Work Archives

How to Stop Giving Unsolicited Advice at Work in 4 Steps

Why is advice-giving a common habit in the workplace? How can you stop giving unsolicited advice at work? In The Advice Trap, leadership coach Michael Bungay Stanier argues that when we use advice-driven leadership at work it creates an unproductive work environment and a lack of team confidence. To stop giving unsolicited advice, Stanier offers four steps to break the advice-giving habit. Read on to learn how to stop giving unsolicited advice, according to Stanier.

Inverse Conway Maneuver: A Focus on Tech Team Design

What’s Conway’s Law? What’s an inverse Conway maneuver, and how can it help your teams succeed? Conway’s Law states that a piece of software’s architecture mimics the structure of the team that produced it. Based on this, software engineers Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais advocate an approach to software development that they call an inverse Conway maneuver. Continue reading to learn about designing tech teams according to Conway’s Law.

What Is the Advice Monster? Michael Stanier Explains

What is the “advice monster?” What’s the problem with advice-giving? How can you tame your advice monster? According to author Michael Bungay Stanier, advice-giving is a widespread habit that many people find difficult to break—a habit he personifies as your “advice monster.” He claims that subduing the compulsion to give advice (i.e. taming your advice monster) is not an easy change to make. Read on to learn more about Stanier’s advice monster and how to break advice-giving habits.

Team Workload Management: 2 Strategies for Tech Teams

How can you keep teams from getting overwhelmed? What’s the “right” amount of work? In Team Topologies, Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais show you how to set up software development teams to work as efficiently as possible. Basing their approach on Conway’s Law, they recommend that you assign teams the right amount of work. Continue reading to learn two strategies for team workload management.

Leadership in the Workplace: The 3 Soft Skills You Need

What makes a good leader? What kind of leaders do modern organizations need? A good leader isn’t defined by the title. Ultimately, leadership in the workplace is all about dealing with people. And dealing with people, first and foremost, requires soft skills—attributes like empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence. With this in mind, here are three leadership qualities modern workplaces need.

Stream-Aligned Teams: The Primary Team Topology

How much authority should a stream-aligned team have? What makes these teams so efficient? When you think of “stream,” think of “flow.” That’s a key aspect of stream-aligned teams. It’s the primary of four team topologies discussed by software engineers and authors Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais. Continue reading for an overview of what stream-aligned teams are designed to do.

How to Develop Self-Discipline: 7 Habits to Make You Stronger

Do you start the day off right? When you lose motivation, do you push past the moment? When was the last time you left your comfort zone? Self-discipline is hard. But, you can strengthen your ability to self-discipline. In his book, Daniel Walter argues that the best way to improve this ability is to get rid of bad habits and replace them with good ones that support discipline. Continue reading to learn how to develop self-discipline with good habits.

How to Stick to Your Goals: Tips for Committing 100%

Do you set worthy goals only to give up along the way? What can you do, practically, to make it all the way there? It’s easy to set goals. It can be difficult to achieve them. To make reaching them easier, be careful with the way you set goals and then commit yourself completely. Daniel Walter discusses goals in the context of self-discipline and provides some valuable insights. Read more to learn how to stick to your goals and to get some tips on setting SMART goals to boost your commitment.

Team Topologies: Enabling Teams Are Here to Help

Does your organization have enabling teams? What difference do they—or could they—make? In Team Topologies, enabling teams function as helpers that come alongside other teams to keep them running with efficiency and relevance. They stay up to date on the latest technologies and skills, and then they share this knowledge with the teams that need it. Read on to understand the purpose and function of enabling teams.

Team Topologies: Platform Teams Support the Organization

Does your organization have a team that’s dedicated to infrastructure services? Could your organizational resources be handled more efficiently? In Team Topologies, platform teams are one of the four team types recommended by software engineers Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais. These teams handle underlying organizational functions such as cloud storage and internal security. Keep reading to learn about the purpose and design of platform teams and how they intersect with all aspects of the organization.