SWLW #486: Thinking like a civilization, Dark Debt, and more!

Heya,

My heart is with everyone in a difficult situation these days. I pray we will have better days coming.

As always, below you can read my best findings for the week. If you want to support my work or join SWLW community in Slack - scroll down to the bottom of the email to see how.
 

This Week's Favorite

​​Stripe: Thinking Like a Civilization
19 minutes read.

This post is a masterpiece analysis of Stripe as a business and company (the culture). It might drive ideas for running your business and taking it to the next level (e.g., see "Detail and delight" section).

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

Product [sponsored]

 Promote your product on SWLW and reach over 29,350 leaders 

Culture

When the 2nd Cold Brew Kicks in and I'm Crushing Emails
1 minute read.

My humble effort to help you start the weekend with a smile on your face, even in this difficult time. The video is fun, the "crushing emails" part is not.

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


Technical Debt’s Hidden Cousin: Dark Debt
4 minutes read.

"Technical Debt is far from being an evil demon looking to cause you problems, you’re a willing collaborator! However, not so with Technical Debt’s twin, Dark Debt […] The effects of Dark Debt are complex system failures; anomalies that just were not predicted when a system was placed into production." -- Russ Miles shares why concepts such as Choas Engineering and LFI are critical to organizations building complex software. You can uncover your Dark Debt only in production.

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


Making Up Movies
3 minutes read.

"[A]nother classic trap that impedes personal growth is endlessly playing self-made movies in your mind and believing in those plots. [...] Instead of replaying, write down what you want to say, and close the book until you’re about to meet that person. If you feel it is urgent, find a way to get it over with. Call that person on the phone, or slack them. Clarify your assumptions. Talk to others about what you’re thinking. By replaying what you’re going to say, again and again, in your mind, you’re just taxing your brain. Don’t do it." -- Subbu Allamaraju with an important lesson we should all remember. Did we try to make a change, or do we assume we cannot?

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


How Google, Twitter, and Spotify Built a Culture of Documentation
5 minutes read.

"Docs were considered everybody’s problem, but nobody’s job. [...] Just like how testing became a norm accepted by most engineers today, so can documentation." -- Nik Begley offers a few strategies that big companies apply to improve their documentation habits and artifacts. Hiring technical writers and conducting DocDays can make some big push that is worth trying.

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

Jobs [sponsored]

Multiple Remote Sr Engineering/Leadership Roles  @ Parallel
Parallel is hiring kind and curious engineers (fullstack, front/backend, designers) and tech leaders to expand portable financial identity in web2 & 3

Engineering Manager @ Raycast
Take a front seat at shaping a high-performing team. Be the first Engineering Manager at Raycast and help us to make work frictionless.
 

 Looking to hire for your team? Promote your open positions on SWLW! 

Peopleware

How to Develop Product Sense
13 minutes read.

I highly recommend everyone to read Jules Walter's post as his tips apply to everyone who wants to build better products. You can also leverage that to build internal tools and products in your company or launch side projects in your free time.

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


10 Visuals That Will Change How You See Success & Productivity (Thread)
3 minutes read.

I like the simplicity and beauty of the visuals by Elliott. My favorites were "Goals and Systems" and "Ladders of Success."

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


7 Mental Models for Great Engineering Leadership
5 minutes read.

Use Eiso Kant's topics to judge where you stand on each one and where you want to be in the next 6-18 months. In some areas, you need to move on the spectrum. In others, you need to work on your skills so you'll be able to fit the situation. Like every type of categorization, use it lightly for self-assessment.

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

And finally, inspiring tweets...

@rands: When a bad manager doesn’t have something to stress about, they will manufacture stress for others.

@molly_struve: The plural of regex is regrets



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

If you're leading a team, consider writing your Manager README (it's free) or getting my e-book and interviews Leading Snowflakes: The New Engineering Manager's Handbook. You can also support me by becoming a SWLW Patron. Thank you ❤️




Keep reading, keep learning.
-- Oren Ellenbogen.