The longer I’m in leadership, the more I become aware of a simple, but harrowing fact: The best leaders in business improvise. A lot. In
Browsing Category
People
A milestone reached in Atomic’s goal to employ more women
We’re approaching a significant milestone in our company initiative to employ more women. When our last Accelerator member joins in mid-July, 25% of Atoms will
Firing people: feelings, perspectives, and practical advice
This is a summary of what I’ve learned about firing people. I’ve had to do that difficult, unpleasant, but occasionally absolutely necessary task 12 times,
Succeeding with outside leadership hires
Many companies only promote from within for leadership positions. My own experience confirms the wisdom of this approach. Recently, we found ourselves taking a different
Embrace and resolve your fear, uncertainty, doubt and anger
It seems an inevitable part of the human condition that we hurt each others feelings, confuse our friends and colleagues, anger or worry people close
Sustainable pace is a smart long-term strategy
In the late 1990s, when Kent Beck included “40 hour work week” in the original 13 practices of Extreme Programming, it was in the context
Gender diversity makes my company stronger
We’ve been working for several years to improve the gender balance at Atomic Object, largely because we held “Diversity is good” to be self-evident. But
Discrimination: When Being Good Isn’t Good Enough
Atomic Object joined the ACLU’s Michigan Competitive Workforce Coalition following a couple of eye-opening experiences I had in 2015. The MCWC is organized around the
The Value of Part-Time Knowledge Workers
In a world of talent scarcity—certainly the one software design and development companies live in currently—it would be foolish to not accommodate a proven employee’s
How to Avoid the Downsides of Transparency
I’ve always believed that innovation comes from people who care. When you care about your profession, your clients, your peers, and your company, you’re never