What does it take to be a leader? Can one become a leader? Is it a skill or a talent? Can one learn leadership? A lot has been said and written on the subject. Many believe it’s something that only a few can perfect. In reality being a great leader […] Read more »
List of Books I found useful and applicable
People often ask me for a recommendation of good books on leadership, communications, etc. While there are many excellent books that one finds all the time, here is the list of few that I found the most useful and most applicable. Feel free to share with your friends. How to […] Read more »
Building an offshore team with agile
One question that I receive more frequently is how agile software development works with an offshore team. I get this questions from either people already doing agile and thinking of building out a team, or those that are very much involved in outsourcing and are thinking of crossing to the […] Read more »
Managers vs. Leaders – it’s all about personality
Frequently I am faced with a questions that somehow boils down to a difference between a manager and a leader. Sometimes the question is asked of me and at times I ask others the same. This question can easily become a matter of semantics and a political landmine. To me […] Read more »
Recruiting – Simplified
As managers we are under a constant pressure to hire. Having right people is what allows us to get our job done. This pressure comes from all sides – customers, managers, and other employees. Right fit, technical skills, seniority, salary requirements, and personality – all of this makes it for […] Read more »
Why India outsourcing is Doomed
Indian IT outsourcing has become a commodity business with no innovation and nothing to offer other than questionable rate savings. This not an attempt to write a scientific paper or predict future. This simply an opinion I have formed based on 15+ years of working with various providers in India and all over the […] Read more »
Jury panel as a well organized scrum team
Two weeks ago I had to fulfill my civic duty and serve on a jury. It was a civil case, not interesting, and as boring as a case might be. One thing, however, did occur to me. The jury trial process is a perfectly organized and well run scrum team. […] Read more »
Importance of travel to make your outsourcing work
You decided to build your outsourcing team offshore. You calculated your costs and setup your budget. Make sure you account for an adequate amount of travel between you and your team. Yes travel is expensive and it takes time, but that the secret sauce to make it work. I am […] Read more »
How to choose your outsourcing partner in IT
This blog is not an attempt to give you a secret formula of how to pick an outsourcing company you’ll be working with. Rather it’s an attempt to point you in a direction of what you should focus on and seriously consider when making your selection. The first question you […] Read more »
Good employees make mistakes – Good Leaders allow it
I remember being a new manager and strongly believing that my job was to prevent my employees from making mistakes. After all I was the more experienced one and if I allowed them to fail what value did I bring to the company. Luckily this was a long time ago […] Read more »