A presentation at DevRelCon San Francisco 2019 in in San Francisco, CA, USA by Ben Greenberg
from The Pulpit to DevRel Lessons Learned Along The Way @rabbigreenberg
Hello ● Father to two amazing kids ● Second career developer, previously: ○ Rabbi, Community organizer & Educator ● Developer Advocate @ @rabbigreenberg
Aren’t you telepathic? @rabbigreenberg
“Matterness is the shared space between people and organizations where each is heard…” - Allison Fine, Matterness
“People will forget what you said, will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel.” Dr. Maya Angelou @rabbigreenberg
What we are going to talk about Servant Leadership & Adaptive Problem Solving What are they? H ow do I incorporate them? @rabbigreenberg
#1 Servant Leadership
“Servant leadership is all about making the goals clear and then rolling your sleeves up and doing whatever it takes to help people win. In that situation, they don’t work for you; you work for them. “ Ken Blanchard @rabbigreenberg
in other words…
@rabbigreenberg
and another perspective…
Maimonides וכל העוסק בצרכי רבים כעוסק בדברי תורה And all who engage in the needs of the community, it is like they are engaged in the words of the Torah. @rabbigreenberg
Teaching != Preaching @rabbigreenberg
What do the people in my community need to know? @rabbigreenberg
“ Redirecting sunlight on the earth to the moon gives you enough light so that all of humanity can see.” Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen @rabbigreenberg
Reflect the light of your community @rabbigreenberg
Your success is bound up in the success of your community @rabbigreenberg
and, also…
א׳:ב׳:רש”י על שמות י״ב ( הֶ ְראָהוּ ְל ָבנָה בְּחִ דּוּשָׁ הּ ו ְאָמַ ר לוֹ.א( החדש הזה ב׳-א׳:שמות י״ב ))מכילתא. (ֵאמ ֹר׃ ֽ י אֶ ל־מ ֶ ֹ֣שׁה ו ְֶאֽל־אַהֲ ֔ר ֹן בּ ֶ ְ֥א ֶרץ מִ צ ַ ְ֖רי ִם ל-א( ו ַ֤יּ ֹאמֶ ר י אשׁוֹן הוּ ֙א ָל ֶ֔כם לְחָ דְ ֵ ֖שׁי ֥ )ב( הַ ֧ח ֹדֶ שׁ הַ ֶזּ֛ה ל ֶ ָ֖כם ֣ר ֹאשׁ חֳ דָ ִ ֑שׁים ִר הַ שָּׁ נָ ֽה׃ Rashi on Exodus 12:2:1 Exodus 12:1-2 (1) — החדש הזהGod showed him the moon in the first stage of its renewal, and God said to (1) God said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: (2) This month shall mark for you the beginning of the months; it shall be the first of the months of the year for you. כְּשֶׁ הַ יּ ֵָרחַ מִ תְ חַ ֵדּשׁ י ִהְ י ֶה לְ ר ֹאשׁ ח ֶֹדשׁ him, “The time when the moon renews itself thus, shall be unto you the beginning of the month”. @rabbigreenberg
Find time for regular renewal @rabbigreenberg
#2 Adaptive Problem Solving
The Marsh mallow Test @rabbigreenberg
A Question Leads to another question @rabbigreenberg
A Technical Problem is not always solved by a technical solution @rabbigreenberg
Wrapping It Up Servant Leadership ● ● ● You work for the community Teaching > Preaching Be the moon ○ Reflect the light of others ○ Renew yourself regularly Adaptive Problem Solving ● ● ● Breath before responding Answer questions with questions Explore the underlying problem (that which does not present itself) @rabbigreenberg
Thank you! 💙😎 Please be in touch! 💬 www.bengreenberg.dev 💬 @rabbigreenberg && @nexmodev
The field of developer relations is fortunate to have professionals from a plethora of diverse backgrounds and professional experiences, from former actors to journalists to athletes, and yes, also former clergy. The profession of the clergy is, perhaps, most similar to developer relations. Clergy are responsible for a wide array of job duties. Clergy amplify the voices of their communities, cultivate and build their communities, teach and share new ideas and best practices and are there for their people in the good times and the challenging times. There is so much the work of technical community building can learn from the work of spiritual community building.
As someone who has crossed over into developer relations from the clergy, Ben will share insights he gained from a decade long career in communal service. He feels privileged to have worked in diverse places and settings, from the college campus to social justice work and congregational life. Specifically, there are two topics he will focus on: models of leadership and problem-solving.
Developer relations professionals are often seen as leaders in their companies and their fields, due to their vocal presence. What kind of leadership should dev rel people aspire to? What construct of leadership presents a path forward that is inclusive and dynamic? Similarly, when issues arise, developer relations professionals are often the first address people go to. How should dev rel professionals approach problem-solving?
Ben will detail those two specific areas and offer concrete takeaways that can be used in day to day work.
for free. You
can too.