Authority Issues

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Yazhi talk about: * How Yazhi doesn't know what "old" means ;) * A life story framed as Lord of the Rings * Growing up with stereotypical Asian parental expectations, coloring within the lines * >>recordscratch>> growing up in FIJI?! (Kendall spends 5 minutes squee-ing) * rachel's turn to squee, someone who sees the value of useful error logging :heart-eyes: * A first taste of travel in the US * Personal development smorgasbord at IBM * Personal life upheaval driving big changes, no more coloring inside the lines * Moving to the US and starting an IT consulting company * When people usually rebel, how much of a rule-follower Kendall is * Discovering America with gusto, FREE SODA REFILLS :D * Trying out the stay-at-home mom thing and not being able to keep still * Pivoting to building businesses from home * Remembering you're working with actual people, not just resources * Managing resistance to new process implementation through curiosity and humility * How yet again,

Better late than never, rachel and Kendall Have Opinions About 2020: * Introverts and extroverts, living together in perfect harmony (on this podcast, at least) * How to meet new podcast guests, the Kendall Miller Way * Pie and the art of house maintenance * Cheater's yeast, and the ubiquitous breadmaking theme of 2020 * Guilt and all its many facets * Coping mechanisms (some people buy bikes, some people go for uphill walks) * 2020 episode highlights, sponsored by rachel's terrible internet connection * The substance you're using to get by during the pandemic is (probably) OK * 50-something episodes, and over 25,000 downloads! * Find us on Twitter to tell us what you think! @djpiebob and @blatanterror * Discussion of the 2020 episode highlights above :) * Hiring for additive benefits vs sameness * GIving up control to get better results * (Kendall probably does not like beets, stay tuned) * Recommendation for Turn The Ship Around by David L. Marquet * rachel is excited about working on a to-be-named lead

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Jibran talk about: * Is art school a weird starting point for a designer? * Vowing to never work on web sites (lol) * Having an unusually good experience in the gaming industry * Getting the full "I moved to SF for a startup and it shut down as soon as I got there" experience * Accusations of being responsible for LinkedIn "Stories" ;) * When companies don't grow their own leaders * A good manager tells you when you need to leave to move forward * Bombshell: leaving the SFBA for a startup in the Midwest! * Bringing design practices into the insurance industry -- with humility * Growing up as a leader alongside the company * Partnering with a new-to-tech HR org to build a hiring pipeline * Enjoying interviewing candidates * What an awesome resource the Rands Leadership Slack is * Constant disagreement with everybody ;) * Kendall's argument-winning fantasies * An amazing lesson learned at the right time * Asking for clear direction, transparency works both ways * [We

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Tessa talk about: * Studying computer science because she "ran out of math classes" at her high school * ACTUALLY using trigonometry in real life * How all-women educational environments are awesome * Unlearning the Seattle culture in favor of the New York culture * Translating academic experiences into tech industry programming interviews * Getting a foot in the door via content production * Freelancing to live, not living to freelance * The joys?! of maintaining legacy code and CMSes * Management training at NYTimes * Understanding the responsibilities of the middle manager * Going into management to create the environments she wants others to experience * Telling a bad job that you're not a "culture fit" for them * Being intrinsically motivated vs deferring to authority * Remembering that current authority structures are not designed for marginalized people * How leadership experience can be good and bad for non-work interactions Books Tessa recommended: https://www.

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Rishi talk about: * Having a nerdy family to kick things off * First exposures to leadership issues while trying to code a game with friends * Our inability to not interrupt people just when they're trying to make a point * Discovering an appreciation for working at smaller companies, starting at larger companies * Needing to see the result of his efforts * Discovering a desire to play multiple roles via competitive ultimate frisbee * Solving the parking problem * Challenges in building a hardware solution * The value of hiring the right person for the environment vs the technical skill * "Are we the right fit for /them/" * Tailoring the technical interview to the context of the interviewee * Leadership variances as a consultant, the authority of the outsider * Guessing (correctly) that most entrepreneurial folk have a complex relationship with authority :) * Developing the skill of motivating people who do not report to you * The value of understanding your audience an

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Val talk about: * Coming up to technical leadership via graphic design and creative writing * Becoming the person who fixes the printer * "If you can get through Finnegan's Wake, you can get through the technical manual" * Discipline, leadership, making herself heard in the Air Force Civil Air Patrol program and military family connections * Adjusting her military-learned leadership style for training interns * What "IT Communications" means * Learning the important difference between being effective and being right * Resiliency vs perfection * Prioritizing reinforcing the skills you can improve, some weaknesses won't be improved by grinding * Deciding to push through skill deficit for the love of sports * How academia means managing relationships for the long term with a soupçon of Game Of Thrones * Using one's physical assets to project confidence and be heard * Recognizing when you don't have to be the one who is in charge, freeing yourself * The joys of Strongman tra

In this Very Special Episode, rachel, Kendall, and Luke talk about: * Coming from different evangelical backgrounds * The shaping of our respective authority issues as related to religious upbringing * Luke's birth /literally/ in a baptismal font :) * What we mean when we say "religion" * Tech salary as a way to fund a church planting career * Leaving the church behind but bringing the leadership lessons along * Good and bad authority structures represented by the church * Detoxing from evangelicisim, finding a new purpose * Choosing between being right or being good Switching to rachel's background: * Moving to the US at 11, with no real religious upbringing before that * Trying hard to buy into the fundamentalist Baptist faith * Leaving for college and never returning * Atheism vs agnosticism * Whether your beliefs are a choice * The value of faith in one's own community and whether humanity deserves the asteroid treatment And on to Kendall's Christian upbringing: * Dad fasting and actually praying on his k

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Aaron talk about: * Learning about managing interpersonal issues from his dad, an "interim CEO of ministers" * Putting that learning into practice building and fixing teams at startups * Helping teams identify their own weaknesses as a form of counseling * How this podcast is not sponsored by Knives Out (ps: Kendall has seen the movie since we recorded this podcast and didn't find it as good as Aaron did.) * Following the energy on the management > IC > management cycle * Finally choosing the simplicity of leadership ;) * Long-term career planning * The entire category of software that exists because leaders don't trust their people * Authority trauma from Kendall's past * The realization that leadership sometimes requires making decisions about things without getting concensus from your team first * The relationship between unease at doing the above and lack of comfort with authority in general * Determining how much detail to provide when giving direction * When your

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Anthony talk about: * Feeling late to the Black Lives Matter movement and going to Ferguson * Learning to lead national campaigns for peace * Realizing communication is about storytelling * Being seen, being heard, what it means to win * The need to inspire vision as a leader * Optimism vs hope * Finding affirmation in current events while still taking the long view * Managing frustrations and engaging in self-care * The idea of being "well-adjusted to injustice" * Meeting Cornel West (!) and mentorship from Dr. Vincent Harding (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Harding) * The need to question authority, who benefits from it * Redefining profit to include greater context * Hope in future generations voting with their career choices * Leading "with" vs "over" * The joy of asking a ton of questions :) * What white people can do to join the movement and show support: * Get off the fence * Don't jump in unschooled, but don't wait until you think you know everyt

In this episode, Kendall and rachel talk about: * Whether Kendall is either hot or a mess or both * How hard it is to set expectations...for anything * Working on developing new patterns because it's not going to go "back to normal" anytime soon * Coping with the death of a parent, most likely of the coronavirus * The unreality of the danger unless it has touched you personally * Weighing one's mental health vs physical health * Putting all plans for travel on hold through the end of the year * How contact tracing works * Dark thoughts about the need for a revolution * Leveraging planning for the future as an emotional coping tactic * More about making new habits...that aren't unhealthy over the long term * Letting yourself feel it * This episode's self-soothing recommendations: * rachel: Socializing via simulwatching movies on chat. Bailing on books you're not enjoying. Animal Crossing. * Kendall: Letterkenny on Hulu. Meeting friends for socially-distanced takeout. Popeye's Chicken. * Obligatory sour

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Alicia talk about: * Germophobia, and being right all along * Realizing managing humans is more interesting than engineering * What HR isn't for * Building experience in the consulting world * Being reminded that there will be a "next" job * Choosing stability over passion * Kendall's lack of patience * The desire for influence vs cultural and procedural debt * Leading a community group at work * Creating space for the team to process the pandemic, a human stand-up * The effort required to explain how you're doing * How instead of a drop in productivity, many folks are seeking control by getting things done, connection by working together more closely * Social and physical meditation * Negative connotations of authority * The relief of having someone tell you what to do * Spending more time cooking, the challenge of constraints on ingredients * Digital minimalism You can find Alicia on Twitter as @macapplechick Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music

In this episode, Kendall and rachel talk about: * CW: we're probably going to swear more than usual * The tendency of technical people to try to solve every problem with technology * rachel's perilous journey home * Kendall's cabin fever * The uncertainty of the future, lack of faith in (US) leadership * Whether it's productive to vent about the above * Cutting yourself some slack * Directionality of venting/support structures * Forecasting vs planning * Having compassion for your leadership * Planning for multiple potential futures * Parallels to the 2000-era dot-com bust * Random prison pet training detour * Providing support for emotionally-strapped folk * How much authoritarianism is appropriate when lives are at stake? * The role of trust in authority * Self-soothing techniques from your hosts: * rachel: cocktails, Dungeons & Dragons, Murdoch Mysteries * Kendall: Staying in With Emily & Kumail podcast, watching and reading things that happen on beaches, lots of exercise * Zoom meetings are grea

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Cynthia talk about: * Being 8 years old and writing in VISUAL BASIC! :heart-eyes: * Taking community college classes with mom at age 12 * Geeking out on things that are older than Kendall :) * Selling her first company at age 19 * Cleaning up unicorn poop * What happens after the problem is solved * Helping companies find their path * Feeling responsible for the happiness of your employees * The awkwardness of networking * Troubleshooting at the product level * Constantly being in trouble as a kid :) * What should qualify people to be management * Discovering higher mathematics and panicking Kendall * Reading and racecars You can find Cynthia on LinkedIn, Facebook, and cynthiadelaria.com! Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and talk about: * Moneyball and the new world of big data and baseball * How to merge gut feel based on experience with quantitative analysis * Parlaying an early love of baseball into a paid gig * The draw of building a team from scratch * Kendall being incredibly nerdsniped :) * Starting out as a tech lead * Putting the R in R&D * How baseball players respond to data-driven insights * Baseball engineering org structure * The particular difficulty of remote leadership * Adjusting priorities and developing process to compensate for team needs * Ensuring engineers interact respectfully with non-technical subject matter experts * Seeing his past self in his employees * Watching games to validate data models * Turning his job into a hobby and his hobby into a job You can find Dan on Twitter at @dturkenk and on LinkedIn :) Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Helen talk about: * Growing up with the League * The League as an outgrowth of the Suffrage movement * What counts as non-partisan policy * The struggle of managing and motivating volunteers * How fundraising is harder when people are already 'donating' their time * What an executive director does vs a president in the LWVO * The tendency to move to fill a vacuum * Breaking the cycle of doing this important work via the unpaid labor of women * Developing the organizational habit of offering help and then stepping back to wait for community guidance on what that help looks like * What to look for in an executive director for the LWV * Maintaining consistency and project work across many volunteer terms * The role of local government observers in the League * What it means to be "somewhat ornery" :) * Creating the leadership you want to see via tenacity and patience * The struggle of appreciating some people's volunteerism :) You can find Helen on LinkedIn and on Twitt

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Brianna talk about: * Feeling the need to 'step in' and handle stuff that isn't getting done (right) ;) * Making the decision to go to "hair school" and how that helped her communication skills * rachel's inability to resist the easy joke * Personal mythology and its pluses and minuses * Realizing that focus is required to complete a masters degree (!) * Falling back on high-pressure experience in the salon * The power of the custom cover letter * Fast rise to management and the struggle to develop a culture * The need for early, honest feedback * Missing....Scala? :) and the power to decide what tools your team uses * Recommendation for Leeanne Smullen, leadership coach * Influential nuns in Brianna and Kendall's lives * How honest communication in one's personal life is different from honest communication at work You can find Brianna on LinkedIn as Brianna Connelly, and on Instagram as @ghostfaceknitter :) Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Corey talk about: * Humble beginnings as an "angry UNIX sysadmin" (aka the only kind of UNIX sysadmin) * Vowing to be the opposite of every crappy manager * Corey's Least Favorite Managers * Metaphors (for failure) * Why "We need to talk" sucks * An example of good leadership in crisis * Appropriate levels of intensity in the workplace * What a Cloud Economist does * How "Last Week in AWS" began (and becoming a #quinnfluencer :)) * Punching up vs punching down, and knowing the difference * The depressing rareness of people who can take feedback well * Understanding one's own failure modes, and what twitter is good for * Choosing not to work at AWS: https://www.lastweekinaws.com/blog/why-i-turned-down-an-aws-job-offer/ * Intentionally obfuscating one's personal life * The value of having the priority interrupt of a toddler's demands * Reconciling one's personal loneliness with a public persona You can find Corey at https://www.lastweekinaws.com/ and on Twitter as @qu

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Beata talk about: * Coming to the US without knowing any English * Learning to hustle from her parents * Networking at the mall * Learning how to manage on the job * THE BIG PIVOT * Interviewing for a job with no clear requirements * Surviving a full-time job and full-time class load simultaneously * Realizing you're the driver of your own bus * Discovering that leadership is more than execution alone * What makes a senior leader vs a junior one * Developing habits, systems-related thinking, and a recommendation for "Atomic Habits" by James Clear * Her allergy to the RACI matrix * An upcoming series on system-level thinking for leadership :) * Leadership as a partnership, the humbling nature of authority * Management of puppies and getting them into training school * The confidence of having leadership experience and its impact on her personal life You can find Beata Puncevic on LinkedIn :) Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Jeremy talk about: * How engineering is a bit different at a newspaper * A lowly beginning doing tech support at Best Buy * Saving the day on a project that won a Pulitzer! * Being glad he's not coding anymore * What "Newsroom Engineering" means * Why campaign finance data is critical to the news industry * Planning a charm offensive * Tactics for pre-empting burnout when deadlines are immutable * Book recommendations: * Camille Fournier: The Manager's Path * Will Larson: An Elegant Puzzle * Donella H. Meadows: Thinking In Systems * The actual net effect of indulging a "brilliant asshole" * Pushing for more remote workers * How to push back against authority when needed * Cooking at scale and for one's coworkers You can find Jeremy on Twitter at @jeremybowers Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music

In this special year-end episode, rachel and Kendall talk about: * How much we amuse each other * The vagaries of podcast recording technology * Trains. Kind of a lot. I'm sorry :) * Work-life balance over the holidays * Management styles and customizations, a recurring theme * Tactics for feeling more comfortable with authority * What "changing the world for the better" can mean * How many times we've actually met in person (spoiler, it's twice) * What we value about doing this show * Goals for the coming year As we mentioned, we would love for you to send us your guest recommendations/intros, tag us on twitter: @djpiebob and @blatanterror Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music