Communication
A Discussion on Responsible Hiring & Team Building
#team-building
#emotional-intelligence
#hiring-practices
#communication
#diversity-inclusion
#software-development
#leadership
Summarized using AI
A Discussion on Responsible Hiring & Team Building
by April WenselIn 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.
00:00:14.700
Hello, we're back. This is April.
00:00:21.400
April and I are going to have a fireside chat here.
00:00:27.250
I'll try not to swing back and forth; I think the fly has left me alone.
00:00:32.860
During Kerry's talk, I thought I was going crazy with it buzzing around my head, but here we are.
00:00:38.079
A couple of weeks ago, I was on Twitter, as I often am, and April had sparked some great conversations.
00:00:49.030
All Twitter conversations end up being fractured into multiple sub-conversations.
00:00:54.850
I suggested we get together and discuss some of these topics in person.
00:01:01.630
April was able to join us today. Can you provide a quick background on who you are and what you do?
00:01:07.390
Sure! Just to clarify from the start, I'm not in HR and I'm not a recruiter.
00:01:13.329
I am an engineer and have been for the past ten years professionally, and fifteen years total.
00:01:19.840
I've worked at a variety of startups in Silicon Valley.
00:01:26.470
I recently relocated to San Diego and I'm now primarily focused on Ruby on Rails development.
00:01:34.120
However, I consider myself a generalist and have worked in various capacities.
00:01:40.030
Most recently, I founded Compassionate Coding, my own company.
00:01:45.940
My goal is to bring emotional intelligence to the software development community.
00:01:51.850
This includes not just hiring practices but also improving team communication.
00:02:00.670
We need to start valuing the human element of software development as it deserves.
00:02:05.830
Pretty often, when you start a conversation with a team, you walk into an office and people think, 'Oh, here's the lady who's going to tell us to be nice to each other.' Is that how it goes?
00:02:13.450
No, because I usually do the background work ahead of time to get buy-in from leadership.
00:02:19.269
We discuss how important these issues are to the organization.
00:02:27.220
A common misconception is that compassion is synonymous with being nice.
00:02:33.040
I would not necessarily consider myself a nice person; I've been called abrasive.
00:02:38.980
However, I still consider myself compassionate.
00:02:44.920
Compassion, for me, is an optimization problem with the goal of minimizing suffering.
00:02:51.430
It means recognizing suffering in others and actively desiring to alleviate that suffering.
00:02:58.170
Sarah and I were chatting earlier, and I mentioned that I've started to wonder if software development is actually quite simple.
00:03:05.500
The people who build the software are inextricably linked to the software itself.
00:03:13.060
While the software part might be straightforward, it is the people that are really complicated.
00:03:18.150
Was that your experience when you were working full-time in development?
00:03:23.260
How did you transition from being an individual contributor writing code to now working with teams?
00:03:28.989
Absolutely. That's spot-on. A lot of the problems I encountered on teams were people problems—communication issues.
00:03:35.440
For instance, we wanted to introduce a new tool, but someone wouldn’t get on board.
00:03:40.629
That's a human problem. You might be discussing technology, but convincing someone to adopt a new tool is fundamentally a human issue.
00:03:47.079
I was reading a study from the Application Developer Alliance about why software projects fail.
00:03:55.120
The top reason was changing or poorly documented requirements.
00:04:01.150
Only 17% cited immature development tools as a reason.
00:04:07.120
Yet, a lot of our engineering energy is focused on building new frameworks, when the failures often stem from communication.
00:04:15.220
It needs to happen among the engineers, product people, design folks, and the customers.
00:04:20.260
An old friend in the industry, a consulting team lead, once said, 'I've never seen a project fail for technical reasons.'
00:04:27.260
Looking at the hoarding analogy that Sara was illustrating, I think many of us felt a similar anxiety.
00:04:32.330
It's not just the physical state; it's often about the underlying human issues.
00:04:38.200
Software problems are generally easier to fix. You can measure them, set goals, and prove whether you met those goals.
00:04:46.010
When someone reaches out for help, it's often when everything is on fire.
00:04:51.740
Is it usually when all is lost and you're called in to help?
00:04:57.020
Kind of, yes. That's why I often don’t openly discuss the companies I work with.
00:05:02.360
Sometimes, they’re in a state that might be a bit embarrassing; they wouldn’t want to admit it publicly.
00:05:09.470
Occasionally, it’s just an isolated incident, and they genuinely want help to deal with it.
00:05:16.670
The therapy comparison is valid—often, I feel like I'm doing a form of group therapy.
00:05:24.140
I would never call it that, but I help people communicate and build empathy.
00:05:29.930
It's difficult to measure empathy on a team clearly, but certain indicators exist.
00:05:35.210
For example, retention rates and the frequency of conflicts on communication platforms like Slack.
00:05:42.400
You can even gauge how many tantrums happen, which surprisingly occurs more often than one would think.
00:05:48.440
Incorporating surveys is not a perfect method to measure the atmosphere, but it helps.
00:05:54.230
You can analyze attitudes around psychological safety and feeling supported.
00:06:02.000
I find it funny how many engagements often start with Slack logs of complaints.
00:06:09.530
People think their situation is a disaster, yet there are always teams in worse positions.
00:06:17.270
It doesn’t mean the entire company or team is broken; it's often just the context.
00:06:23.660
In the hiring process, when prospective hires are selected without attention to their communication or conflict resolution skills, it leads to issues.
00:06:29.510
However, this is an exercise in growth; recognizing your hiring practices allowed this situation.
00:06:35.330
Developers build confidence when they visit other companies.
00:06:42.170
In my experience as a technical trainer, I often discovered that teams really didn't know what they were doing.
00:06:48.200
It's fascinating how that mindset shifts how you view your own capabilities.
00:06:55.070
Do you notice similar things when you walk into a new team on a consultancy?
00:07:01.330
Do you generally find teams that need a simple tune-up?
00:07:07.260
Or are there times when it feels like they need to be completely overhauled?
00:07:12.350
In most cases, the solution isn’t to start from scratch. It's about incremental improvement.
00:07:21.080
When I come in, teams tend to feel self-conscious about their challenges.
00:07:27.260
They often warn me about their logs in advance.
00:07:32.330
But I've seen it all before, so I try to be reassuring.
00:07:40.060
On a personal level, despite working on my self-awareness and emotional management, I still have my moments.
00:07:48.700
So I believe in a growth mindset—getting better over time is the goal.
00:07:55.750
Do you ever encounter conversations where people say, 'My team is awesome, except for this one person?'
00:08:01.200
Does that resonate with you?
00:08:07.730
Ironically, I often get along best with the challenging team members.
00:08:14.840
They often have potential for growth.
00:08:21.080
Many times, I find their destructive behavior is rooted in passion.
00:08:26.420
They may care deeply about certain aspects of the project and react strongly.
00:08:32.200
I help teams unpack these dynamics and understand each other's triggers.
00:08:39.100
However, if someone exhibits openly racist or sexist behavior, that’s a different issue.
00:08:46.630
In such cases, it's important to remove such individuals from the team.
00:08:50.150
How do I, as an individual, identify if I am that difficult person?
00:08:57.100
Asking that question is already a good sign.
00:09:02.210
We all have a bit of a jerk in us.
00:09:10.060
I’ve received feedback that I can be abrasive, which is a common experience for many women.
00:09:16.250
I used to struggle with providing constructive feedback in code reviews.
00:09:21.980
What I didn’t understand was how my critiques could affect others.
00:09:29.080
Learning to deliver feedback effectively is part of the emotional intelligence journey.
00:09:34.100
I consider myself a recovered difficult person.
00:09:41.470
If I can change, anyone can.
00:09:46.680
What first impressions do you look for when assessing a team's potential?
00:09:53.560
I never believe any team is hopeless. There’s always potential for change.
00:09:59.920
However, certain members may need assistance getting on board.
00:10:06.430
What I look for often goes beyond technical issues to reveal underlying people problems.
00:10:12.720
Even when a technical issue is presented, I seek to understand the real emotional underpinnings.
00:10:19.540
For example, if there are complaints about video conferencing tools, I look for the interpersonal dynamics.
00:10:25.910
It's essential to dig deeper to find where the disconnect exists.
00:10:32.880
You can identify issues when team members are sequestered and working individually without communication.
00:10:40.200
In most cases, it proves effective for remote teams to gather together once a year.
00:10:46.920
Face-to-face interaction is critical in emotional intelligence workshops.
00:10:54.500
So much communication is lost when relying on text; we must prioritize human contact.
00:11:02.880
Communicating critical topics requires a wider bandwidth, ranging from text to phone calls.
00:11:09.090
The choice of communication method should reflect the topic's importance.
00:11:16.580
Often, trivial issues mask deeper, more significant cultural conflicts.
00:11:22.830
Navigating team dynamics continuously evolves as the team undergoes changes.
00:11:29.570
Companies must evaluate their hiring processes in response to these dynamics.
00:11:36.160
The best teams often have a rubric in place to assess candidates.
00:11:42.830
A rubric standardizes measuring candidate performance and competencies.
00:11:49.740
The key is striving for objectivity, recognizing we are all inherently biased.
00:11:57.150
Recognizing biases is crucial to improve hiring processes, as they often impact outcomes.
00:12:03.360
Effective rubrics should focus on specific attributes and cultural fit, avoiding unnecessary complexity.
00:12:09.150
Hiring should not resemble a bureaucratic process of ticking boxes; it should feel meaningful.
00:12:16.680
Hiring should focus on more than just cultural likability; it must assess contributions.
00:12:22.570
Ultimately, building a team that works well together is the goal, not personal friendships.
00:12:30.150
Medium has a valuable blog post discussing hiring practices, emphasizing introspection and empathy.
00:12:37.350
Specific examples of candidate behavior indicate their ability to relate and understand.
00:12:44.130
As engineers often lack training in psychology, the interview process becomes complex.
00:12:50.460
Collectively, we must reevaluate hiring practices and ensure communication and connection are prioritized.
00:12:57.420
Hiring practices should target deeper motivations, not just code-focused interests.
00:13:04.150
Ultimately, the vulnerability should extend to asking candidates deeper questions during interviews.
00:13:10.770
Ask them to speak about their passion for solving human problems, not just programming.
00:13:17.280
Teams that face difficulties require a higher purpose to motivate them through challenges.
00:13:24.300
Everyone has something to contribute, regardless of their titles or backgrounds.
00:13:30.670
Although I may not lead interviews, I can advocate for these changes.
00:13:37.840
Start conversations with your team leads and suggest how they can improve processes.
00:13:44.190
Find a way to make it easy for management to agree to your suggestions.
00:13:50.080
Successfully pitching ideas for change can make a significant impact.
00:13:56.350
Being proactive in suggesting improvements will elevate your visibility in the organization.
00:14:03.490
I've witnessed people progress from individual contributor roles to leadership positions simply by advocating.
00:14:10.710
We're starting to see more companies create clear pathways for engineers to advance their careers.
00:14:17.140
However, I find that misunderstanding still exists within companies.
00:14:23.600
There's often confusion around definitions like junior developer versus senior developer.
00:14:30.400
This often leads to arbitrary distinctions that vary across organizations.
00:14:37.120
Moreover, the technical versus managerial paths often create a false dichotomy.
00:14:43.920
Everyone should cultivate leadership skills, even as an individual contributor.
00:14:50.160
The skills of emotional intelligence and leading one's life translate to improvement in team dynamics.
00:14:58.260
In the context of the 10x engineer, it reflects that many developers do not belong in their roles.
00:15:05.660
Building a strong team is the best method for achieving a 10x impact.
00:15:12.520
It's about fostering a strong culture around collaboration and support.
00:15:18.540
Do we have any questions from the audience? What common unconscious mistakes do you see?
00:15:25.120
The most significant mistake in hiring is defining what 'smart' means.
00:15:31.480
Often, companies rely on biased metrics: IQ tests or standardized performance.
00:15:40.730
Realizing that intelligence can manifest from a variety of backgrounds is essential.
00:15:47.870
Cultural and experiential diversity contributes deeply to team success.
00:15:53.300
How does emotional intelligence impact company culture?
00:16:02.350
Instilling emotional intelligence is paramount to addressing company culture.
00:16:09.800
It helps identify where shifts in culture are needed and gives individuals the tools to manage their emotions.
00:16:16.670
At the conclusion of my workshops, we create an actionable plan for company culture improvement.
00:16:25.590
Your work environment should not inhibit vulnerability nor genuine conversation.
00:16:34.200
True cultural change requires commitment from leadership and employees.
00:16:42.420
Vulnerability should be encouraged, and humility must be valued above ego.
00:16:49.360
Select workplaces where you can fully express yourself and appreciate vulnerability.
00:16:57.190
Cultivating a culture of growth allows for forgiveness and promotes authentic leadership.
00:17:06.320
Thank you, April.
Explore all talks recorded at Rocky Mountain Ruby 2017
+4