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Let's Stop Making Each Other Feel Stupid
- 1. Let’s Stop Making Each Other Feel Stupid @ClareSudbery MadeTech
- 3. Being an effective IT professional is not about what you know!
- 4. • Judging people • Laughing at people • Talking in jargon • Not training juniors • Gatekeeping • Rock star developers • Everyone knows more than me • Hiding our ignorance • Seniors knowing most • Tech is the hardest part
- 7. Making Each Other Feel Stupid How does it happen?
- 14. The Lucky 10,000
- 15. Gatekeeping
- 16. The range of knowledge in our industry is very wide
- 17. The range of knowledge in our industry is VERY WIDE
- 18. ROCK- STAR DEVS?
- 20. Ilianna: Terraform Kirsty: Hadoop Mircea: iOS Native Esra: SonarQube Georgia: Golang Rob: AWS Scott: AiOps Andy: Encryption Anik: PySpark Jon: CentOS 7 THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 21. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps PySpark Recursion THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 22. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 23. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native Golang AWS AiOps 398373 Encryption PySpark THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 24. Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 25. CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 26. Hadoop iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 27. iOS Native AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 28. AWS AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 29. AiOps Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 30. Recursion Encryption PySpark SonarQube Golang Terraform CentOS 7 Hadoop iOS Native AWS THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 31. Terraform Data analytics Hadoop iOS Native SonarQube Golang AWS AiOps Encryption PySpark THE WHEEL OF CONFUSION
- 36. Believing we should know more than everyone else
- 37. Assuming the tech is the hard part (spoiler: It’s not)
- 39. "Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. What people call intelligence just boils down to curiosity." - Aaron Swartz The Stupidity Manifesto
- 40. The Stupidity Manifesto • LET’S STOP MAKING PEOPLE FEEL STUPID. INSTEAD, LET’S… • Have an explicit policy of curiosity towards all things • Encourage each other to shout out if we discourage curiosity • Ask what people NEED to know, not what they know • Never judge someone because their knowledge doesn’t match ours • Give our colleagues every opportunity to learn and explore WITHOUT RISK • Give new people a chance to show us what they can do • ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ASK QUESTIONS • Acknowledge the broad range of knowledge in our industry
- 41. The Stupidity Manifesto • LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID. INSTEAD, LET’S… • Remember our industry never stays the same • Remember we all forget stuff • Lead by example: Be honest when we’re confused • Focus on aptitude, not knowledge • Remember what it feels like when we are still learning • Prioritise clarity over jargon • Remember this is not idealism, it’s pragmatism • LET’S STOP MAKING EACH OTHER FEEL STUPID.
- 42. What can you do to make things better? The most useful talks are those that result in action
- 43. Did you come up with any new suggestions?
- 44. Resources and References • Delusions of Gender: Cordelia Fine • April Wensel (@aprilwensel): Compassionate coding • Blog: https://medium.com/compassionate-coding • Site: https://compassionatecoding.com/ • “Software development that values humans” • https://insimpleterms.blog/2017/10/16/advice-for-women-or-anyone-starting-a- career-in-tech/ - Advice for anyone starting a career in tech • https://insimpleterms.blog/2017/10/13/resources-for-women-arriving-at-or- returning-to-it/ - Resources for Women Arriving at or Returning to IT • https://insimpleterms.blog/ • https://medium.com/a-woman-in-technology - learning, teaching, women in tech, maths
- 46. I host a podcast… tinyurl.com/making-tech-better
- 48. • Judging people • Laughing at people • Talking in jargon • Won’t train juniors • Gatekeeping • Rock star devs • Everyone knows more than me • Hiding our ignorance • We must know most • Tech harder than people
Editor's Notes
- Clare Sudbery Software engineer, 21 years Academy lead, Made Tech Consultancy Help people develop effective software Paula Paul (podcast): “The technology is the easy part” – really it’s all about the people GIVE ME FEEDBACK
- No imposter syndrome Arrive at work excited about learning new things Never worry about not knowing enough
- Being an effective IT professional is NOT about what you know But we think it is – and that causes problems
- I’m going to talk about… The following problems Their impacts What we can do to make things better Judging people for lack of knowledge Laughing at people for lack of knowledge Talking in jargon Individuals and companies often reluctant to train juniors Gatekeeping – only let certain people through The idea of “rock star developers” – special individuals better than everyone else Individuals - Assuming everyone else knows more than we do Hiding our own lack of knowledge Senior believing we’re supposed to know more than everyone else Assuming that tech is the hard part of this industry (spoiler: it’s not)
- So, why do I care so much about this? I’m going to tell you a story…
- A story. Once upon a time… Woman. Software engineer, background in maths. Used to being in a minority. Women can’t do maths. Reinforced by experience. Came to IT late. First job, intimidated: men doing IT since kids. Second job, kept getting knocked back Interview: more senior position. Faced incredulity: Didn’t know enough. After 12 years, redundancy - a relief. DIDN’T WANT TO WORK IN I.T. ANY MORE.
- So, that was my background – left industry because felt inadequate I was always feeling stupid – and I noticed my colleagues and direct reports and mentees did too - and I noticed the behaviours that were causing this I’m going to run through some of those behaviours Talk about their impacts and some ways we could do things differently
- PROBLEM Judging other people based on their knowledge. “Wow, I just discovered my colleague doesn’t understand Y. I’m shocked.” “Can you believe, I just interviewed this dev, and they didn’t even know what a Z was?” Have you ever done this? 2 mins to discuss IMPACT My background – left industry because felt inadequate People overhear others’ judgements of others and internalise it SOLUTION just because the target can’t hear you, doesn’t mean others aren’t internalising it
- PROBLEM Laughing / sneering at people who don’t know about IT Eg our parents / mothers Have you ever judged someone else’s knowledge? WHY? IMPACT Imposter syndrome Hands up if you’ve ever worried about being found out for not being as proficient as everyone thinks? If everyone feels like this, it’s crazy! SOLUTION have empathy Are you failing to put yourself into other people’s shoes?
- PROBLEM Feeling insecure, wanting to prove you fit in Scenario: ARM processor
- Here’s a really typical example of people vtalking in jargon Scenario A: I’m late to a meeting where people talk jargon & nobody understands Me: Hi, sorry I’m late It’s fine, we were just talking about the ARM processor Ah right, yes of course ARM. Shit, ARM, I know I’ve heard of that before. ARM, um… [some stuff I don’t hear cos I’m trying to remember what ARM stands for] Me: Look, I’m so sorry, but I’ve forgotten what ARM stands for? Them: Articulated retention matriculation Oh. I have NO idea what that is. I’ll work it out as I go along Them: Although actually, we should really be considering AMRM at this point Me: AMRM? Them: Articulated meta-retention matriculation. It's all in the document. Weren't you hired for your expertise in this area? Really we need to move on. Someone else: That’s a very good point! We definitely need to get meta at this juncture. Me: Oh God, I was only just following this, but now they’ve lost me. Meta? What does meta mean in this context? What does meta mean in any context? It’s one of those concepts that signifies that things are about to get confusing, I know that much Other person: I don’t really know what I just said, but people seem to agree. And I said juncture. I love saying juncture. It’s the perfect word for situations like this. [some stuff that Person2 misses cos they’re worrying about what meta means]
- IMPACT colleagues struggle to understand you, but pretend they do… Weird vicious cycle: everybody obfuscates to protect selves confuse everybody, who is then terrified and so talks in more jargon… and so the cycle continues. Feeling great when you finally can use long words – pulling ladder up behind you SOLUTION Explain your terms! And give people the opportunity to ask. Don’t assume
- PROBLEM Reluctance to teach juniors Can’t spend your whole time teaching people I need people who can hit the ground running Are you hoarding / not sharing your own knowledge? Think of the times others shared with you IMPACT Skills shortage Fear SOLUTION consciously teach people everybody benefits from teaching juniors Understand people can improve Pairing I have a whole other talk on this, but assume people can learn Encourage learning Build a culture of teaching and learning Encourage people to explore and experiment and learn WITHOUT RISK Stops people pushing less optimal solutions Explicit statements to newcomers, at start of meetings, etc - on policy towards curiosity - plus encouragement to give feedback if this aim is not being met. The Lucky 10,000
- Make this point stand out more: reframing “you don't know” to "you have the opportunity to learn".
- PROBLEM Gatekeeping / Narrow recruitment policies IMPACT can’t find the “right people” SOLUTION What is actually required for competency? If people don't know enough, WHY is that? What's deterring them? Focus on aptitude Career changers and boot camps Degrees are often not fit for purpose Are you asking for degrees because you really need them or because the senior people in your org all have them and don’t like the idea that they might not be as useful as they thought
- Range of knowledge in IT is VERY WIDE Just because they haven’t encountered the thing you think they need to know, doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be an asset Don’t ask whether they have what you need Ask what they DO have They might have skills and knowledge you never even thought of
- PROBLEM: Joel Spolsky’s book on recruitment IMPACT: Lack of confidence disproportionately affects under-represented groups People want to fit in People will leave, or not join in the first place Stereotype threat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotype_threat If negative stereotypes are present, people become anxious about their skills – prevents them performing at levels they’re capable of. Shown to reduce performance Do not need to subscribe to the stereotype for it to be activated. “This is a talk aimed at women” SOLUTION Aim for collaboration over heroes and rock stars they don’t help teams and they increase bus factor
- PROBLEM Assume everyone else knows more than we do IMPACT Wheel of confusion
- Software-dev TW mailing group – intimidated by topics that others seem comfortable with Aside: When choosing topics for this slide, I chose a fair few that looked scary to me… then panicked that everyone else would think they were easy and be confused why I might find them intimidating! Names: anti-clockwise from me: Scott Davies, Rob Chow, Mircea, Kirsty Devlin, Jon Dunleavy, Ilianna Papastefanou, Georgia Barker, Esra Yetis, Anik Kale, Andy Birds.
- Andy
- Anik
- Esra
- Georgia
- Ilianna
- Jon
- Kirsty
- Mircea
- Rob
- Scott
- SOLUTION pay attention to those faces on the wheel of confusion
- PROBLEM: Hiding our own ignorance Scenario: hairdresser
- HIDING OUR OWN IGNORANCE Scenario E: The hairdresser Giving the answer you think people want to hear The hairdresser asked me whether I had straighteners and I answered Yes. Why? Because I felt like it was the “right answer”. YOU FEEL LIKE AN IMPOSTOR WHEN YOU HEAR YOURSELF GIVE STUPID ANSWERS JUST BECAUSE THEY SEEM LIKE THE “RIGHT” ANSWER
- PROBLEM: Are you projecting sheen of knowledge to protect yourself? IMPACT This limits you as well as others We end up not getting what we need Eg maintainable hair! SOLUTION ask questions and admit ignorance WE SHOULD ALL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO ASK QUESTIONS Model the showing of vulnerability Psychological safety Eternal thanks to those who told me they were confused Some of the most important points in my career Tweet from Tim Post (@TinkerTim) re Stack Overflow: “You can't work on problems that you're unwilling to admit. Wanting help often means being vulnerable enough to ask for it, and that's where we are. Let's keep making the internet better, without hurting people in the process.”
- PROBLEM Believe that when senior, we should know more than everyone else IMPACT Feel threatened by the knowledge of others Or don’t notice it Or don’t appreciate it SOLUTION you want people who know more than you Surround yourself with people better than you
- PROBLEM Assuming the tech is the hard part (it’s actually the people) IMPACT We don’t worry about how people are impacted by our actions We don’t recognise the value of learning over knowledge SOLUTION Pay attention to people The first value in the Agile Manifesto is “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.”
- EMOTION. Everything came good. Repackaging ignorance as an exciting opportunity But also, recognising all the learnt stuff behind me The irony is that my career – and my enjoyment of it – has improved dramatically since I started admitting ignorance
- Aaron Swartz was a ThoughtWorks employee and political activist who sadly died in 2013. This matters. I care more about this than any other talk.
- Discuss your commitment to change. What will you commit to?
- Share anything new with the group
- Jessica Kerr - symmathesy Paula Paul - transformation Jon Skeet – coding for fun Kit Collingwood – tech for common good Dave Rogers – toxic technology Aino Corry – retrospectives antipatterns -- NEXT WEEK: Esther Derby – people and patterns Kevlin Henney – balancing change Anne-Marie Imafidon – women in technology taking control Meri Williams – bringing change to legacy tech --
- Also, we are recruiting: madetech.com/careers
- PROBLEM Gatekeeping / Narrow recruitment policies IMPACT can’t find the “right people” SOLUTION What is actually required for competency? If people don't know enough, WHY is that? What's deterring them? Focus on aptitude Career changers and boot camps Degrees are often not fit for purpose Are you asking for degrees because you really need them or because the senior people in your org all have them and don’t like the idea that they might not be as useful as they thought