The first time I spoke in front of a crowd of adults I was 16. I barely spoke for five minutes or so, and nothing about the experience inspired passion. Mostly just fear. From 18-20 I spoke several more times and while I enjoyed it more, nothing about the experience itself suggested I should do …
Passion follows you, not the other way around CONTINUE READING
I was talking the other day to friends who recently noticed I’d started this blog (even as I’ve started writing again at ChrisLema.com). They asked how this blog was doing. Was I getting a lot of traffic? Did I have a way to monetize it? The underlying assumption, I think, is that it’s worth putting …
Write regularly – even if no one is reading CONTINUE READING
There are a ton of different characteristics that leaders bring to the table. Characteristics that their teams need and appreciate. But the one your teams need the most is your consistency. As a leader, you are pulled in several directions. Sure you lead a team. But you also need to connect and collaborate with peers. …
More than anything, your team needs your consistency CONTINUE READING
Before I joined Liquid Web, I had taken a year off. After twenty years of working crazy hours, it felt luxurious to step back and think critically and strategically about what I wanted to work on next. Over that time, I spoke with a lot of friends – collecting advice not so much about what …
One of my favorite quotes from Muhammad Ali is one of the ones least quoted. It goes like this: It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen. You may recall the Daily Affirmations skit from SNL. It’s a hilarious take on this …
For years I’ve had a rule with my engineering teams. It goes like this – if you can’t figure something out (or can’t make any headway at all) in 45 minutes, ask for help. Of course, most people smile but think to themselves, “I got this. I don’t need to ask for help. I just …
Here’s what we know – everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes a failure is our own fault. Sometimes it’s because we were counting on something or someone else. It could be in our control, or not. But one thing is for sure: we all make mistakes. Given that reality, here’s the bigger question: how do you handle …
Today I was on a phone call with a peer of mine at work, the VP of Engineering at Liquid Web. Within 20 minutes anyone listening to our call would have known I was speaking to a leader, not just a manager. Here are the differences that are easy to spot when you know what …
Four differences between a leader and a manager CONTINUE READING
Every day I’m presented with a common choice in the software development space – I can either have it done correctly or I can have it done quickly. I’m asked, which do I want? Another common challenge is that I’m told there are finite resources (staff) with a fixed amount of time. So given all …
Leaders are responsible for managing execution and performance. In fact, they’re responsible for a lot of things. But the one we don’t talk about as much is the need to make people feel important.