Tweet
Tweet

Slide 1

Slide 1 text

Let's build pyramids ‣ @abelar_s / maitre-du-monde.fr / @parisrb Hi everyone, let's build pyramids together! Pyramids are a huge work and some software projects too.

Slide 2

Slide 2 text

Leader / boss You might have seen this boss/leader picture and that got me thinking.

Slide 3

Slide 3 text

Some people added their workplace experience in the chart.

Slide 4

Slide 4 text

Some smartasses made their own addition too.

Slide 5

Slide 5 text

Perspective It's all a matter of perspective so I figured I'd add mine too.

Slide 6

Slide 6 text

Perspective Obi-wan Kenobi said many things depend on the point of view.

Slide 7

Slide 7 text

Perspective = All of these shapes represent projections of the same object, same reality.

Slide 8

Slide 8 text

Plan So let's change perspective and see a pyramid-building plan from the top.

Slide 9

Slide 9 text

You Where are the bosses and leaders? Let's assume you have a general direction and you want to help.

Slide 10

Slide 10 text

Team - a bit off You can't do everything by yourself and you're assigned a team, which may be a bit off. Your job is then to correct that offset.

Slide 11

Slide 11 text

Leader - retargets You can lead by example or blame "like a boss". The path is longer but hopefully there's not too much waste of energy.

Slide 12

Slide 12 text

Bosses - own pyramids So what actually happens in our Giza is that other bosses (the bad kind) just want their pyramids done. You want all three so... OK?

Slide 13

Slide 13 text

Other teams - mastabas Other teams build support structures: tombs, works of art, or workers' villages since the effort is to be made in the (very) long run.

Slide 14

Slide 14 text

Other bosses - elsewhere The problem is, in such a big org there are other leaders that want to build the Sphinx (quite related to Giza), Alexandria (OK~ish?) and Karnak (WTF it's 600+km away!).

Slide 15

Slide 15 text

Consultants Like big corps do, each boss hires a bunch of consultants. Some work on pyramids 1,2,3, the Sphinx, and I don't really get why but one is going in the mountains?

Slide 16

Slide 16 text

Other consultants Consultants get bonuses when they get others hired*. That helps pyramid 1 & 2 but at #3 they're spending A LOT of energy going AGAINST the plan. * if you don't you're getting ripped off

Slide 17

Slide 17 text

Other consultants The Sphinx gets some nice help, and the guy in the mountains needed to hire more and more mountain experts. I still don't get why, honestly.

Slide 18

Slide 18 text

Alliances It's not necessarily a bad thing. You can use this energy for good by making alliances: a general plan emerges, somewhat fitting enough with the original plan.

Slide 19

Slide 19 text

Other alliances Locally, other alliances emerge. You still get the 3 pyramids, and for some added cost, a Sphinx. The guys in the mountains are certainly up to something?

Slide 20

Slide 20 text

WHAT A MESS! OK. Now's a nice time to stop. Step back. Breathe. Can you even read the schema with all the arrows we added?

Slide 21

Slide 21 text

Can you even read it? You can only make sense of it if you know what came before. Imagine being dropped today in such a mess, that took years to re-arrange itself. Illegible.

Slide 22

Slide 22 text

Unproductive? I think that's why many young rubyists hate big corps. You may feel this is unproductive, and some people or teams are, but I prefer "not as efficient as possible".

Slide 23

Slide 23 text

Antiproductive? You may feel some people do "negative work" and you have to clean up. That's true, but that's probably not as f*cked up as you imagine it to be at a first glance.

Slide 24

Slide 24 text

Partial, local view where nuances are lost Also remember this map was laid for you: whatever time you spent or position you're at, you only get a local view... or a sky-high big picture with blurred details.

Slide 25

Slide 25 text

Partial control Also whatever you see and understand, you only have partial control on what happens. Phew... harsh, or liberating?

Slide 26

Slide 26 text

@abelar_s / maitre-du-monde.fr HumanTalks 2013-11-12 Let's stop again. Step back. Breathe. Listen to the Happiest Man in The World: "don't worry, be happy" :)

Slide 27

Slide 27 text

Perspective ! ? It's probably just a matter of perspective. Don't be sad, angry or doubtful. Communication and empathy will help everyone reach some level of understanding.

Slide 28

Slide 28 text

Perspective = = Be kind, patient and don't think people are stupid.* They're probably right within their little frame of the picture. * first don't tell them. Then don't think it

Slide 29

Slide 29 text

Not so bad It's not so bad. Final plan mostly looks like the original. Big bosses are OK, we even added a Sphinx!

Slide 30

Slide 30 text

Close to home Some people here are just happy with a job that's close to home. That's why some "mountain people" perhaps knew their project was useless but kept their mouth shut. Convenience, not stupidity.

Slide 31

Slide 31 text

Better food / location Some other people there are fine with whatever job they can get. As long as the offices or the food are nice.

Slide 32

Slide 32 text

Your pay / your craft And some other just need the money. Don't hate them for it, they have kids to feed. Perhaps find comforting in honing your craft for the next job?

Slide 33

Slide 33 text

More consultants ;) And consultants, happy because they called in more consultants ;) If they were first on the job they're now managers. Or they took their kids on vacation with the bonus. Fine.

Slide 34

Slide 34 text

Perhaps YOU were wrong? Lastly, before ranting or hating anyone, be humble and remember YOU could be one of the guys who got the projects all wrong!

Slide 35

Slide 35 text

@abelar_s / maitre-du-monde.fr HumanTalks 2013-11-12 Stop again. Step back. Breathe. What can we do about that?

Slide 36

Slide 36 text

Obvious friends All of these guys need a cheap, fast, reliable access to limestone blocks. You can set up a project with them.

Slide 37

Slide 37 text

Less obvious friends They can teach you things: either their craft, or to make sense of this map. They might want to join your team (esp. if theirs is going nowhere).

Slide 38

Slide 38 text

Non-obvious friends Perhaps they have a different metric for success. Find out which one and which boss can change it. If someone's paid to change things, things will change, even for worse.

Slide 39

Slide 39 text

@abelar_s / maitre-du-monde.fr HumanTalks 2013-11-12 Love, respect, modesty compassion, forgiveness So let's call in Matthieu Ricard again: love people, respect them, be humble, compassionate and forgiving. Your life will be better for it!

Slide 40

Slide 40 text

You're building pyramids! Building pyramids! And hey: we're building pyramids! Be proud to be a part in that huge project that change people's life and hopefully stands and fascinate for millenia! (*cough "COBOL" cough*)

Slide 41

Slide 41 text

You're building pyramids! Questions? Manuel de survie en entreprise http://vimeo.com/72344243 Simon Guimezanes @abelar_s / maitre-du-monde.fr If you understand french you should watch Simon Guimezanes' video about surviving corporate politics. Rubyists are often lone wolves, and somehow haters/ranters. Join real life, understand people.