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Maker to Manager to Leader

Be as Good a Leader as You Are a Coder

Three ways to escape the ‘out-group’

“Dude, she totally ghosted me,” Ryan said. “What does that mean?” I asked. “That’s when a gal just stops responding to your texts or calls…
Go to the profile of Marcus Blankenship
Marcus Blankenship
Mar 24, 2017

Death by 1,440 cuts

In the 5 second survey I sent, I asked: What is your hardest problem at work right now?
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Marcus Blankenship
Jun 6, 2017

“Thanks for coming in on-time, Todd.”

I was chatting with my general contractor, and the subject of offering feedback to team members came up. See if this sounds familiar.
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Marcus Blankenship
Jul 6, 2017

It’s only a simulation, it’s only a simulation…

In a flash, technical managers and leaders can turn from a self-actualized, empathic boss into a clueless jerk. You probably won’t see it…
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Marcus Blankenship
Jul 18, 2017
Your humble provocateur

Your humble provocateur

The Satir Change Model, created by Virginia Satir, depicts personal and organizational change in five stages:
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Marcus Blankenship
Mar 24, 2017

Bowing out gracefully.

When I left my last job, I didn’t leave well, and that has caused me angst and regret. When you do leave well you exit gracefully, without…
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Marcus Blankenship
Mar 24, 2017

Are you a hokey-pokey leader?

“You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out. You put your right foot in, and you shake it all about.”
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Marcus Blankenship
Jun 14, 2017

Do you bite or hide?

Does this sound familiar? <start> January: “, I’m super excited to hire your team to build this. Let’s do it! When do we start?”
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Marcus Blankenship
Jul 5, 2017

Something’s got to give, right?

Cognitive dissonance theory shows us that when our behavior doesn’t match our intentions, we feel discomfort. For example, a smoker might…
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Marcus Blankenship
Apr 27, 2017

Do you love blank stares?

What do these questions all have in common?
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Marcus Blankenship
Jun 6, 2017

“How do I get sales to quit making bad deals?”

Casey asked this question today:
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Marcus Blankenship
Jul 5, 2017

The repeating lesson from my #Velocity2017 training

Last week my wife, Amy, and I ran fifteen technical leaders through two days of leadership simulations, evoking laughter, conflict and even…
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Marcus Blankenship
Jul 5, 2017
As I walk back to coding, I see my footprints

As I walk back to coding, I see my footprints

Recently I took on a contract as Fractional CTO for a small startup. Very small. In fact, they only have one programmer, so I rolled up my…
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Marcus Blankenship
May 2, 2018

Yours, mine and ours.

Olivier wrote me last week: I’d be interested in tips on how to bring positivity in a team that is exhausted and stressed out. ​ This got…
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Marcus Blankenship
Mar 15, 2017

Ever get your priorities “re-aligned” by your boss?

When I started leading a team, I got bogged down pretty quickly in it and ran back to coding. I liked the title and the money, but I spent…
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Marcus Blankenship
Jun 6, 2017

Decision delegation done wrong

Kendall wrote in with this question and was kind enough to allow me to share the answer with y’all. Hey Marcus, I’ve experienced that sort…
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Marcus Blankenship
Jul 5, 2017

Task or Relationship focused?

Quick trick question: Which is more important when running your team: being task focused or relationship focused?
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Marcus Blankenship
Jul 5, 2017

A learning from today’s simulation

I’m leading a Technology Leadership workshop in San Jose at Velocity Conference this week. Thanks to the Experiential Learning Bundle by…
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Marcus Blankenship
Jul 5, 2017

Leading in the age of Hacker News

Another dev tool came out today on HN.
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Marcus Blankenship
Mar 24, 2017

Best vs Next

Immature leaders ask “what’s the ultimate best solution?”. They imagine solving their problem so well it is solved forever.
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Marcus Blankenship
Mar 11, 2017

When something amazing happens in your 1:1s

Oliver told me, “My 1:1 meeting with Sean surprised me this week. It was a bit deeper, more personal. Out of the blue, he mentioned he was…
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Marcus Blankenship
Mar 8, 2017

Are You In The “Friend Zone”?

When I was in high-school the worst phrase a guy could hear from a gal was “I like you as a friend.”
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Marcus Blankenship
Jun 8, 2017

Stepping on the shoes

At my last job, my boss told me I had the knack of “Stepping on someone’s toes without scuffing their shoes.” I didn’t understand that at…
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Marcus Blankenship
Jun 6, 2017

I am at the Pacific Northwest Software Quality Conference this week, hanging out with software…

It is filled with testers, QA managers, Test Engineers, Quality Engineers, Quality Directors and others with similar titles.
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Marcus Blankenship
Oct 10, 2017

You don’t have the balls for this job.

“Marcus, you don’t have the backbone for this job. You simply don’t have the balls. I’m telling you this for your benefit.”
Go to the profile of Marcus Blankenship
Marcus Blankenship
Jun 6, 2017
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