people

As organizations evolve, traditional metrics and philosophies are being thrown out the window to further organizations. Such factors include efficacy, employee satisfaction/ownership, innovation, etc. I offer no beneficial contribution to this discussion, short of agreeing in principle with these efforts. However, I point you in the direction of two things I have found to be relevant: 1. Blog post from Github: http://zachholman.com/talk/how-github-no-longer-works/ Very limited management, remote employees, rapid change and growth. Read on... 2. Rework book by 37 signals: http://www.amazon.com

What happens when there are a lack of open problems? On the surface, it seems to make it more difficult to have impactful contributions. I just think it requires you to think outside of the box. Drupal is a great platform to look at this issue. A few nights ago, I was using my online banking system which required me to answer security questions as a form of two-factor authentication. I thought this would be a great problem to solve in Drupal. However, this is a solved problem: https://drupal.org/project/security_questions How does one contribute when problems are already solved? Let's consider

We've all had to deal with difficult people at work. It doesn't get easier when the difficult people are those you serve. My director once shared his thoughts on a particular audience and it has stuck with me. In higher ed, some of those served are faculty members that have made their living questioning the world around them in research. This same perspective very likely is what elevated these folks above their peers and afforded them opportunities. Looking at this group in this light, it's no suprise that they are labeled as critical or difficult to work with. Some do not have the ability to

You've heard it all before. "The old programmer did this and it's crap" or "This person used this tool and it's no good". It's the age old grudge match between the old and the new. And, it doesn't help anyone move forward. Ultimately, people don't care about the how or why. They want results. What can be done to help limit this scenario moving forward? Standardization (frameworks, design choices, etc) and common practices help, especially when they are documented. Team members can come and go, the work remains consistent. But, this has been well adopted and this issue still exists. Let's try a

I recently read this article: http://bryanbraun.com/2013/09/21/please-stop-stewing-and-start-blogging… You can't ask for a better justification to throw up a blog and share some information. It made me realize a few things. First: You have an opportunity to help others out because you most likely learned something someone could benefit from. Second: Don't be shy. If anything, someone may post a comment and share information with you again. Third: Tools like Drupal were built by people who were not afraid to give back. Step up and take your turn.