Author: SK

I’ve got lots to learn. So when I wake up in the morning, I need to head straight down to the dungen and start learning. I’ve got roughly 50 minutes of learning the morning. That’s 2 pomos I can collect. I can read, I can practice, I can learn. With enthusiasm, anything is possible. I can then take that learning and teach others.

We’ve got a good, receptive team that likes to learn. We’re learning from each other. We’re challenging each other. It’s good stuff. I have not had a group like that before.

And the best thing of all? I am leading the team. It’s very satisfying. I get motivation to challenge the guys, to make them better. I love doing that. And I just hope that on the receiving side, the feeling is that they are improving and that it is worth doing.

It’s good to have a goal to do at least one thing with kids on the weekend. We did that this week and it feels satisfying. For sure. We went to the movies with kids today. It was fun. Kids really enjoyed watching the movie. I enjoyed it. It was a cool movie.

We also carved out a car. It was fun.  So, like I said, it’s great to have a goal.

It’s also good to have a goal in terms of what to do when I wake up. I woke up at 6 and had no desire to do … anything. I should have some better plan. read something?

I am finding myself with good leadership thoughts. I value having a good atmosphere on our team. We are open, we laugh, we stay close.

I demand.

Yes, I believe I am a demanding leader. But I do it for a purpose. I do it because that’s the way I want us to work. I want to deliver quality. Quantity counts as well, but I have a deep desire to deliver quality. 

I demand also because I know we can get lazy. To get better, we need to stretch, we need to work hard.

Yes, getting better is a relative thing. But I know that without hard work, there is no payoff. I truly believe that.

Knowing the balance of fun, family, work and career is crucial for a good leader.

One cannot be just about work.

Family and friends are just as important. 

I’ve been lucky to have a good family. It’s giving me the support that I need. In my sons, I find fullfilment and joy. It’s really something special. In my wife, I feel support when I need it and another companion that’s helpful.

Being a good leader comes from the heart. That’s the leader I want to be. High integrity, pushing, taking people to places where they would not be able to go by themselves. It’s my goal. 

I think it’s also one of the distinguishing parts of our team. I can’t say that for sure, but I feel that. However, if others are leading the same way, then it’s better because I have other people to learn from.

Sometimes it feel there is light at the end of the tunnel. There are good candidates out there. We had one such today. What an awesome skill set. Great communication skills. Ability to think on his feet. Able to grasp complex problems and architectures. I hope he joins our company. 

Yes, I am hoping he joins our team. But I’m a bit skeptical as well. I have seen this situation before. Fingers crossed, though.

It’s great to have a good atmosphere on the team. It makes the day a lot faster. Plus, I feel that people are more receptive.

We do have a great atmosphere on our team. We’re helping each other. But also challenging each other. It’s fun to be on our team, I feel.

I subscribe to the mentality that people have to be pushed to get better. We get lazy. We sometimes just try to do our jobs. And so we plateou. Before we can reach new highs, we’ve got to stretch. We’ve got to learn something new. And that requires willingnes to learn and try out new things.

I am pushing my guys towards better practices, towards that desire to get better. And they’re responding. And that’s great to see.

My wife told me a disturbing story about her friends. She’s being blamed for uncovering a stupid lie. What a shame. If it comes down to paying a price for it with friendship, so be it. A lie has short legs and you don’t build friendship on top of it. You should never tell a lie to somebody. It’s bad.

Friendship has a price to pay as well. If you at first say yes, then even if it’s not convenient, you make it work.

Lesson of the day: don’t lie. Really. Integrity is the cornerstone of my life. It should be. It’s never good to loosen it. My wife did what’s right. I love her more for that. I have to say that lately I’ve seen a positive change in my wife. 

Work is appreciated. For sure. I got up early and left at 5:54. I got to work at 7am. Why? Because I had a mission to accomplish. I wanted to complete the work I started. I wanted not to leave out missing pieces. I wanted to feel like I did something.

I did not do this for recognition. I did it because I like to get things done. Pure and simple. And I am proud what I accomplished.

So overall, I learned that hard work does pay off.

But I also learned that putting off risky stuff towards the end of the sprint is not a good idea. When waiting on something, look for ways to get other things done. 

I am tired. I am missing positive energy. I need to reload it. 

Because if I cannot be myself, then it’s probably not a good place for me.

I also learned that Thomas does not pay attention to the little things. He says they’re easy, under control and they don’t get done. I have to mention that to him.

Again, not tackling the risk first bit me. I should have pushed for a prod machine much sooner. Especially since it seemed like it was ready. But I waited, waited…

The riskiest part in the ticket was prod integration. I had to run a file through the api in prod. We did it. File got ingested, but we did not start spending. And it’s a problem. Now, I’m going to try to get there as soon as I can and try to come up with something workable. Doable? Probably. Crazy, I think so.

But like I said, it’s not really my fault. It was never specified. And I will raise it up tomorrow. 

In either case, I need to raise those issues soon. I need to tackle the risky part first. And I need to just stay on top of things and keep pushing.