Downtime is Never A Bad Thing

In The Shining, Stanley Kubrick portrays a writer's slow descent into madness. As an audience, we watch him pecking out words on a typewriter as he struggles to finish his first novel. Later in the movie, the writer obsessively typed, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." It is too late when the other characters discover this, and Jack is now delusionally homicidal. Kubrick is poking fun at his obsessive image and, at the same time, highlights it is helpful to take a break from writing. 

I ran away from home this weekend and attended the HMGS Little Wars game convention. It was a chance to catch up with friends, play a few board games, and shop. Instead of pecking away at a typewriter, I decided to experience a change of pace, a healthy antidote to the grind of work. These moments of rest are a great way to recharge my mental batteries and prepare for future challenges. If you are in charge of others or coaching, each business leader should remember to point out the importance of rest because all work and no play is a recipe for disaster. 

Global capitalism is not the most mentally healthy place. The demand for performance and the emotional insincerity necessary to keep customers and colleagues happy is exhausting. That exhaustion can come out at inconvenient times, as it did with MillerKnoll CEO Andi Owen during her town hall meeting with employees. These emotional outbursts create a reign of terror in the cubicles where now the people generating the revenue for the organization are worried about external forces outside their control and internal forces which are equally out of control that could spell doom for their careers. It is a toxic mix that does not have many good outcomes. 

It is why we need to prioritize rest during slow periods and times of retrenchment. Encourage people to train on new technologies. Spend time tinkering with different approaches to work and spend time with family and the ones you love. If you do these things, it will build morale in your teams and could make the office a little less crazy, and that is something we could all appreciate. 

Until next time. 

The Virtue of Rest

It is the end of the Labor Day weekend in the United States, and I have been thinking about America's unusual relationship with work.  We are the most prosperous and productive nation on the planet, but there is a price to pay for this accomplishment.  Workers in the United States take fewer vacation days, and they suffer from burnout at a higher rate than other western nations.  If we want to continue being the leader in the world economy, we must have a conversation about the virtue of rest.  

Max Webber, in his book, "The Protestant Work Ethic," argues that America is uniquely situated to be an economic powerhouse because many of the founding members of the American nation came from the Protestant denomination of Christianity. According to Webber, since work provides people with dignity and purpose, creating wealth, capitalist societies' virtues are predominantly Protestant.  It is a nice counterpoint to Karl Marx and his thoughts about how economies fit into the culture.  

Today, America is more diverse than at any time in its history.  We have Christians of all denominations, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus.  It is also common to find Buddhist temples and neo-pagan shrines in many big cities around the United States.  It is a significant strength of our nation.  While we have many religious faiths, American workers have embraced the protestant work ethic first described by Webber, and I see it among the professional people work with each day.  

The notion that work provides dignity and purpose slots conveniently with the laissez-faire approach to our economy in the United States.  We have fewer vacation days and national holidays than other countries.  Labor laws are more favorable to business owners than workers.  Finally, any support for working families comes from private businesses instead of from a government safety net.

Lost in this situation was the idea that you should rest.  Olympic athletes need to rest between bouts and include recovery time in their training.  Lack of sleep has similar effects to being intoxicated with alcohol.  Problem-solving declines the longer individuals look at a problem.  Finally, constant pressure to perform creates stress which leads to health consequences.  The biggest paradox of productivity is that the more productive we try to be, the less effective we become.

It is why the labor movement pushed for a forty-hour workweek one hundred years ago.  It is also why banks are paying extreme salaries for entry-level workers.  People, to be productive, need to rest.  The agile principles explicitly talk about sustainable pace.  It is impossible to get work finished if the workforce is too exhausted to accomplish it.

I am a firm believer in Webber's Protestant work ethic, but without rest, it isn't very sensible, something we all need to respect on a Labor Day weekend.

Until next time.

Reputation is not licence to be a jerk

We know lots of people like this.  A few of them 
 set the conversation of the technology world.
 Image courtesy of Slate.com.

The world of technology is filled with plenty of smart, talented and colorful personalities.  This dynamic was one of the reasons why I was drawn to the business.  This week I want to talk about of these colorful personalities and how he represents some of the worst impulses in the technology business.

There are plenty of stereotypes in the technology business.  These are reinforced by popular culture in productions as diverse as James Bond movies, the Fox series 24, and the HBO program Silicon Valley.  Having over 18 years’ experience in the business, I have seen many of these stereotypes in real life.  I have also met plenty of great people who are unique and innovative in every way.

By any standard, Alex St. John should be seen as one of the leading minds in the technology field. He was self-educated and self-taught.  He created the DirectX technology which powers Xbox and just about every PC game on Windows.  His work helped make Microsoft the power house it is and he earned further accolades founding his own company.  This kind of achievement should make St. John a good will ambassador for the technology field instead, he is coming off as a colossal jerk.

I can provide numerous examples which have already been articulated elsewhere on the web.  These offenses break down into three categories.

• He does not see the value of women in technology.  Exhibit A.
• He thinks that exploitative work conditions in the software business, particularly, the game business are acceptable.  Exhibit B.
• Finally, anyone who disagrees with him is a “whiner” of not willing to work hard.  Exhibit C.

I have stated repeatedly, technology needs more women.  The fresh perspective they provide to technology is essential to improving product quality.  It also makes the office less like a Mongol raiding party and more like a 21st century work place.  The less testosterone in technology the better.

Next repeated studies have shown that long hours are a hindrance to productivity rather than a boon.  Notions of “crunch” time and working eighty hour work weeks are exploitative and boarder on the illegal practice of wage theft.  Additionally, the twelve principle of Agile discourage this mindset stressing development should sustainable.  To St. John and others developer burn-out, turnover, and alienation are the cost of doing business.  Technology workers are not different that sweatshop workers and they should be grateful for the conditions.

Finally, St. Jon has ridiculed people who disagree with him about issues of diversity and exploitation of tech workers by claiming they are not ambitious enough or smart enough to understand his arguments.  In St. John’s world, I would have died of a heart attack because I would be living on steady diet of caffeine, pizza, and stress.  The technology world has undermined two of my marriages because of high stress, turn over, and uncertain employment conditions.  It is hard to keep good employees if they don’t see or sleep with their significant others.  I consider myself a valuable professional to any organization, but to St. John, I am just a pencil to be ground down into a nub to be replaced by someone else just as disposable.

Bottom line, if you do not agree with St. John, then you are neither smart nor talented enough to work in technology.  This may explain why he is spending more time coaching CEO’s and HR professionals on how to recruit technology talent than actually managing technology talent.  I have worked for people like St. John who are convinced of their intellectual and moral superiority. It is not fun and I consider those periods the low points of my career.  Technology is changing thanks to agile and efforts to improve diversity.  Faced with the changing environment you can, lead, follow, or get out of the way.  I think that St. John is about to get trampled to death.

Until next time.

Sharpening the Saw for the Scrum Master

Even a chain saw needs to be sharpened.

Being a scrum master is a calling.  It isn’t like being a catholic priest but is certainly is a calling because you are leading change in your organization.  It is not easy and it requires a bit of missionary zeal.  Because, if you are part of a business reformation it is going to require a level of commitment not typical in most cubical dwelling workplaces.  Having priests and nuns in my extended family, I always wondered why they went on retreats.  This week, it dawned on me why and I wanted to share my thoughts on the subject.

In the book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” one of the seven habits they suggest is known as sharpening the saw.  This is what author Stephen R. Covey calls the opportunity to take a break, train and learn new skills because if you do not you will be like a saw which is over used.  After a while the blade will dull and it will be unable to cut anything.  So highly effective people take time to read, learn new things, and relax.

Since working as a member of a religious order requires incredible people skills, hours of listening, and zero compensation; the risk of burn out is very high.  This is why I think the retreat came into being.  It is a chance for priests and nuns to be among their own kind.  They share stories.  They pray.  They spend time away from the people they are supposed to be serving.  It is not just about the religious mission of these people.  It occurs to me that it is a necessary survival tool in order to do their jobs.

Being a scrum master is one of the hardest jobs in technology.  You are a servant leader of software developers who are notoriously hard to lead.  Contemporary business culture is still struggling to integrate the message of the Agile Manifesto and the principles of agile.  Business leaders expect agile to work in organizations without training their people or hiring people to work full time as product owners.  It is exhausting.  For every success, there are countless failures and you are always expected to be upbeat and willing to continuously improve.

So this week, I am going to take some time to sharpen the saw.  I am going to clean my house, read a trashy pulp novel, and go to a museum or two.  I might even binge watch a few episodes of Dr. Who in order to prepare for the new season.  I am taking my retreat.  I suspect that it is just what the doctor ordered.

Until next time.

Danger signals for the Scrum Master

Stress is not sexy.

There is nothing glamorous or exciting about being exhausted.  This week on the blog I wanted to talk about some things you need to pay attention too when they come up.

You want to throw things at the office: We toss paper into the waste paper basket.  But what I am talking about is much more serious and frightening.  I was on a conference call after less than six hours of sleep during 72 hours of production issues.  I picked up my mouse and wanted to throw it into my monitor.  I did the next best thing which was walk away from my desk.

You want to spend your time insulting others rather than helping them: Lack of sleep and the pressure of the job can transform a saint into a green hulking rage monster.  If you find yourself wanting to insult your staff or belittle them you need a break.  Your direct reports should not have to suffer because you are too tired to think straight.

You let things go you normally would not allow:  When someone says, “I don’t care” it usually means that they do not have the energy to pay attention to the details.  That is a recipe for failure and a bigger accident to follow.

Your staff starts asking you if you are ok:  Being a manager means warring a “mask of command.”  If you drop that mask and your staff starts seriously wondering if you are up to the job; you may need to take a step back.

You are not sleeping: If you can’t lay down and get some sleep at the end of the day.  This is a serious danger sign.  You need to finish up what you are working on and try to uncoil because not sleeping can create situations similar to being intoxicated.

You can’t focus: Leadership and technology require concentration.  If you can’t concentrate you are sunk.  Taking time off to step away from the project or just the office is going to do you a great deal of good.

Each of these things happened to me this week and I knew the danger signs.  I told my boss and he was good enough to let me work from home.  It was very positive and helped me get through a very rough period.  It also protected my staff.  Life is too short to work for bosses who are struggling to keep it together.  

Until next time.

Things you learn on Vacation

Getting some exercise on vacation.

The blog has been on hiatus for the last three weeks because I have taken some time off to rest and recharge.  In that time, I witnessed a family member get married and I experience some of the American frontier.  Now that I am starting to settle back into my usual routine; I wanted to share with my readers what I have learned.

First of all, I desperately needed some time off.  I was working during the week over fifty hours and struggling to maintain my business at night and on weekends.  It took an emotional and physical toll upon me.  I was eating poorly.  My sleep cycle was swinging wildly between insomnia and twelve hour power naps on weekends.  I also noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything.  I was a textbook definition of burnt out.

The next thing I notices is that when I finally got on the road on my trip to Jackson, Wyoming was that the cycle of my work had become so consuming it took about three days before I stopped checking mail from the office.  I felt like I should be doing something when what I really should have been doing is enjoying myself. I was exhibiting the pathology many professionals suffer and it was the inability to disconnect.

I also noticed that relationships with my family were frayed and that I needed to spend time with them.  Most of my cousins are grown and have spouses and children of their own.  I began to reconnect with them.  It was a nice and a chance to focus on what was important.  It amazed me what remarkable people my cousins has become in their adult years.

The good news was that Jackson was the perfect antidote to my self-induced fatigue.   The altitude was bracing for a Midwestern fellow like me.  The scenery reminded me how important nature is in our lives.  I also attended one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever witnesses with the Grand Teton Mountains acting as the cathedral.  I even got to get some exercise which I have been neglecting for most of my career.

While I was away a few things became obvious to me.  First, when you are striving to be successful the only people who are going to be in your corner are family.  Next Jackson, Wyoming is a weird mixture of conspicuous wealth and rugged cowboy heritage.  The juxtaposition is very disorienting.  Finally, for most of my trip I could not escape the presence of the technologies which are responsible for my livelihood.

The great frontier is no different than my sweet home Chicago.  Tourists fill the streets listening to music streaming on smart phones.  Jackson had 4G LTE service.  Tablet computers and laptops were being user openly in the national parks.  Finally, all of my pictures were taken with my phone.  You can try to escape the 21st century but it keeps finding you.

All of the revelations were good for me and I look forward to getting back to work and making sense of my business.  We are also working on a new project for the business which we will be sharing on-line soon.  It is nice taking time off and I am glad that you could indulge me.

Until next time.