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I started Developer Tea in 2015 to help engineers find clarity, perspective, and purpose in regular short bursts of high-value content.

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Making Space for Intuition in Decision-making

Decision-making shouldn't just be about algorithms. It also shouldn't be just about intuition. Incorporating both is required to make the best decisions for your career.

Published: 4/25/2022
Length: ~8m
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Blueprint for Better Intermediate Decisionmaking

Most decisions that are worth considering longer than a moment fall into the category of "intermediate decisions" we discuss in today's episode. These decisions require more than the quick snap judgments we all make, but shouldn't take significant deliberation or extended study to make. These decisions are the primary fuel for your career.

Published: 4/20/2022
Length: ~9m
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Finding Perspective On Purpose - Make it Visible, Make it Clear

In today's episode we talk about finding perspective and purpose through the lens of two principles and one bonus exercise.

Published: 4/18/2022
Length: ~9m
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The Principle of Isolation

In today's episode, we discuss the principle of isolation. We use isolation in decisionmaking regularly! Now, let's learn how to harness it. You can only optimize what you isolate.

Published: 4/14/2022
Length: ~12m
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Better Report, Better Manager - Reiterate and Reflect for Better Communication

Communication is hard. Like most things, we try to oversimplify it by turning "understanding" into a black and white, binary state. Communication and understanding is, however, a spectrum. Singular messages are low resolution, and it's our job when communicating with each other to increase the resolution of our communication. We talk about a simple framework for doing just that in today's episode.

Published: 4/11/2022
Length: ~10m
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Ambiguous Target Decisions and Noise

In today's episode we discuss two types of decision evaluations, and a brief explanation of noise in decisionmaking. You're making judgment calls every day - are they good? How do you know?

Published: 4/6/2022
Length: ~13m
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Better Report, Better Manager - The Assumption of Motivation

We all have some kind of motivation. But in error, we assume we know the motivations of others, and we also assume that our future selves will act in alignment with well-intentioned motivations. Both of these assumptions can lead us to poor decisions about our career. For managers, that assumption can lead you to making decisions for others that are suboptimal to their goals. In this episode we talk about the importance of alignment and clarity for those motivations.

Published: 4/4/2022
Length: ~10m
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The Big Picture Pyramid

How do you keep the big picture in mind while also executing on the details? In today's episode we talk about the three-part pyramid that represents the big picture. We also overuse alliterations a bit in the episode, hopefully it helps you remember it!

Published: 3/30/2022
Length: ~16m
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Better Report, Better Manager - Two Questions to Find Guidance If You Don't Have A Manager

What should I do if I don't have a manager? There's a lot of answers to this question, but the first route I want to suggest is to find someone who can provide the guidance and empowerment you need in your career. This is someone who has skin in the game and the agency and skill set to actually help you.

Published: 3/28/2022
Length: ~10m
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Swizec Teller and the Senior Engineering Mindset, Part Two

In today's episode, we talk with Swizec Teller, senior engineer at Tia. Swizec created SeniorMindset.com, discuss the differentiators and mindset shift when becoming a senior engineering mindset. If you missed the first episode, make sure you go back and listen to that first!

Published: 3/23/2022
Length: ~41m
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Swizec Teller and the Senior Engineering Mindset, Part One

In today's episode, we talk with Swizec Teller, senior engineer at Tia. Swizec created SeniorMindset.com, discuss the differentiators and mindset shift when becoming a senior engineering mindset. If you missed the first episode, make sure you go back and listen to that first!

Published: 3/21/2022
Length: ~34m
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Better Report, Better Manager - One-On-One Frameworks: Focus and Fears

What does a good 1-on-1 look like? We'll answer this in many different ways. For today's episode, I want to share a micro-framework for you to try out in your next 1-on-1 that could elicit some of your career's most critical conversations.

Published: 3/18/2022
Length: ~7m
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Better Report, Better Manager - Investing in a Healthier Manager-to-Report Relationship

What should I look for in a healthy relationship with my manager? In this episode we talk about a variety of signals that you can expect if you have the right kind of relationship with your manager.

Published: 3/14/2022
Length: ~18m
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Better Report, Better Manager Series: Calibration Conversation - 3 Questions to Ask Your Manager ASAP

In this episode we are kicking off a series called "Better Report, Better Manager" - in this series, we'll discuss how you can improve your relationship with your manager from a practical standpoint. Your relationship with your managers is likely one of the most critical relationships you'll have in your career. In this episode, we'll start by getting you aligned with your manager by asking 3 calibration questions.

Published: 3/11/2022
Length: ~23m
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No More Status Meetings - A Forcing Function For Better Team Information Flow

Your status meetings are an old holdover from less useful business practices. Do away with status meetings, and instead get to the core of your discussion faster.

Published: 3/7/2022
Length: ~14m
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Two Principles To Improve Your Software Design Decisions

In today's episode we discuss two principles that will help you make better software design decisions. Talk about these principles and how they apply with your manager, teammates, mentors, or other engineers in your community!

Published: 3/2/2022
Length: ~12m
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Clearly Define What Your Toolset Can't Do

Defining what your tools, teams, processes, and even you yourself are good at is hard, and often we stray past the boundaries of focus that would keep us performing to an optimal degree. In this episode, I encourage you to perform an exercise of inversion, to look at tasks your tools are simply not suited for.

Published: 2/28/2022
Length: ~9m
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When Sense-making and Statistics Collide

Our ability to make sense out of things is powerful. When we hear "90% of the way there", our brain fills in the gaps and often stretches that to mean "basically 100%." However, this is a cognitive error. In this episode, we talk about the importance of combining statistical thinking with sensemaking.

Published: 2/24/2022
Length: ~11m
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Opportunities of Convergence and the Cost of Divergence

Opportunity comes in moments of convergence. Loss is measured in divergence. Pay attention to what is converging now - this is how you take advantage of opportunities and reduce your cost from divergence.

Published: 2/22/2022
Length: ~12m
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Viewing Teams Through the Lens of Trust

Everything we do in our teams is based on trust. Trust, however, is a limited resource. We should spend it wisely.

Published: 2/17/2022
Length: ~16m
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Developer Tea was a part of Spec and is hosted by Jonathan Cutrell, engineering manager at Guild Education.