➰ SWLW #406: Your Surge Capacity is depleted , Principles trump processes, and more.

I hope that you and your family are doing well, and you are able to find a new rhythm in this hard situation.

As always, below you can read my best findings for the week -
 

This Week's Favorite

​​Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful
12 minutes read.

"it’s [covid-19] different from a hurricane or tornado where you can look outside and see the damage. The destruction is, for most people, invisible and ongoing. So many systems aren’t working as they normally do right now, which means radical shifts in work, school, and home life that almost none of us have experience with" -- Tara Haelle writes so well. I can relate so deeply to her feelings and challenges. Hang in there, stay close to people you love (as much as you can). Talk about it and share how you feel. Get the help you need, and don't be too harsh on yourself.

Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
Share it via Twitter or email.

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Culture

Impressive Commit History
1 minute read.

My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face, even in this difficult time. A bit too much green to my taste.

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Principles Trump Processes
4 minutes read.

"As a novice photographer, I believed the camera makes the photo. [...] The latest trends, tools, and practices are visible. They are easy to copy. They are the seed for fun talks in the cocktail parties. But when the context changes, you are handicapped." -- Joseph Jude wrote one of my favorite posts to get back to, moving from processes and tools to core principles. Which principles are essential for you? I've shared some mine with my teammates, e.g. IQ over time for project execution, IQ/EQ over time for talent, etc. It’s an interesting question to ask yourself once in a while. I've shared my thoughts about it here: https://managerreadme.com/readme/orenellenbogen

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Now That the World Is Remote, Benefits Will Take New Forms. Instead of Ping Pong and La Croix, Companies Will Win You Over With...? (Thread)
4 minutes read.

Steph Smith started a discussion with inspiring ideas for you to think about when supporting your team in this WFH setup. Some of my favorites: No meeting day policies, Internet reimbursement, Premium mic, webcam and lighting, Childcare benefits.

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Unpopular Opinion - Data Scientists Should Be More End-To-End
9 minutes read.

Eugene Yan argues for why DS should consider developing more skills to execute value end to end. It's a well-balanced post about the tradeoffs between becoming a generalist versus an expert. I highly recommend reading it and share it with your team. Is your org ready to support these two preferences?

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Peopleware

Leading Senior Engineers: Lessons Learned
6 minutes read.

Adrienne Lowe shares helpful tips for Engineering Managers who work with Senior Engineers. Having the privilege to work with kind and smart individuals who care deeply about their profession and their teammates is one of the best things I've experienced. Help them understand how future growth looks like, and how they practice areas they need to work on to increase their impact.

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Some Guiding Principles for a Good Life (Thread)
3 minutes read.

An inspirational thread worth taking a few minutes to stop and read. I really like these two suggestions: "Make decisions based on who you are and want to be, not who you were," and "Question fears that you have held onto since childhood."

Read it later via Pocket or Instapaper.
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Insist on Focus (Video)
3 minutes read.

Keith Rabois is always very direct, explicit, and clear with his thoughts and principles. It can be extreme to many (e.g. how he looks at work-life-balance,) but you know what you get when you talk with him, which I respect. Do one (big) thing at a time requires discipline and clear measurements for how success looks like before you start.

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And finally, inspiring tweets...

@JamesClear: When dreaming, imagine success. When preparing, imagine failure. When acting, imagine success.

@bryce: Danger zone of hiring: low on conviction, high on convenience.



p.s. if you're interested in joining SWLW's Slack channel, simply reply to this email and let me know.

p.s.2 are you leading a team of engineers? Write your Manager Readme or get my book Leading Snowflakes: The New Engineering Manager's Handbook.

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Keep reading, keep learning.
-- Oren Ellenbogen.