Kanso
A hand-curated newsletter for leaders and managers in tech. Ideal for busy people such as Tech Leads, Engineering Managers, VPs of Engineering, CTOs and more.
Kanso (簡素) means simplicity or the elimination of clutter. The best things are expressed in a plain, simple, natural manner. Nothing extraneous, nothing frilly. This reminds us to think not in terms of decoration but in terms of clarity—a clarity that can be achieved through omission or exclusion of the non-essential. Kanso is one of the seven pillars of wabi-sabi, a world view in traditional Japanese aesthetics, centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.
The 25 Micro-Habits of High-Impact Managers
Management can at times seem like staring down a large block of marble — an intimidating task that requires the right tools. What are the small things a great manager has done that have stood out to you across your career?
Remote Team Bonding Playbooks
Exactly what it says on the tin - 6 ideas you can use in a remote setting for team building/bonding.
How Can You Tell If The Company You’re Interviewing With Is Rotten On The Inside?
How can you tell the companies who are earnestly trying to improve apart from the ones who sound all polished and healthy from the outside, whilst rotting on the inside?
Why are software development task estimations regularly off by a factor of 2-3?
One of the best analogy-based explanations I’ve seen.
Good Leaders are Great Storytellers — Our 6 Tips for Telling Stories That Resonate
Stories aren’t just for external audiences, either. Structuring an All-Hands agenda requires telling the story of the company’s progress. When you’re presenting a strategic plan, you’re laying out the story of the company’s future. From making a case for promotion in a performance review to conveying a shared vision for a project, every operator in every function benefits from being able to communicate ideas that connect people.
Brandon Sanderson’s Advice for Doing Hard Things
Sanderson starts by pushing back on our common instinct to tell kids “you can do anything you want to” or “follow your dreams.” He argues that these aphorisms inflict a disservice on impressionable minds as they obfuscate the complexity, and frustration, and nuance involved in actually pursuing remarkable goals.
Ten Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer
Some good advice - both about the mindset shift we all need and the mechanics of how to negotiate.
How to Secure Anything
The title is overpromising quite a bit, but it’s a great repository on “how to secure things” with real-world examples.
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