Forget Hiring 10X Engineers—Build a 10X Team
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This document discusses building high performing teams in tech through compassionate coding. It argues that many software projects fail not for technical reasons, but due to lack of empathy, ego-driven cultures that tolerate jerky behavior, and lack of learning and meaningful work. It provides three tips for building 10x teams: 1) stop hiring jerks and instead hire for empathy, 2) foster a learning environment with psychological safety and self-compassion, and 3) provide opportunities for meaningful work by understanding individual values and setting a vision with the team. The document advocates for hiring empathetic people, creating a safe space for learning and growth, and giving team members a sense of purpose and vision in their work.
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Forget Hiring 10X Engineers—Build a 10X Team
- 1. FORGET HIRING 10X ENGINEERS… BUILD A 10X TEAM COMPASSIONATE CODING #SDSW18 @APRILWENSEL #10XTEAM
- 2. @APRILWENSEL
- 4. @APRILWENSEL
- 6. @APRILWENSEL
- 7. SILICON VALLEY IS FULL OF JERKS @APRILWENSEL
- 8. @APRILWENSEL
- 9. @APRILWENSEL IT’S NOT JUST SILICON VALLEY…IT SPREADS
- 10. @APRILWENSEL EGO IS THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN TECH
- 12. @APRILWENSEL - EMPHASIS ON COMPETITION - ENGINEERS ARE ALLOWED TO BE JERKS BECAUSE THEY’RE “SMART” - “SOFT SKILLS” ARE SEEN AS UNIMPORTANT, EVEN A WEAKNESS - ARROGANCE REGARDING “TECHNICAL” VS “NON-TECHNICAL” SKILLS
- 13. @APRILWENSEL
- 16. @COMPASSIONCODE WHY SOFTWARE PROJECTS FAIL @APRILWENSELhttps://www.developersalliance.org/developer-insights-report-2015/ CHANGING OR POORLY DOCUMENTED REQUIREMENTS UNDERFUNDING OR UNDER-RESOURCING POOR TEAM OR ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT INSUFFICIENT TIME ALLOCATED TO TESTING DEVELOPER CHURN AND LOSS OF KEY TALENT MISSED DELIVERY TIMELINE EXPECTATIONS TIME CONSTRAINTS AND PRE-MATURE SOFTWARE RELEASE IMMATURE DEV TOOLS & APPLICATION PLATFORMS17% 21% 22% 23% 32% 37% 40% 48%
- 18. @APRILWENSEL https://medium.com/compassionate-coding/only- you-can-prevent-tech-burnout-be3f0504c627
- 21. “…DEMANDING ENRON EMPLOYEES PROVE THAT THEY WERE SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE INADVERTENTLY CONTRIBUTED TO A NARCISSISTIC CULTURE, WITH AN OVERREPRESENTATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WERE BOTH INCREDIBLY SMUG AND DRIVEN BY DEEP INSECURITY TO KEEP SHOWING OFF. IT WAS A CULTURE THAT ENCOURAGED SHORT-TERM PERFORMANCE BUT DISCOURAGED LONG- TERM LEARNING AND GROWTH.” Angela Duckworth Grit @APRILWENSEL
- 22. @APRILWENSEL TIME LOST DUE TO CONFLICT
- 23. @APRILWENSEL U.S. EMPLOYEES SPENT 2.8 HOURS PER WEEK DEALING WITH CONFLICT $359 BILLION IN PAID HOURS https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/207196
- 25. @APRILWENSEL
- 26. @APRILWENSEL IS THERE A BETTER WAY?
- 29. @APRILWENSEL IMAGINE A SUPPORTIVE, EGOLESS TEAM WHERE THE ENGINEERS CAN COMMUNICATE EMPATHETICALLY WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH DESIGNERS AND PRODUCT MANAGERS
- 30. GOOGLE’S PROJECT ARISTOTLE “WHAT REALLY MATTERED WAS LESS ABOUT WHO IS ON THE TEAM, AND MORE ABOUT HOW THE TEAM WORKED TOGETHER” @APRILWENSELhttps://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/
- 31. @APRILWENSEL 3 TIPS FOR BUILDING 10X TEAMS
- 33. STOP HIRING JERKS! (HIRE FOR EMPATHY) 1 @APRILWENSEL
- 34. @APRILWENSEL “Programmers are crazy about puzzles, tend to like research applications and risk-taking, and don’t like people.” Cannon & Perry. A vocational interest scale for computer programmers. 1966.
- 36. @APRILWENSEL
- 37. "PROBABLY THE MOST SURPRISING THING ABOUT GOOD PROGRAMMERS IS THAT THEY ACT LIKE JOCKS. I USED THE TERM VERY CONSCIOUSLY BECAUSE IT IS FREIGHTED WITH OVERTONES OF IMMATURITY, EGOTISM, AND COMPETITIVENESS...'IF YOU CAN'T DO WHAT I DO, THEN YOU ARE A WORTHLESS LOSER.'" Alan Cooper @APRILWENSEL The Inmates Are Running the Asylum
- 39. “IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE TOO SMART FOR PROGRAMMING—IF THE PERSON IS NOT SMART ENOUGH TO USE HIS INTELLIGENCE TO MODIFY HIS SOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND METHODS OF CONVERSATION." Jerry Weinberg @APRILWENSEL The Psychology of Computer Programming
- 40. 1. TEAM ORIENTED 2. SEEKS HELP 3. HELPS OTHERS http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~bieman/Pubs/turleyBiemanCSC94.pdf ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERS @APRILWENSEL “Identifying Essential Competencies of Software Engineers,” Turley & Bieman, 1994
- 42. EMPATHY != FAKE NICE @APRILWENSEL
- 44. "GENERALLY, WE’RE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE THAT UNDERSTAND THERE ARE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES, ARE SENSITIVE TO OTHER PEOPLE, AND CAN DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO IMAGINE WHAT SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT BE THINKING OR FEELING.“ Jamie Talbot, Medium Engineering @APRILWENSEL https://medium.engineering/engineering-interviews-grading-rubric-8b409bec021f
- 47. @APRILWENSEL “WHITEBOARDING UNDERSCORES ‘THIS NOTION OF THIS SOLO OR VIRTUOSO ENGINEER WHO CAN PERSONALLY SOLVE THE PUZZLE…AS A COMPANY…WE DON’T BELIEVE IN PUTTING SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS ON A PEDESTAL. WE WANT TO SEE HOW WELL DO PEOPLE PERFORM IN A TEAM AND PERFORM REAL WORK.” —AARON KIMBALL, CTO, ZYMERGEN https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/04/tech-start-up-women- brogrammers
- 48. • CODE REVIEWS • NAMING VARIABLES • NEGOTIATING TRADEOFFS WITH PM • DESIGNING APIS • RALLYING SUPPORT FOR A NEW TOOL • INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES • MENTORING NEW HIRES @APRILWENSEL
- 49. @APRILWENSEL "A WEB PROGRAMMING CANDIDATE WHO CAN CODE IN JAVASCRIPT COULD GET THE JOB DONE. A WEB PROGRAMMING CANDIDATE WHO CAN CODE IN JAVASCRIPT AND WHO HAS HIGH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE? THEY COULD HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK.” —DENESE SKINNER https://www.inc.com/amarillo/emotionally-intelligent-employees.html
- 50. @APRILWENSEL “EVEN IF THE COMPUTER PROGRAMMER CAN WRITE GREAT CODE VERY FAST, IF THAT PROGRAMMER CANNOT UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS AND OBJECTIVES OF BUSINESS OWNERS/USERS, THAT PROGRAMMER IS GOING TO WRITE A LOT OF GREAT CODE TO NOWHERE.” —BRUCE TULGAN Closing the Soft Skills Gap
- 51. @APRILWENSEL 1. INCLUDE EMPATHY IN YOUR HIRING RUBRIC 2. DITCH THE WHITEBOARDING INTERVIEWS - REPLACE WITH TECHNICAL JOB/ PROJECT TALKS
- 53. @APRILWENSEL
- 54. @APRILWENSEL
- 55. “I’M SCARED THAT IF I SAY ‘I DON’T KNOW,’ THEY’LL THINK THEY MADE A MISTAKE IN HIRING ME.” —OVERHEARD (AKA CREEPILY EAVESDROPPED) @APRILWENSEL
- 56. “OUR…FIGHT-FLEE-OR-FREEZE RESPONSE IS TRIGGERED BY FEARS OF FAILURE AND EMBARRASSMENT THAT INTERFERE WITH OUR ABILITIES TO ENGAGE IN CREATIVITY, CRITICAL AND INNOVATIVE THINKING, AND EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH OTHERS.” Katherine Ludwig & Edward Hess Humility is the New Smart @APRILWENSEL
- 57. MAKE IT SAFE TO SAY “I DON’T KNOW” @APRILWENSEL
- 60. PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN TEAM EFFECTIVENESS AT GOOGLE @APRILWENSELhttps://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/
- 61. “IN A TEAM WITH HIGH PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY, TEAMMATES…FEEL CONFIDENT THAT NO ONE ON THE TEAM WILL EMBARRASS OR PUNISH ANYONE ELSE FOR ADMITTING A MISTAKE, ASKING A QUESTION, OR OFFERING A NEW IDEA.” @APRILWENSELhttps://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/
- 62. SHARED OWNERSHIP - NOT “WHO BROKE THE BUILD?” BUT WHY DID IT BREAK? AND HOW DO WE FIX IT AND PREVENT IT? @APRILWENSEL
- 63. @APRILWENSEL
- 66. “REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE DISCOVER, WE UNDERSTAND AND TRULY BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE DID THE BEST JOB THEY COULD, GIVEN WHAT THEY KNEW AT THE TIME, THEIR SKILLS AND ABILITIES, THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE, AND THE SITUATION AT HAND.” –NORM KERTH @APRILWENSEL
- 68. @APRILWENSEL
- 69. @APRILWENSEL
- 70. SELF-COMPASSION MEANS TALKING TO YOURSELF AS YOU WOULD A FRIEND @APRILWENSEL
- 71. @APRILWENSEL
- 72. MENTORING IS PART OF THE JOB @APRILWENSEL
- 73. "A HIGHLY PAID EXPERT SHOULDN'T BE HIGHLY PAID JUST BECAUSE SHE'S AN EXPERT. SHE SHOULD BE HIGHLY PAID BECAUSE SHE IS HELPING OTHER PEOPLE BECOME EXPERTS." Ron Jeffries The Nature of Software Development @APRILWENSEL
- 77. “WHEN OUR BRAINS ARE OPENED BY POSITIVE EMOTIONS LIKE JOY, WE CAN BETTER SEE CONNECTIONS AND MORE OPTIONS TO SOLVE WORK PROBLEMS.” Shawn Murphy The Optimistic Workplace @APRILWENSEL
- 78. @APRILWENSEL 1. PROVIDE TIME AND BUDGET FOR LEARNING 2. BE THOUGHTFUL IN ONBOARDING 3. PAIR PROGRAM 4. ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MENTORING IS PART OF THE JOB 5. HOLD REGULAR BLAMELESS RETROS
- 80. “FINDING A SENSE OF PURPOSE IN EITHER THE WORK ITSELF OR THE OUTPUT IS IMPORTANT FOR TEAM EFFECTIVENESS. THE MEANING OF WORK IS PERSONAL AND CAN VARY: FINANCIAL SECURITY, SUPPORTING FAMILY, HELPING THE TEAM SUCCEED, OR SELF-EXPRESSION FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL, FOR EXAMPLE.” @APRILWENSELhttps://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/
- 81. LEADERS SET THE TONE @APRILWENSEL
- 82. "WORKPLACE OPTIMISM THRIVES WHEN PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY THEY SHOW UP TO WORK." Shawn Murphy The Optimistic Workplace @APRILWENSEL
- 83. "IF PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY IN THEIR JOBS, THEY WILL NOT REMAIN ENGAGED…THEY MAY NOT QUIT FORMALLY, BUT THEY WILL QUIT EMOTIONALLY.…THE ORGANIZATION NEEDS TO PROVIDE THEM WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, MENTAL, & SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING." Fred Kofman Conscious Business @APRILWENSEL
- 84. "THOSE OF US WHOSE WORK IS TO WRITE SOFTWARE ARE INCREDIBLY LUCKY…WE GET TO USE OUR CREATIVE ENERGY TO GET THINGS DONE…WE PRODUCE THINGS THAT MATTER." Sandi Metz Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby @APRILWENSEL
- 85. 1. KNOW YOUR OWN CORE VALUES 2. COLLABORATIVELY BUILD VISION WITH TEAM 3. BE CONSISTENT WITH TEAM VALUES - DON’T JUST HANG A POSTER! 4. ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BRING THEIR WHOLE SELVES TO WORK - ALLOW TIME FOR OTHER ACTIVITIES @APRILWENSEL
- 86. 1. HIRE FOR EMPATHY (NO JERKS!) 2. FOSTER LEARNING 3. PROVIDE MEANING @APRILWENSEL
- 87. “IF IT IS NOT TEMPERED BY COMPASSION AND EMPATHY, REASON CAN LEAD MEN AND WOMEN INTO A MORAL VOID.” Karen Armstrong Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life @APRILWENSEL
- 88. LET’S NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES AS SILICON VALLEY—WE CAN DO BETTER! @APRILWENSEL
- 89. FREE RESOURCES & NEWSLETTER COMPASSIONATECODING.COM @COMPASSIONCODE @APRILWENSEL APRIL@COMPASSIONATECODING.COM THANK YOU!