This is the first of two guest blog posts from CodeScience alums. We love hearing from our family!
I’m a proud CodeScience alum, and like most proud folks, I find myself sharing the great experiences and lessons I learned while I worked there from time to time. Okay. Like all the time. People who have worked there know this; CodeScience feels like a family of sorts. And like any family, there are the kids, the parents, the grandparents, the oddball cousins, the aunts and the amusingly wise and usually sui generis uncles. You get where I’m going with this, don’t you…
In this particular family, I spent a good bit of time with the uncle types (there were three). They taught me more than I bargained for in the areas of operations, people, coaching, culture, and even introduced me to Agile. Oddly enough, my real-life uncle (who is also amusing and wise) once told me, “express your gratitude often and when that person can hear you.” Right he is. All too often we praise someone’s work or influence on our life but rarely express that appreciation to them directly.
Inspiration Strikes
What sparked my thankful vibes and now blog post, was a conversation I had with Peter Saddington— an incredible scientist, teacher, and Agile consultant turned gamer (if you don’t know of this guy, check him out and get yourself to one of his courses and tell him Cassie sent you). We were sharing our stories and mine included the influence of CodeScience on my background. At one point during our conversation, I told him, “The leaders at CodeScience made me great.” That statement wasn’t a reflection of me as a person or my skill set; rather it was the clear acknowledgment of my gratitude for those who invested in me. That conversation turned into an email to Mike Witherspoon and has now transformed into this blog post.
Spoon and Cassie
Six Lessons Learned
Here are the six lessons from my dear “Uncle” CodeScience:
1. You must fail…fast — The first CodeScience shirt we ever made had this slogan on it. For a company to embrace failure in this audacious manner taught me that iteration is more valuable than perfection. The goal, of course, is not to seek failure, but to assume risk. They also made me read “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” which boldly braves the mantra, a.) sometimes you will fail, b.) people are the most important thing in an organization, and c.) being a CEO is bleeping hard. If you want to support your CEO, supervisor, manager, or mom, read that book.
2. Get coaching — Part of the value in failing fast is the idea that you’re going to need help along the way and you need to ask for it. From an executive coach for the C-suite, to taking the leadership on a summit, to education training on the core competencies of the business — coaching and training are critical to the success of a thriving culture. Always develop your people and invest back in their growth.
Group hug at the CodeScience All Hands
3. Know how to leave / know how to let people go — This is one of the most telling symptoms of an organization that is “people first.” CodeScience especially valued every detail of the exit experience and in turn, got so much respect from within the organization that I think the joke at CodeScience is “you’ll be back.” Unless a person has done something illegal or is intentionally harming your organization, treat them with respect and gratitude until their last day. CodeScience would even help people on their way out. Sending appreciative notes, writing recommendations or even helping place them with a new position through an agency. Their message was “we value you even if you aren’t working with us.” That is not normal. It is hard to let people go or to watch great people leave, but the fact is, dealing with the disappointment of departure outweighs the difficulty of it. If you do it right or you do it wrong, the impact will last a lifetime. Ben Horowitz said it well, “take care of the people, the products, and the profits-in that order.”
4. For Pete’s sake, know how to write a proper introduction — A great email intro can have a lasting impression for all involved. It’s now a pet peeve of mine when I don’t see it done well. The simple takeaway here is find a creative way to lower the barrier of engagement. Some might call this a form of “wooing.” It’s a thing. There is no excuse not to put in a little effort when you’re helping develop meaningful connections. It helps to praise the people you are introducing and include some common interests between parties. It’s not about being stuffy or formal. It’s about being authentic and making those kinds of email introductions feel energized and human.
5. Work your way out of your job — If you’re not adding value and throwing yourself at anything that comes your way, you miss the significance of learning yourself out of your role. Being in a small organization can teach you this in a very practical way. Large company or small, embrace the challenge of taking on whatever you can and work your way out. Patrick Allmond’s article 6 Personal Branding Rules to Being Popular and Profitable shares that you should learn everything you can so you can teach everything you know.
6. Assume good intent — This is probably the most valued lesson for me that emerged during a series of coaching sessions. I call on this phrase frequently. Ever get into one of those conversations with someone and you think, “They never understand me! What is the point of this?” Well, you may be half the problem by not really listening. If you are struggling to listen, try to start the conversation believing the other person’s intentions are good — whether you feel that way or not. When you start to hear someone, you can then earn their trust and be heard in return. It becomes a positive cycle and gets easier with practice.
Eddie Blazer and Brian Walsh (look at those baby faces!)
Final Thoughts
Take a moment, write down the lessons you’ve learned from people who have invested in you and tell them thank you…even if it is your uncle.
We are always looking for awesome CodeScientists to join our family. Check out our current job openings — we’d love to talk to you!
