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Craig Nicol (he/him)
Craig Nicol (he/him)

Posted on • Originally published at craignicol.wordpress.com on

Things I don’t know as of 2021

Things I don’t know

Last time round, I stated the things I didn’t know. Whilst the technical list hasn’t changed much, there’s a new set of skills I want to talk about for this year, as these are the things I want to know.

How to build a diverse team

I’ve worked in plenty of diverse teams, and I’m proud that we managed to build a team from all male to 50% female in the 2 years I was at my last job, but there was a lot of unique features about that job that makes it harder to replicate elsewhere. And some of the groundwork was laid before I joined.

How to be a good mentor

I started mentoring via coding coach last year, and I’ve had to tune my approach to each individual, but I’m still not sure the best questions to ask, and what’s the best structure. If I find out, I’ll share it here.

How to get a sleep routine

Sleep is important. But between the existential crisis of a global pandemic, with the subsequent upheaval of work processes, and the constant desire to get more done, I don’t always timebox what needs to be done, and things fall, including my blog, and my fitness. I have thoughts on how to prioritise and plan better, but I can’t control for external factors.

How to work remotely

Whilst I’ve been used to sort periods of working from home and working with teams spread across multiple offices, this COVID lockdown is different.

I’ve learned how to work asynchronously, but there’s no good replacement for the serendipity of a chat grabbing a coffee or over lunch. Whilst I’m cautious about returning, even when we can, I definitely look forward to seeing people in the flesh again. Even if we’re wearing masks.

Is there a better way to work?

Whilst trying to find how to work “like this, but over video”, I’ve started looking at how properly remote-first companies do it, reading DHH and Reinventing Work, and thinking if there’s a better way of organising work completely. Asynchronous, pull-driven, self-organised. How do open-source and open-contribution (e.g. Wikipedia) work, and are there lessons we can learn there to make companies more effective, more value-driven and more scalable?

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