In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Sonja talk about: * The fact that this podcast is not sponsored by USAA * A journey that started with childhood on a "poser farm" in North Carolina * Driving the tractor as a path to an enjoyment of adventure and power * Discovering that being a defense lawyer meant you would represent a lot of guilty people * How Kendall ruins everything * Being the data pusher and getting hooked on her own supply * The Stephen Covey 7 Habits seminar, aka a sausagefest * Early interpretations of leadership as a command and control process, feedback from other managers, being curious, being willing to apologize and grow * Kendall gets his due, FINALLY * Learning more from mistakes than successes * That there's a difference between listening and "waiting to speak" * The fun of building and running her own "retail lab" aka fake grocery store theater for research * Advocating for the strategic pre-meeting when decisions are being made * Reasons to switch to the nonprofit world, including a cancer diagnosis * What strong 501c3 nonprofit board leadership looks like * That all workers deserve joy in their work * The tragedy of over-volunteering, trying to extricate herself * Recommendations for exploring the Olympic Peninsula * Friends: you should make some and spend time with them :) You can find Sonja at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonja-mathews-63a6a02/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Ali talk about: * The rarity of a "traditional" computer science background * Antique hardware * Learning a lot in the fashion business * Why startups are more fun than big companies * The need for deepfake detection * Measuring performance * Designing to mitigate the abuse of your product * Lack of interest in hierarchy * The difficulties of balancing work and life * Sailing, and having a skipper's license * The importance of remaining calm * Getting pwned in your own interview process * A recommendation for watching Terminator 2 You can find Ali on Twitter at @A_Shahriyari and on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alishahriyari/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall and rachel talk about: * rachel's need to finish things and coping mechanisms around that * The recent spate of cold weather/storms and a tale of Kendall's friend and the whisky night * (This podcast may be sponsored by Friday Deployment Spirits, i guess) * An unsurprising objection regarding terminology * How Kendall is obviously a Markov Chain bot, and how have i never noticed this before * The fact that AI-directed research is nothing new * Public access to AI-type tools and how it has expanded the hype cycle * Environmental concerns around resources required * Robots and why they should just exist to do stuff humans don't want to do * Implications of the mismatch in public expectations vs the reality of what AI is actually capable of * Losing the ability of finding the needles of useful information in the haystack of real and generated content * How the hype is definitely hype but it should still be in your pitch deck * The word rachel was looking for: Captcha * Usefulness as a writing tool, but not as an author * Kendall's tantalizing taste of socialized medicine * rachel recommends: Shelter Point distillery's Smoke Point whiskey (Vancouver Island, BC) * Kendall recommends: barrel-finished/aged gins * rachel also recommends: The Future by Naomi Alderman * Kendall also recommends: Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, rachel and Kendall talk about: * rachel's stuffed animal ownership * Podcast homework * How busy on top of busy Kendall is * Ungulates and double welt pockets * The power of understanding motivation * Wil Wheaton's first law is also Kendall's first law * Context is for kings * Digging into bridge burning * Unpacking what "I love this job" really means * Being a person who works hard * An agreement to play a shit-giving game of cards * Why rachel retired (redux) * Why Kendall is the Patron Saint of Whimsy (hint: it's because he wants to make you smile) * Recommendations: * rachel is excited about new work from James S.A. Corey (the people who wrote The Expanse Series) * Kendall is looking forward to his dad's memoir Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Seif talk about: * The pressures of what your parents want, in various cultures * Quitting a "good job" because they made you a manager * Bringing your team with you to the next company * Open source culture and the meritocracy * The tensions inherent between product management and innovators * Respective hirsuteness * When it's the right time to go off the rails * Acknowledging a need for the rails * A team as a functioning organism, nerdy giant robot references * The gravitational pull of excitement and going off-plan * Recommendations for "Getting to Yes," "Getting Past No," and "Drive" * Smelling things! * Reverse engineering what your kid wants You can find Seif on the Axiom Discord as "Seif" Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall and rachel talk about: * Maritime traffic and the construction of cruise ships * How hard it is to be a foster parent * Kendall's new booze company: Friday Deployment Spirits * Improvements in Kendall's family life post-return from Portugal * rachel's reasons for choosing to not have kids * Why being a woman might impact this perspective * Kendall's awareness of not being an 'equal partner' in the raising of his kids * A lifechanging interaction for Kendall * Why maybe you should get a dog instead * Making the assumption that your kids will take care of you when you're old * The relationship between leadership/management and parenting * Sexism and Kendall's thoughts on having daughters * Not wanting to bring kids into the world we're leaving them * How many kids is enough kids * Recommendations: rachel is looking forward to reading Starter Villain by John Scalzi, Kendall recommends The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, and a podcast called If Books Could Kill Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Ilan talk about: * Moving from the IT to the Ops side of the house * Being on both sides of "the wall" * Wearing All The Hats at Datadog * The nature of "glue work" * How org size affects leadership roles * Stretching and doing new things vs "fake it 'til you make it" * How product management roles change as you move up the ladder * The relationship between domain expertise and authority * How sometimes it's not a democracy * Taking a break to find out what's next * The pressure of prior successes * Learning how to chill out a bit :) You can find Ilan at https://www.linkedin.com/in/irabinovitch/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Edafe talk about: * An early and enduring love of working with data * Getting a job at JP Morgan Chase because of a tweet * The kind of data problems one solves at the World Bank * Turning a sexist assignment into communication of data issues * Maturing beyond being the complainer * The impact of giving a talk * Gaining context as you go up the mountain * Coming to the universal realization that, yes, people are the problem :) * Style guides for goths * Learning to communicate at the appropriate level, removing jargon * Expressing what's possible to help someone solve a problem * Approaches to decisionmaking * Knowing when to let people learn for themselves * Catering to the needs of a yearning cat * Special contractor time math You can find Edafe at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ekoner/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, rachel and Kendall talk about: * Kendall being back in the US, how many desks he has had to order, and the various benefits of Pickleball vs Paddleball * rachel's reign of terror over a particular kind of cooking pan, being sick, and heading to Vegas to dj at DEFCON * Why people might be pivoting away from their tech careers, looking for greater meaning * What actually is a midlife crisis? * Planning for your midlife crisis, understanding your path forward * What triggers a midlife crisis? What does one look like? * How unwillingness to talk about death as a society makes this a crisis for us * Living life well when you know you're going to die * The impact of having grown up in genX, the assumption that no one is going to take care of you when you're old * Perpetuating a cycle of dissatisfaction * The fallacy of "follow your dreams and everything will be fine" vs "enjoy the work you have because life is short" * Intentionally doing things inefficiently in order to enjoy the process more, thank you Kurt Vonnegut (see https://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/kurt-vonnegut-farting-around/ for the full quote/story) * How does one's belief in an afterlife impact these things? * Whether having some control over the time and manner of one's death is comforting * What living well means to Kendall, and his upcoming book :) * recommendation from rachel: The Witch King by Martha Wells * recommendation from Kendall: Eat something so spicy you leave your physical body temporarily Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall and rachel talk about: * The long journey to a big whisky delivery * Kendall's triumphant return * The magical locale that is Port Townsend * A particularly pleasing hat * The conflict in question * What actual family means vs "your work family" * How the pandemic has strained the definition of "take all the time you need" for companies * Parental leave as a possible model for policymaking * Doing The Math * The SVB failure as a case study of doing the Math * What would you do? * The impact of the pandemic on views of the value of "working" * Opportunities as a leader to improve the situation when it arises * Kendall recommends: My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hands * rachel recommends: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, Pokerface (tv show) on Peacock * rachel's advice on cask programs * How to reach us Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Ricardo talk about: * How we're a global podcast! * Rough times of wearing a suit to work in the morning * A lack of startups in Portugal in the early 2000s, moving to London on a whim * The Land Before APIs (and podcasts) * Discovering a penchant for leadership * The differences between raising VC money in EU vs US, definitions of success * Trying to keep a startup going after the runway runs out * German startup culture vs Portuguese startup culture * What does "long story short" even mean anymore? :) * Reflecting on past decisions * Suddenly realizing the scope of responsibility * Arriving at Stake (whew!) * An emotional response to being a builder vs a fixer * Pragmatism in technology choices * Running a sourdough bakery with his wife You can find Ricardo at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardobrizido/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall and rachel talk about: * Freakin' time zones * Whisky delivery news * The subtleties of F to C conversions * Migration to Mastodon, bike community trends * Kendall's new CTO Lunches business undertaking and travel plans * Going from having all your friends come from work to having most friends originate outside of work * Benefits of socializing with your more senior colleagues * How the pandemic has impacted work friendships, especially for early-career people * The change in dynamic when you become the boss * Progressively wanting and needing less social contact at work as time passes * Hiring your friends * Relationship-building as a strategy * Giving less of a fuck as you get older, tolerating more weirdness in others * Energy level imbalance anxiety therapy session for rachel * The value of being optimistic about people you encounter at work * Recommendations: rachel recommends the Monk and Robot series of novellas by Becky Chambers. Kendall recommends you go sailing, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. * A warning from Kendall Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Virgile talk about: * Starting out as a CS student, but wanting more human interaction * A path through HR tooling to HR generalist role with a detour to Perth, Australia * The elephant in the room: is HR "the bad guy"? * How to manage the tension inherent in doing HR work * Differences in the role when a company is small vs large * Getting some experience in an entrepreneurial culture * Discovering firsthand the need for reliable compensation data * Tying the lack of data to salary level disparity and unfairness * Walking the line between corporate best interest and employee best interests * Deep differences between employment policies in the US vs France * The stress of hiring thoughtfully and effectively * How crucial it is to understand onesself before one can develop the empathy to manage others well * The ego required to feel ok about being responsible for peoples' livelihoods vs the humility required to do it effectively * How hard it is to give away one's legos * Fulfillment at work leading to a happier home life * How many bikes is too many bikes? You can find Virgile on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vraingeard/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, rachel and Kendall talk about: * Why rachel retired * A brief diversion into the fundraising lifecycle of a nonprofit * Why Kendall gets offered weed on the street in Portugal * Visas and the eldritch horrors of the permitting system * Settling one's family into Portuguese living * Appreciation of walkable living environments * How bootstrapped and venture-backed startups are different experiences * Merging acquisitions into larger corporate environments * rachel's theories about why Splunk was such a success story * Kendall's thoughts on new vs additive markets, effort, and growth * A Tale of Two Shitshows * An enumeration of variables in our defense * What attracts people to different stages of company growth * Freedom vs risk, another set of axes to consider * Minor regrets on scope * Our recommendations for distractions of late: * rachel recommends the Scholomance trilogy by Naomi Novik and the Star Wars show Endor * Kendall recommends learning Portuguese Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Maya talk about: * Competitive athletics as a driver of leadership skills and high performance teamwork * The power of the history of the University of Michigan * Preparing for when athleticism will be a memory * Serving in the military, leading software dev teams...in the military * Doing things young, when you have less to lose, less context * Learning the value of a holistic product view * Wanting to change the world * Motivation differences in the military vs the civilian working world * Getting an MBA and why it felt kind of relaxing * Different leadership requirements for the different stages of childhood development * Getting her mind blown launching products at a huge org like Symantec * Adaptability and how the process of problem solving is essentially unchanged * Using authority as a tool vs a bludgeon * Being where she wants to be You can find Maya on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayamandel/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall and rachel talk about: * The art of mending things beautifully (the words rachel was trying to remember are Kintsugi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi) and Sashiko (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sashiko), in that order) * The art of mending things not so beautifully, aka hacking off the bottom of your favorite pants and adding bits of your favorite shirt so they fit better (Kendall subsequently found some photos, but none of them from after the shirt addition...) * Why Kendall sounds echo-ey (also, maybe this is why there's an annoying echo of rachel throughout this recording, apologies) * Why we're talking about systems thinking: https://twitter.com/johncutlefish/status/1518361842342453248 (no longer pinned) * Context, and why it rules from orbit * How seeing the big picture can be frustrating when one has limited power or scope * Optimization, in a shockingly nerdy gaming analogy * When it's hard to share context due to business volatility * Wait, what actually do we mean when we say systems thinking? * How systems thinking is actually largely about understanding people and their motivations * A former podcast guest we both think is a super impressive systems thinker but did not name ;) Thanks to John Cutler (@jcutlefish on Twitter) for a thought-provoking list! Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, rachel and Kendall talk about: * Not looking a gift Wagyu steak in the...mouth? marbling? * The primal/spiritual nature of singing with other people and joining a Threshold Choir * Taking Kendall Seriously * Moving to Portugal updates from Kendall * Dentistry nightmares * How far up the corporate ladder is far enough? * Theorizing about the impact of being part of Gen-X on rachel's career path * Caring about money vs caring about power and ways some companies exploit the latter * Speculation and validation around why Kendall keeps at the grind * An interlude to let you know that this episode was brought to you (in part) by gin * Things that complicate the equation of when to stop * rachel reins in her judginess (a bit) * How being a woman in the tech industry affects things * Kendall plugs the Radial Development Group * rachel marvels at Kids These Days and their nomadic lifestyles * Echoes of Episode 81 * Deep Thoughts with Kendall and rachel * Kendall recommends a podcast: The Fall of Civilization, especially the episode about Assyria Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, rachel, Kendall, and Sarah talk about: * Making the choice to go into software engineering * The daily life of a team lead * How one becomes a team lead, awesome support from Jasmine and others! * The power of empathy in leadership * Being able to ask questions across the org * Approaches to building trust * Being highly concensus-driven, associating "authority" with top-down directives * How leaders should always remember they have more to learn * Just How Very Tired Kendall Is * That it's important for leaders to be approachable/accessible to people at all levels of the org * How "Building up relationships in a company is like building up a friendship" * Learning how to paint, using 3D printed items to practice drawing * Disrupting the "deciding where to eat" market You can find Sarah on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-rieger-66617a145/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall and rachel talk about: * The good vs the bad kind of underwater * Why one should make one's own underpants * Ear infections and their provenance, also Kendall made a pearl with his ear * rachel's new e-bike and how it's awesome * Kendall learns about the magical thing that is kolhrabi * rachel's plans and anxieties about travel during the pandemic * Why Kendall chooses the opposite of "stability" * How that impacts motivation to invest in the future in a given community * rachel learns about the turbo-plus version of notarization called "apostille" * Kendall's new working situation, goals for work environments * Why work when you don't have to? * Feelings of pointlessness regarding activism * The magical allure of Portugal Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3

In this episode, Kendall, rachel, and Anurag talk about: * Getting left in charge as a career progression mechanism * An "unusual" level of interest in affecting long-term strategy and systems thinking from an economics background * Betting on more candidates by giving them an opportunity outside of their current background * The vagueness of product management and strategy * Instilling a culture of ownership/safety when everyone is working remotely * How sometimes more meetings is...good? At least when onboarding, as a way to develop culture by seeing other people interact. * Onboarding that results in checking in code within 5 days * LOUD NOISES * Admiration for one's leaders, learning by watching them * Authority as responsibility to one's team vs power * Intermission to enjoy Kendall's dog * Safety to make mistakes as a child, wanting that for your team * rachel has Opinions about calling your colleagues your "family" * Loyalty to people vs company * Enjoyment of natural places * Using leadership skills to improve life with friends and family You can find Anurag on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asblr/ Special thanks to Mel Stanley for our theme music <3