My tools

Here are a few examples of how my tools help me in day-to-day work. This page is about me and my behavior.

• Daily work should be interesting and joyful for every team member most of the time.
• Helping people to experience positive feelings through reducing stress helps them to act positively and in a good way.
• I respect people by default, and let them know my intentions before I execute my actions.
• I greet people every time I meet them (mornings, calls, meetings, neighbors).
• When I ask “How are you doing?”, I'm truly interested in how you are doing.
• Conflict is an opportunity to learn new things. No matter how deep conflict goes I try to provide a ladder to get out of emotional pit.
• I help my colleagues to learn new technologies and assist them when they are stuck.
• I will not laugh on your stupid jokes, but I will lend you a hand when needed and don't ask anything in return.
• I give compliments in code reviews. E.g. “comments here helped to better understand what code is doing”, “this function is really good, and doesn't have any external dependencies, so it could be easily tested when needed”, “I like how you refactored and improved surrounding code when changing that feature.”

• I do not only just “my part of work”, but always look how it will be integrated with other things.
• Work is done, when it is accepted by stakeholders, and they receive certain value from it. No point in continuing doing things, if they are not going to be accepted.
• Defining what will be tested and how often bring up hidden requirements and constraints.
• I always try to find the root problem, even if stakeholders are unaware of it. Solving wrong things is often a huge waste of time.
• If some process doesn't work, I try to discuss if it is still required.
• I ask questions. I ask why things are done in a certain way until others start feeling uncomfortable. It is ok to have reasons such as: personal preference, conscious decision, legal constraints, availability of skills in the team, nobody objected, wrong implementation, reducing time to market, experimenting with new technology.
• The world is changing constantly, and old ways of working may become inefficient or even harmful.
• Linux over Windows over Mac. Lenovo over other laptop brands.
• I try to create a safe space for experimenting and adopting new technologies in the team. By creating clear guidelines on how to integrate new tools and processes and clear guidelines on how to stop using them we reduce obsession with the legacy.

• I listen carefully. That is the first step to ensure high standards in communication. I don't share gossip, and always try to verify facts from the original source before sharing anything.
• Share knowledge, even before anyone requested it. Other people could be unaware to ask.
• I encourage to keep meeting notes and publish in the chat what was agreed during calls.
• Transparency also means being predictable: explain how decisions are made, protect sensitive information, map daily work to the main goals.
• I frequently draw pictures and diagrams to support the message I want to share.
• Talking to the stakeholders often and ensuring that they are involved from definition of the problem to the acceptance helps projects to be on track and flexible for changes at any time.
• Regular retrospectives and reflections give me a good opportunity to share feedback to others. 

• You can't offend a person who is not looking to be offended.
• I respect other opinions and let colleagues do things the way they want, unless their actions are very destructive.
• Promoting consent by default, instead of consensus or autocracy for decision making, is something that I try to do in every organization.
• I try to support people who are stuck with their work due to lack of knowledge or experience.
• Don't sacrifice ourselves for the team, our team will need us in the next endeavor.
• Addressing the needs of other parties based on spiral dynamics culture helps me to keep communication efficient.
• I believe that most people want to do their work well and it is important to help them succeed.

• Routine work is not for me.
• I write unit tests to spend less time doing manual testing or fixing bugs.
• Spending 4 hours to automate a 5 minute monthly task is worth the time, even if it will be discarded after half a year. Even if automation perishes, skills and obtained knowledge will help with other tasks.
• Gradle, npm, git, jenkins, sonar, junit, jasmine, selenium, sikulix, elastic.
• Automation as a way to avoid interruptions of focused work.
• Correct ticket statuses, assigners, labels reduce the amount of required meetings/calls.