing advice... I'm talking about career simulations. In this episode we discuss how the airline industry has fixed the problem of experience, and how we can learn from their insights to create low-stakes learning environments that boost our career and confidence through the roof.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

In today's episode we discuss the concept of adopting self-coaching personas, and discuss the third persona, "Shoulder Socrates."🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

In today's episode we discuss the concept of adopting self-coaching personas, and discuss the second persona, the over-optimizer.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

In today's episode we discuss the concept of adopting self-coaching personas, and discuss a critical first persona to start with.🙏 Today's Episode is Brought To you by: Wix StudioDevs, if you think website builders mean limited control—think again.With Wix Studio’s developer-first ecosystem you can spend less time on tedious tasks andmore on the functionalities that matters most:● Develop online in a VS Code-based IDE or locally via GitHub.● Extend and replace a suite of powerful business solutions● And ship faster with Wix Studio’s AI code assistantAll of that, wrapped up in auto-maintained infrastructure for total peace of mind.Work in a developer-first ecosystem. Go to wixstudio.com📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

High-leverage work often comes in the simplest form of helping another person with their efforts.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

Learn to prioritize, and everything else falls into place. This is clarity through perspective and purpose.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.

Your career growth will be directly correlated to your ability to solve critical unsolved problems in the gaps of your organization's problems. Focus on finding the problems that have a high chance of success for you specifically - the low hanging fruit.📮 Ask a QuestionIf you enjoyed this episode and would like me to discuss a question that you have on the show, drop it over at: developertea.com.📮 Join the DiscordIf you want to be a part of a supportive community of engineers (non-engineers welcome!) working to improve their lives and careers, join us on the Developer Tea Discord community by visiting https://developertea.com/discord today!🧡 Leave a ReviewIf you're enjoying the show and want to support the content head over to iTunes and leave a review! It helps other developers discover the show and keep us focused on what matters to you.