Training the Young and Fluency July 28, 2010
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Business Processes, Coaching, Fluent, Mythology, Personal Development.Tags: ActiveEngine, Coaching, communication, focus, Wolf Creedo
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Repeat with Sensei, if you will, the Wolf Creedo:
The Wolf Credo:
Respect the elders
Teach the young
Cooperate with the pack
Play when you can
Hunt when you must
Rest in between
Share you affections
Voice your feelings
Leave your mark.*
What have you done to nurture your team? Are you the resident Elvis, and if the newbies make the cut they’ll graduate from a Mort to be the next King, hand plucked by you from millions and millions of people? Can I get a little ka-ra-te with that?
What makes you an Elvis, and are you a bloated drunk Elvis at the end, or the bad-ass version 1970 version who can jump start anything? Elvis in 1970 practiced the Wolf Creedo. Watch the documentory Elvis the Way It Is 2001, just the first half hour. This short half hour will show you Elvis, after years of being away from touring, ready to return to touring again in attempts to re-start his career. The first half hour of the movie focuses on the few weeks of rehearsals before the debut concert. Elvis had a fluent, incredible means of communicating with his band members and back up singers. With a glance, a gesture, a wink, a new song would spring up. Maybe Elvis would say a quick word, hum a note, and suddenly a bass line would kick in, and not more than three beats later, the entire band and Elvis are playing a tune complete with improves. While playing Little Sister, Elvis nods, and issues “Get Back” and off the group goes playing Get back from the Beatles. Congruent would be best word to describe the synchronization that each member had.
Elvis nurtured that vibe. They all keyed off of him, for to the band he was Elvis, not the King. He lead by being a focal point, but not necessarily an ostentatious leader. When you watch the practice sessions where Elvis worked on the orchestrations of each song it is clear that he could communicate what he wanted, and worked with his band members to produce the product he envisioned.
But in order to function like this unit, each member has to practice. You, as pack leader, have to pick the scales, the arpeggios, the rudiments that you want to be second nature so that your team, the young ones and old warriors can produce what you want, fluently.
*Credit: Del Getz and Associates
More Inspiration January 30, 2010
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Personal Development, Problem Solving.add a comment
New inspirational video is up on the Hope section. Enjoy.
The Economics of Protecting the Red Shirts July 29, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in .Net Development, ActiveEngine, Business Processes, Coaching, Design Patterns, Mythology, Personal Development, Problem Solving, software economics.Tags: ActiveEngine, bad software, communication, Data Stewardship, new thinking, paradigm
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Recently I came across this post from a fellow lamenting the lack of interest on the part of .Net developers in architecture solutions such as IoC, Dependency Injection, ORMs, and the like. 
This stood out in stark contrast to Java developers who this person interviewed, who either were conversant with the technology or were interested enough to pursue informing themselves further. Some call this the result of Drag -n -Drop design as laid out in a post by Greg Young, a Microsoft MVP and .Net developer who has specialized in high performance applications. Greg maintains in his post Java vs. .Net Developers that drag and drop is mis applied and there needs to be an greater effort the isolate the cases where it is mis used. This practice has arisen, he maintains, from poor training and lack of awareness of other development platforms. (more…)
Faith – The Time is Now Again July 18, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Coaching, Mythology, Personal Development.Tags: ActiveEngine Sensei, bad software, Bushido, Coaching, Ego, focus, humility, new thinking, paradigm, self improvement, survival
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Ceiling unlimited
World so wide
Turn and turn againFeeling unlimited
Still unsatisfied
Changes never endWinding like an ancient river
The time is now againHope is like an ancient river
The time is now againNeil Peart
Indulge, play the song, drink in the message and go hug your kids, embrace your family, be thankful for your friends, team members, co-workers.
There is so many new things on the horizon. For those of us who are lucky enough to practice this technical craft called programming, we can be stymied by all the possiblities, the arguments and skirmishes. These de-rail you. Build a fortress against the distractions and ignore your fear of change by embracing the challenge of good arguments. It’s all a chance for you to improve.
When you arrive at work think of what ways you can engage with others. Can you practice your techniques in a better way? Recite the Wolf Creedo and end an argument. Better yet, start a new one in jest and revel in the ideas. Bang out some code and fight for the day. What new things can you add to your team’s arsenal if you inspire someone else? Are you leading or are you a suit sitting in a chair? Would someone ask you for help or think that you’re too involved in your own head to deign to talk to them? Have you built an empire above you or below you? Is your legacy more important than what you have truly done?
Okay, so you’re code was awful – but did someone else still benefit? Was your code perfect but never used? Was your ego hurt yet your company still profitable, keeping families fed? Did your mistakes help others learn?
What matters is that you engage. Most times it will be painful. Developers need serenity to produce but I’m telling you man you’re lucky if you have it. Life is full of the distractions and once you conquer them, you’ll find greater strength and battle hardened capability. Work at it. Revel in it, share it. Be grateful and humble. Win and go home to the ones you love. Technology is great, but you as a friend, mother, father, co-worker, neighbor, dude in line at Starbucks or grandma at church are even greater.
Sensei’s Playlist – Pay the Rent with Rock! July 10, 2009
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Coaching, Mythology, Personal Development.Tags: ActiveEngine, balance, Coaching, communication, concentration, Ego, focus, new thinking, paradigm, Problem Solving, survival
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You’ve asked for it – well you didn’t actually, BUT HERE IT IS ANYWAY!! Yeahhh! Music to pump you up. Rev your ActiveEngine to these tunes, babes, and get stuff done. Decisively. As in total victory.
There’s a new page to the site, Pay the Rent with Rock. Here is the music that get’s me through. It’s powered by Grooveshark. Post a comment with a suggestion if you like. If it cranks and you’re lucky, I’ll include it. Describe what scenario your song helps you pull things off, helps you get things done, cranks, whatever.
Here’s a sample:
This bloke to the left loves it!!
Discipline is the Mind Liberator January 24, 2008
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Coaching, Personal Development, Problem Solving.Tags: ActiveEngine, Ego, Liberation
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As a corollary to the post Ego is the Mind Killer, a practitioner of ActiveEngine principles will always seek the basics and routine to liberate the mind. Constraints are the best way to innovate, to turn the puzzle upside down, read the paragraph from end to beginning. Constraints force you to make a decision and take action, innovate further why attaining your goal.
Your skill built from years of hard work, trials of failure and above all the alacrity to achieve through struggle will shape your mind to solve problems more quickly. Having the discipline to face criticism when it comes head on tempers your talents like fine steal. Forgery of steel is violent, harsh, but what is born from pounding and fire endures.
Just because you solve something once, doesn’t mean you can not optimize later. Analysis paralysis delays validation of your skills. Fail early, regroup, then win. Maybe that doesn’t happen until the fifth time. Who cares – you’re on deadline so be assured you will be around to try again. When you deliver you actually get the freedom to experiment later on.
Web 3.0 at ActiveEngine Will Be About Devotion in 2008 December 30, 2007
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Business Processes, Coaching, Mythology, Personal Development.Tags: 2008, ActiveEngine, Jaron Lanier, Open Source, Trends, Web 2.0, Web 3.0
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Web 2.0 was all about relationships – the social network. Passion is also another term that is bantered about a lot in regards to the efforts of start ups and the new revolution that 2.0 was supposed to bring about. Has passion for social networks produced anything other than the ephemeral? After all, Facebook, too, will present you with ads.
All of that is shallow. No where was the term devotion used, or if it is, it’s not too prevalent. “Do things with passion” or “Love what you do” are the slogans that are not associated with an ActiveEngine. Mobs are crowds with passion running high. Devotion is passion’s filter, the drive for you to get up and go work when you have the flu, to review budgets when you rather be writing code. To constantly evaluate your tool kit and skills, add new techniques and discard bad habits when you are faced with your failures takes devotion. Passion may get you started, but devotion will help you cross the finish line, as it is the long burning fuel that steadily fires your engine.
In Budo, study of marshal arts centers on revelation through practice of basics. The higher or difficult routines are only achieved once the basics have become so ingrained they no longer have the same meaning, feel, or execution style when first introduced. This only arises from devotion. Study your craft, refine your ActiveEngine. Devotion with no .0, or .5.
Update:
Check out this article by
Seasons Greetings from Sensei December 24, 2007
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Mythology, Personal Development.Tags: ActiveEngine, ActiveEngine Sensei, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Seasons Greeting
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all those of you who have read this blog. We’ll finish out the year with more great discussions and get ready for some surprises in store for us in 2008. Take this time to spend with family, friends and we’ll begin more training next year at the ActiveEngine Dojo. |
The Clock is Ticking December 15, 2007
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in ActiveEngine, Coaching, Design Patterns, Mythology, Personal Development, Problem Solving.Tags: education, Neural pathways, new software, self improvement
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The forth coming documentary movie Two Million Minutes discusses the changing demographics of our global economy:
Meanwhile, both India and China have made dramatic leaps in educating their middle classes – each comparable in size to the entire U.S. population. Compared to the U.S., China now produces eight times more scientists and engineers, while India puts out up to three times as many as the U.S. Additionally, given the affordability of their wages, China and India are now preferred destinations for increasing numbers of multinational high-tech corporations.
The premise of the documentary is that from 8th grade to high school graduation, student has 2 million minutes to prepare to enter the work force, be productive, fight the good fight to win the prize, bring home the bacon and contribute to society.
How do we as developers, architects, project managers spend our time? Some may contend that expansion of knowledge is the best route, that continual acquisition of skill is the key to remaining on top. The way of Bushido is to constantly refine through the repetition of basics. The life of Josh Waitzkin supports the latter theory, as neural pathways of the grand masters are created through analysis and repetition. Can this be done in 1 million minutes? What ways are we learning? What are the essential components to good design, and are they emphasized enough?
Design patterns come to mind as a kata, or set of instructions that when practiced to a high degree lead to increased performance. Design patterns describe quickly how a problem has been solved, and set expectations as to what is in store for you when you open up the code and read what has been done. When done correctly, design patterns will gain back some of those precious minutes.
But back to China and India. Are we, the software and architect community, too cloistered in our blogs and Alt.Net enclaves to contribute to the reduction of the 2 million minutes? Are we even a part of that 2 million minutes? Think about it.
Clarity of Thought Only Comes From Practice November 21, 2007
Posted by ActiveEngine Sensei in .Net Development, ActiveEngine, Business Processes, Coaching, Personal Development, Problem Solving.Tags: communication, ProjectManagement411.com, selling your solutions, survival
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All of you code jockeys need to start a new series of mental calisthenics. Your thoughts are blocked, as your set of speech patterns is your worst enemy. If you have used the phrase “I want it to be extensible” in front of you customers this week, shame on you!
The business community is looking to solving problems, but they are not looking to you for help; rather, they want you to just make things work based on what they tell you the software should do. Because of that fact alone you may not be offering the value that will sustain your gigs, period. “Open to extension, but closed to modification” – who cares, because your customer base can’t understand you what you mean.
ActiveEngine Sensei says head over to ProjectManagement411.com, and learn what the business community wants to hear and how to best communicate with them. You should read the series on value selling your projects, because you’ll notice that NONE OF IT MENTIONS THAT MODIFICATIONS TO YOUR BUSINESS LAYER .DLL’s WILL BE CHEAPER BECAUSE YOU USED THE DECORATOR PATTERN!!!! That’s not on their minds, and hearing that from you maybe why they want to ship your job offshore. You need to learn how to measure value through their eyes.
ProjectManagement411 is focused on how the enterprise can become lean, how agility is going to become their ActiveEngine. Don’t let this synergy pass you by. Concepts like Data Stewardship may make you snicker, but that is the way your stay will extended.
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