Healthy Developer

It takes special software leadership skills to learn what customers want through lean software development. In this episode, I share 7 key traits that will help you, or someone else you know who's leading, to build the most profitable software ideas for customers. Join my Patreon:  https://thrivingtechnologist.com/patreon Learn about one-on-one career coaching with me: https://thrivingtechnologist...

In the first decade of my career, I would get angry at everyone around me and turned to the Internet to vent my frustration. It seemed like managers and other people who didn't understand software development had caused me to lose hope in my future. In this episode, I share what caused me to lose hope, and many programmers I run across struggle with these symptoms as well. If you're a programmer w...

If you want to be a calm programmer, you may want to consider cutting down on caffeine. On a project that's truly agile, most people need extra patience. Especially if they have high anxiety from using coffee or other stimulants to get through the day. In this episode, I share some things you may want to know if you want a sustainable career in software development. Though you may not be able to c...

Have you ever had an idea for something on your software project, but someone else takes the credit? Plagiarism can be extremely frustrating, and it's typically caused by narcissistic personality types. In this episode, I share why this happens, how to prevent it – and how to cope with it. I also share a personal story of when this has happened to me. This sucks , there's no way around it. But if...

Looking at what decisions others make about their career in software can be a big mistake. Though having a career in software development can be exciting, there is also cause for serious caution. In this episode, I share the 5 biggest lies I have bought myself, and I hope you don't about your career in software development. With healthy decisions and a realistic mindset, you can advance quicker th...

If you feel like a "code monkey" with pressure to work fast – you need an agile budget. It took me many years, but I finally figured out the reason why. Companies that try to build software like a manufacturing plant budget the wrong way. This creates pressure on workers, and produces boring products that barely keep a software company profitable. At companies that understand this, you'll be more...

If you've ever had to estimate software development work, you may have engaged in "planning poker". This method of estimating brings with it some potential benefits. But depending on the culture of your team, it can also cause big problems. In this episode, I hope to avoid you falling into using this common practice if it isn't right for your team. Planning poker might be just what your team needs...

I gained weight quickly from programming and needed help with weight loss early in my career. I took part in the corporate events that provided unhealthy food because it was "there"… I was accepted easier by my coworkers because I would eat the same fatty and high calorie meals that they chose… And I fell into emotional eating, because the stress of software development was depleting my diet of nu...

Too many companies and agile coaches keep the secret of scrum from people! When agile methods of software development were first brought on the scene, they led to abuse. Managers "cherry picked" the practices that gave them more control, but software products didn't actually get any better! In fact, when you ask most programmers or other software professionals Scrum seems to add MORE pressure and...

Are you on a project with a software leader who's a narcissist, and criticizes everything you do? Did they treat you like a "rockstar" developer at first, but now it seems like you can never please them? Working under a narcissist can be one of the most frustrating experiences in your software development career. In this episode, I share some key traits and behaviors to look for in identifying if...

I hear a common complaint that programming has gotten harder over the years. The more years I spent in software development, I fell into getting frustrated and blaming other people, or the technology. But I realized that I was a big part of the problem – though it was hard to admit. In this episode, I share some things I didn't realize at first that I was doing to make my job harder than it needed...

Ever get the feeling the software project you're on clashes with your personality? Does the way people work together seem very different than you? Have you had a great experience on one project, only to start enough and feel miserable? If this has ever happened to you, I hope today's episode helps you avoid this. Depending on the stage of a software product's life cycle, you may or may not be the...

Do you have a feeling that the software product you're working on is reaching its end of life? Every software product goes through a sunset stage as part of its life cycle. This is a natural progression of your software business, but it needs to be handled carefully. In this episode, I share some considerations your development team can apply to navigate this stage better. If you want to ensure th...

Have you seen the signs that your software company is profiting and may have reached market fit? The way teams work together needs to change when a software product reaches this critical point in its life cycle. That doesn't mean innovation stops, but a focus on moving towards partnering and stability of technology becomes increased. In this episode, I share some insights I've had about how softwa...

Are you concerned that your software company isn't setup for growth? In working with over 30 companies, I've come across many that don't understand the software business life cycle. This episode offers some essential information you can use to understand how your company is being managed. The foundation I provide here can help you determine where in the life cycle of your software products the tea...

Why do software companies try to innovate under a culture of fear? Does the software company you work at frustrate people with a focus on cost savings over GROWTH? In this episode, I share some critical insights to how many companies strangle innovation by managing to fear! Armed with this information, you can stop feeling like a cog in a wheel – and help the culture at your software company impro...

Have you solved programming problems easier when "in the zone" or "flow state"? If you've experienced this, once achieved it's hard to work any other way. In this episode, I want to share some strategies you can use to avoid getting interrupted. These will also help you get into the flow state more often so you can enjoy productive and creative sessions of work regularly. If you follow the tips in...

In this episode, I want to ask you a question that might make you defensive: " Are you a perfectionist programmer? ". I can tell you, after many years of being a software developer, I've gotten much better at this. But one of the things I want to help you with in this video is to maybe think a little bit about how you work with others – and maybe make better decisions about what kind of expectatio...

Are you joining a new company, team, or project? Do you want to make sure others respect you so you can use the technologies you want – and get your skills used? Early in my career I thought the best way to do this was to impress others with my technical acumen. But I learned quickly that this only causes frustration and delayed me being accepted. In this episode, I share stories and tips that wil...

Technology addiction hurts your software development career if materialism makes you chase shiny objects. When I was a child, I used to like looking through the magazines my father got with all kinds of gadgets in them. As an adult, I often got caught up in obtaining the latest cars, guitars, or other material possessions. And though you may have a handle on materialism in your personal life - it...

There's plenty of "fake news" from the software industry, so beware of the DevOps lie. There's a lot of confusion - just follow the money to see why. In this video I help you discover the real answer to "what is DevOps?", and why it may not be working for you. Though automated deployment technologies, cloud infrastructure, and other "fun" tools are exciting to talk about... ...DevOps is really abo...

Being on a software project death spiral can be extremely stressful. It usually happens when your company is doing FAKE Agile software development. People feel despair, and it looks like there's no end in sight? In this episode, I share some practical tips to help you correct this situation. Though it's never easy to recover from a death spiral, don't give up when there's hope! Join my Patreon:  h...

When someone comes to you for an estimate of a software task, do you feel uneasy? Programming estimation is a dangerous activity that should be approached with caution! But people make estimating software tasks more stressful than needed. In this episode, I share some tips that will help you have better success rates when estimating software. Though you may not be able to get out of estimating alt...

It's bound to happen that at some point you'll be asked to do some work that you know will have a negative outcome. How you say no on a software project can build resentment if you don't establish clear boundaries - and decline the request with grace. In this episode I share some tips I've found work well for diffusing resistance to your desire to do the work some other way. When you understand th...

Do the teams you work on have an "elite few" that are looked to for making technology decisions? Are there times you wish people would work together more to drive software architecture? In today's episode I share both good, and bad experiences I've had with team structures that effect software architecture. It seems logical at first to only allow people with more experience to make these decisions...