Blog

After the break, things are a bit out of whack. My sleeping pattern got adjusted a bit. It’s slowly creeping back. My learning pattern is a bit out of whack as well. I am having motivational issues — not sure what I want to learn. I do, in a way, but it changed. I was learning design patterns before I left for a break, now I want to learn something else. Oh, well. I guess that’s quite normal, isn’t it?

I want to learn something new on the technical side. I want to dig into what’s hot and learn that. Akka and docker comes to mind. I’ll try to refresh my docker experience. I think I’ll do that.

My class is going quite well. I think it’s going to help me understand what kind of style I like and what are some of the things I need to do more.

Coaching and managing is way more involved than I thought. It’s being a coach, manager, mentor and trainer. It’s a 4 phased approach and none should be abused, as the balance shifts.

New year resolutions? Become a better leader, a better coach, and a better husband and parent. I think those are all great areas where I can improve and can do continuously.

What am I doing in those areas?

For one, I registered for a 5-course specialization on coursera. It will set me down by $200 but it’s 5 courses, so if I complete one every month, 5×50 would be more. So I think I’m good. I could try to complete it in 3 months, which would be $150. I have 14 days to cancel and decide.

My wife and others think that I am cheap. Sometimes I feel that I am. But most of the time, it’s just who I am. I can’t really help it. I don’t spend lavishly. I am a frugal person, trying to see where I can reap some savings. 

How can I become a better parent and a husband? I will try to eliminate negative comments and try to inspire more, even if I have to grind my teeth. I will also need to restrain from raising my voice, or stop that all together.

I am liking the changes I’m making towards learning. I am creating chunks from the top down. I am organizing what I’m learning better. I am also trying to recall information as I’m learning, re-learning it. 

I’ve tried this approach on learning new patterns. I will also try to apply it on anything new that I learn. One of the new things I want to learn in 2017 is to deepen my leadership and management skills. I want to see what approach the best management and leadership gurus take and compare them with the approaches I’m taking.

I am also learning to deal with my wife. That’s proving the toughest shell to break. We’re just two completely different individuals. But I’m trying. I will try this approach: “you’re causing me damage/robisz mi krzywde i jak chcesz to rob dalej, nie bede cie zatrzymywal.”

If somebody else is drinking, doesn’t mean I have to. I don’t. I’ve been feeling a bit bad after last night. A bit tired, still feeling a bit of alcohol in me. We had a nice family event, and that’s good. Nice to come together and have a family meal. Can’t get better than that!

I learned a few lessons over the weekend. I am a Stephen Covey fan. His books like 7 Habits of Effective have changed a lot of people’s careers. I discovered one of his books about trust that I rented out. There is also the book on summary of his learnings, which I also liked. I will try to pick up his books when I get a chance. From what I read, they can get a bit dry, but if you can get over that, learnings are there.

I’m still learning about the Visitor pattern. Would I be able to implement it now? Yeah, I think so: guest accepting a visitor, and passing him info about himself, utilizing a double dispatch method. Not that complicated if you get to the root of it.

So far, I’ve learned Visitor, Bridge, which I have to improve, Memento, guess I need to pick up 2 more.

I also discovered “something for me.” I found a specialization on Coursera that I want to pursue. It’s called Managing via Coaching/Leading.  Sounds like something I can benefit from.

I am also learning that kids need to be pushed and live in an environment where they are encouraged to learn. If I watch TV a lot, they’re more likely to play games and watch. But if I’m learning, they’re more likely to do the same. I need to lead by example. 

I am reviewing a Visitor pattern. It’s a really nice pattern. And the best pattern explanations I can find are… in the GoF book. I am finding it more and more valuable. It allows to perform operations on the objects internals without touching the class. Generating different types of reports is a good example, as given by Uncle Bob.One thing I am not clear is why I need to create a different visit methods for each class in the hierarchy.

Also learning about memory. Visualizing the things that you want to remember is key. For instance, f = m*a, you can visualize a flying mule. I know I have a problem with memory, so that should help me. Another key aspect is repetition. You are only able to put it in long term memory if you repeat it many times.

I am a team lead. I am also an individual. I work for my team. But I have my own views. I act for the team in what I deem what’s best for them.

On my quarterly review, I got some feedback that another team would have done the appnexus integration quicker. That was a surprise on both ends. One, that such a feedback would be used, and two, that’s it’s not really true. So I shared this feedback with my team on Friday during a retro. That was one of the ways to show that our team needs to do better.

I am surprised and actually encouraged by our team’s response. First reaction? They were offended by it. Second, we can’t leave this on the table like that. We will not accept damaging feedback like that. So now it’s time to act and make changes so this does not occur.