I'm James Shaw, and I have led software teams since my first company back in the UK in 1990 - leading teams of up to 45 technical staff with annual revenues over $10MM.
Over these 25+ years I've learned a lot, and made some mistakes, and I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences with you via this blog, starting with "The 30 day plan".
So.. Tell Them Everything?
Ah, yes, the name.
When I was reading through my outline and all my notes I kept thinking:
What is the one piece of advice I must share?
I found two that I find myself saying over and over to the teams:
- Improve one small thing every day
- Don't be afraid to tell them everything
Continuous improvement is very important to me, but that's a lot more popular and well-known. We'll talk more about specific ways to improve your organization and team - but communication is way more important.
I see examples every day where problems with software development projects or teams can be traced back to poor communication.
I've seen people fail, projects fail and even companies fail, when an open and honest conversation could have saved them.
Trust. Connection. No secrets.
Tell Them Everything means being open and honest with everyone - your team, your boss, your peers and your customers.
Ok, without more ado, let's get started.