Time to write

After a rewarding 20 year career working first as a Freelance Web Designer, then Information Architect, Full-Stack Software Engineer, Tech Lead Manager, Software Engineering Manager, Career Coach and Managing Director in the advertising, publishing and financial industries, I have seen a lot, read a lot, learned from my mistakes, and finally have some time to write about it.

There are lots of great publications on SubStack where Engineering Managers and Software Developers share pro-tips, best practices and personal stories about their experiences and methodologies — I’m not out to replicate them, at least not exactly.

Unlike a lot of tech leaders who write, I have never worked at FAANG companies, and I don’t have a CS degree. I’ve had long tenures at mid-size companies and I graduated with an English degree. As a Software Engineer I’m entirely self-taught, and much of the training that helped me become the leader I am today were things I had to pursue on my own initiative. So that may appeal to you if you are on a similar path. My tech journey has been way outside of Silicon Valley.

What to expect from Humanware

I aim to explore the cultural and psychological aspects of what it’s like to be a Software Developer or an Engineering Manager — the intersection of technology and the human condition, if you will — and try to speak honestly about what works and what doesn’t work from my perspective. As much as possible, I’ll combine whatever wisdom and opinions I discuss with narrative examples that provide a context for what I’m trying to explain.

I strongly believe in human-centered management, and in Humanware I’m going to explain how I adopted those principles in my leadership roles, as well as how you can look out for them and harness them as an individual contributor.

I also have some ideas and guidance for anyone who aims to become an Engineering Director or CTO, because I want to do my part to encourage better tech leaders in the future.

So hopefully there will be content here that is of interest to you no matter where you are on the tech career ladder.

Some personal experiences I’ll talk about early on from a human-centered perspective include:

• For software developers: Leveling up from Junior Developer to Senior Developer in terms of the attitude, work ethic, track record and communication skills you’ll need to demonstrate.

• For software developers: Making the transition to Team Lead or Engineering Manager and knowing if you’re cut out for it.

• For leaders: Strategies for hiring managers to make sure they’re conducting humane and effective interviews.

• For leaders: How to manage people like they’re people, not machines.

You’ve likely read about these topics before. But I hope to offer insights that may not be as common, or speak to you in ways that finally make sense. You be the judge.

Attack ships on fire

Over the years I’ve thought a lot about the toxicity problem in tech and how I can use my influence to help make it a better career choice for everyone, not just the white male elitist who has unfortunately become the standard face of tech (don’t hate me, just being honest).

Some of the reoccurring problems:

• Software Developers and managers treating coworkers as more or less valid depending on their level of experience, gender, race or age.

• Long hours and communication tools that force techies to be connected to their work 24/7, destroying work/life balance and leading to burnout.

• Ineffective communication, lack of inclusion and dearth of empathy from CTO’s and other executive leaders when considering the workloads and work environment in tech.

• Engineering Managers who are unwilling or unable to connect with their direct reports on a human level, ultimately treating them like untrusted cogs in a machine that need to be micromanaged.

• Narcissism, bullying, and sexism and how the worst culprits sometimes get promoted into positions of authority.

• CTO’s and Directors mandating interviewing standards, work practices, project deadlines and performance expectations that dehumanize and demotivate rather than inspire.

• I've seen things, you people wouldn't believe…

I’ll talk about this stuff, and suggest some ways to not be part of the problem in your own organization.

We're not computers, Sebastian, we're physical.

I’ve also had the opportunity over the years to work with leaders and mentors who — whether they were conscious of it or not — helped me understand that there is a way to be human at work. The human-centered approach to work can apply whether you are an individual contributor, a line-manager, middle-manager, Director or CTO. It just takes preparation, practice and courage.

And I say this even in light of the recent headlines that would suggest software developers are about to be replaced en masse by AI: I simply don’t buy into that narrative. And if something like that does happen in the next few years, I’ll wager that it's going to be our humanity, not our hard skills at the code level, that make us stand out and still able to contribute value in our roles, whatever those future roles may be.

So a strong focus of this SubStack will be topics related to the fact that software is created by human beings, so ultimately we are best served and best serving when we connect with our coworkers and employees in ways that foster positive human-centered working relationships and outcomes instead of getting too deep into systems thinking and forgetting that people are not machines.

More specifically, I’ll aim to discuss examples of how we can bring human-centered ideas into our tech roles, including:

• Employee empowerment and autonomy.

• Psychological safety for tech teams and organizations.

• Clear, effective communication that doesn’t confuse or harm morale.

• The kindness and importance of timely, honest feedback.

• Unofficial leadership.

• Inclusivity in tech.

• Leading with empathy.

• Building trust and camaraderie.

• Growth mindset and continuous improvement.

And of course, I’m still learning. I don’t consider myself an absolute authority on any of these subjects by any means — I’m just a student of life hoping to have some positive influence on tech culture, and I expect to learn from my audience too.

I hope you’ll join me as I explore these topics in my own voice, using my own experiences as well as things I’ve learned from other leaders and practices I’ve studied and that this will prove to be a useful resource that is worth your time.

Now go, read and let me know what you think.

All software is human (at least for now).

JIM