Antipattern: Adrenaline Junkie

Understanding Project Pressure and Tension

I constantly wonder why situations arise where pressure and tension are generated in projects. One reason is that most projects are simply complex—you have to coordinate several, sometimes dozens of people, anticipate and plan in advance what will happen, and determine what resources will be needed. As a species, we’re not very good at detailed long-term planning (see: David Rock – Your Brain at Work).

Perspective of the Other Side

Common Leadership Challenges

While working with leaders, I often encounter a recurring issue—they want someone else to change their behavior. For example:

Technical Leadership Book is Available

Exciting Announcement: Technical Leadership Book Release

It is a great pleasure for me to share the information that today is the premiere of my book “Technical Leadership”.

Conferences Time

Autumn is usually a busy time full of conferences, and this year is no different. After a few interesting events like Devoxx Poland in Cracow, Codepot and Agile by Example in Warsaw, it’s now time for new experiences.

I'll be there (for you) ...

I am very excited and happy to announce that you can hear my talk at two Agile conferences in Europe:

Technical Leader Worries: I Am Not a Born Leader

Have you ever heard about Alexander the Great, Napoleon, J. F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King? I bet you have. These are great historical leaders. These names often come to mind when we think about leadership. When coupled with Hollywood movie characters, we imagine leaders as heroes with strong charisma and exceptional talent for public speaking. This stereotype is hard to shake. But wait a minute… Is this what we should adhere to when talking about technical leaders?

Technical Leader Worries: To Be a Tech Expert or Not to Be

The majority of IT leaders are promoted IT specialists. Many times, this happens surprisingly, and we are usually not well prepared for this change. We love our tech job—programming—and suddenly someone wants to take it from us. Of course, we are free people and can say “NO,” but it doesn’t happen too often. Becoming a leader may be the next real step in our career, a new opportunity to learn something completely different.

Architectural Mantra

Those who attended JDD 2013 could see it live. For those who weren’t there or missed it, below you will find a presentation on the Architectural Mantra along with an extensive article. Set aside some time for this.

The Six Deadly Sins of Technical Leaders

Introduction

I probably would not have written this post if Michał hadn’t encouraged me. Over the past few months, I’ve slowly come to terms with a realization that I was hesitant to accept, yet it is quite understandable.