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In this engaging discussion from the Rocky Mountain Ruby 2017 conference, April Wensel explores the critical themes of responsible hiring and team building within the software development community. Wensel, an engineer and founder of Compassionate Coding, aims to infuse emotional intelligence into software development processes, emphasizing that the human factors in development are often the most complex challenges teams face.

Key points discussed include:  
- **Importance of Compassionate Hiring**: Wensel clarifies that compassion in hiring is about recognizing suffering in others and the desire to alleviate it rather than simply being nice. She emphasizes the value of emotional intelligence over mere technical capability.
- **Human-Centric Problems**: Most issues faced in development teams stem from human interactions, not technical failures. Wensel reflects on findings that highlight communication as a more significant hurdle than technological inadequacies.
- **Incremental Improvement**: Wensel advocates for gradual enhancements of team dynamics rather than complete overhauls, stressing that all teams possess potential for growth.  
- **Identifying Team Issues**: Wensel discusses identifying problematic behavior, often rooted in passion, and suggests addressing miscommunications rather than labeling team members as difficult.
- **Effective Feedback and Emotional Intelligence**: She shares her journey towards providing constructive feedback, emphasizing the importance of understanding the influence feedback can have on colleagues.
- **Hiring Practices and Biases**: Emphasizing the need for structured hiring processes, Wensel highlights the significance of emotional intelligence and the necessity of fair evaluations beyond cultural fit.
- **Team Dynamics and Culture**: The conversation culminates in recognizing the need for a strong company culture that embraces vulnerability and humility while tackling emotional intelligence for its improvement.
- **Personal Growth and Advocacy**: Reflecting on her experiences, Wensel encourages individuals to be proactive in suggesting change and illustrates how advocating for better processes can lead to career advancement, reiterating that emotional intelligence is a skill for everyone, regardless of their role.

Overall, Wensel concludes that cultivating a culture around emotional intelligence and meaningful communication not only enhances team dynamics but also leads to a more fulfilling work environment for all involved in software development.

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