People Stack Podcast

One of the beliefs that we hear all the time at The People Stack goes something like: “I want to become a VP.  So I need to get my MBA first.” Is this REALLY true?  Is it worth it to spend valuable time and money to get those letters after your name? Don’t miss this episode!

When I say “take ownership of your career,” most people get what I mean. At least, they get it intellectually.  They get it at a surface level. But what does it REALLY mean to take ownership of your career - both from the 30,000-foot-strategic view and the day-to-day tactics? What are you NOT doing that could make the difference between mediocre, acceptable career advancement and outstandingly awesome levels of impact, joy, and freedom?

I’ve talked with hundreds of tech leaders about what’s next in your careers. And most of you know - at least generally - what you want. What’s secretly holding your back?  You’re looking for permission to take the next step. Find out how to overcome this hurdle and others that are stopping you from building your dream career. Do not miss this episode!

Here’s the truth: Hope is a terrible strategy. The problem is, when it comes to career upgrading, so many tech managers are in the dark about what to do instead. Want to ditch “I hope it’ll get better” with proven strategies that’ll help you reach higher heights in your career! Check out this episode!

As a committed tech professional, you put a lot of care into planning for your projects at work. You never assume that bugs are going to fix themselves. You get your team together and fix it! But… When it comes to your careers, a lot of your are just hoping it’ll fix itself. Here’s how to notice when this pops up and how to plan for your career more methodically! Do not miss this episode!

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again - and expecting different results. And yet...so many of us keeping doing the same things because they’re familiar. They’re comfortable. And we wonder why change isn’t happening. If you’re feeling stuck in your tech career, the same rule applies. If you want to STAY stuck, keep doing the same thing. If you truly want change, you have to step outside of your comfort zone. What does this mean, exactly? Do not miss this episode!

We talk with a lot of clients who are “doing okay” in their tech careers. They say things like, “I’m not desperate.” “I’m coping.” “I’m managing.” “Things could be better but they’re not terrible.” “I’m tolerating my work life.” “I’m comfortable Believe it or not, this “comfortable” place is a WORSE place to be than when things are completely and utterly falling apart. Why? Find out in this episode!

Would you consider yourself systematic? Methodical? Careful? What about over-analytical? Prone to analysis paralysis? If so, no worries. These are qualities that make you great at tech. But, if you don’t learn how to tap into your decisiveness - which is the OPPOSITE of what you tend to do - you’re on the path towards tech career failure. Ready to embrace your inner decision-making genius and upgrade your tech career in the process?

If there’s a phrase we hear more than any other when we’re coaching our clients it’s… “I need to think about it.” I understand this need. Trust me, I do. But the truth it’s, when it comes to career decisions, it’s a lie. Want to learn why this lie is going to cost you time, money, and energy? Want to learn how to get past “I need to think about” and finally make a decision about your career? Watch this episode!

What’s the difference between cocky, confident, and self-deprecating? And how do you show up as a confident tech leader who adds value and gets recognized for the value - without coming off as extremely full-of-yourself OR extremely down-on-yourself? Check out this episode!

Have you noticed that, in the tech community, certain people love to make fun of themselves? They’re self-deprecating to a fault. Where did this come from??? And how do we eradicate these behaviors so we can create a culture where it’s accepted and expected to be confident? And create a culture where everyone earns their wins and celebrates them? Do not miss this episode!

Senior Software Engineer and Server Necromancer at Slack, Randall Koutnik talks about the importance of trust, feedback, managing teams while scaling and more! Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Special Guest: Randall Koutnik.

Startup Advisor Mawulom Nenonene talks about building and evaluating your hiring process, training for your team to interview, how to set reasonable salaries and more. Recruiting tool * Goodtime.io (https://www.goodtime.io/schedule-a-demo-today?referrer_email=mnenonene@gmail.com) Compensation * Radford (https://radford.aon.com/surveys) * Glassdoor.com Places where people can find Mawulom: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mawulomnenonene/ * Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/waydpthnkr * Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mnenonene Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Special Guest: Mawulom Nenonene.

VP of Engineering for Sharethrough (https://sharethrough.com), Rob Slifka (https://www.linkedin.com/in/robslifka/) talks about how to have a rewarding and impactful career, how to get fulfillment in days work as management, his top learnings from running the Calibrate conference for new Engineering Managers, threading the needle of when to let someone go and more Calibrate Conference: https://calibratesf.com The Lead Developer conference happens a few times a year, the next is in Austin in November https://austin2019.theleaddeveloper.com/ Information for The Rands Leadership Slack is here: https://randsinrepose.com/welcome-to-rands-leadership-slack/ Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Special Guest: Rob Slifka.

Author and Head of Foundation Engineering at Stripe (https://stripe.com), Will Larson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-larson-a44b543/) stops by the People Stack to talk about what the Foundation Engineering team does, the best career advice he ever received, why Inclusion must precede Diversity, sizing teams when managing ICs and Managers, handling on-call status, career ladders and much more Will's book "An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management" is out now (hardcover is highly recommended): https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Puzzle-Systems-Engineering-Management/dp/1732265186 Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Special Guest: Will Larson.

Founder, author, and speaker Ronald Cummings-John stops by the People Stack to talk about the meaning of quality, selling the concept and need for quality in your software, the need to convince people all of the time, the people challenges of communication and more. Ronald's book gets released in September 2019 and is called "Leading Quality." LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronaldcj Site: https://www.globalapptesting.com/ Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Special Guest: Ronald Cummings-John.

Founder, Marketer and Author Sarah E. Brown talks about her book "Power to the Startup People," how you can contribute to a startup when you aren't a founder, the challenges of transitioning between phases of a company and the power of mindset and more Sarah's book is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2y6rRGx Reach Sarah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sebmarketing?lang=en Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Innovator, Author, and Speaker Tania Katan visits the People Stack to talk about her book "Creative Trespassing" (https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Trespassing-Spark-Back-into-ebook/dp/B07D22GYDT), her many methods of sparking more creativity in everyday work, how you can bring more of yourself to your work, how creativity can inspire those around you, the power of walks to unlock hidden ideas and more Tania's book: * Creative Trespassing: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Trespassing-Spark-Back-into-ebook/dp/B07D22GYDT Tania's very inspiring Instagram: * https://www.instagram.com/theunrealtaniakatan/ See Tania speak here: https://taniakatan.com/speaking/ Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Rob May (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rpvmay), Managing Director of the IT support company Ramsac (https://www.ramsac.com) talks about your organization's human firewall, interviewing to see who people really are, the importance of your team members to feel they are growing and more Ramsac: https://www.ramsac.com/ Rob's Ted Talk: The Human Firewall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpdcVfq2dB8 Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Special Guest: Rob May.

Bryan Helmig (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanhelmig/), founder and CEO of Zapier (http://zapier.com) talks about the behaviors Zapier looks for in their employees, when to raise the bandwidth of your comms, the different tools Zapier uses for their remote teams, starting out remote and more Intro music is "I'm Going for a Coffee" (http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_3/02_Im_Going_for_a_Coffee) by Lee Rosevere, which is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Special Guest: Bryan Helmig.