Everything is Awesome The LEGOⓇ approach to being an awesome coworker Paul Verbeek-Mast (@paul_v_m) Senior Software Engineer @ Confrere noti.st/paul
A presentation at PHP UK Conference in February 2019 in London, UK by Jayne Mast
Everything is Awesome The LEGOⓇ approach to being an awesome coworker Paul Verbeek-Mast (@paul_v_m) Senior Software Engineer @ Confrere noti.st/paul
“ The great enemy of communication, we find, is the illusion of it. – William H. Whyte
“ We have talked enough; but we have not listened. – William H. Whyte
“ (…) many leaders assume they are better at valuing diversity than they actually are (…) – Havard Business Review – Leaders Aren’t Great at Judging How Inclusive They Are https://hbr.org/2017/10/leaders-arent-great-at-judging-how-inclusive-they-are
“ The great enemy of inclusivity, we find, is the illusion of it. – Paul Verbeek-Mast
The early days of tech
The early days of tech ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)
The early days of tech
The early days of tech
The early days of tech
The rise of men
The rise of men In 1967 alone, 700,000 people took the IBM Aptitude test
The rise of men Of this 1378, only 187 were women
“ [Programmers] dislike activities involving close personal interaction. A vocational interest scale for computer programmers - William M. Cannon & Dallis K. Perry
The rise of men • Antisocial personality disorder favours men • • by 3:1 ratio; Autism and Asperger’s is seen as high as 7:1; Antisocial women are seen as “not liking people”, while men are seen as a “lone wolf”
“ [The] industry selected for antisocial, mathematically inclined males, and therefore antisocial and mathematically inclined males were overrepresented in the programmer population. The Computer Boys Take over - Nathan Ensmenger
“ This in turn reinforced the popular perception that programmers ought to be antisocial and mathematically inclined (and therefore male). The Computer Boys Take over - Nathan Ensmenger
The rise of men
The bro culture
The bro culture Joe Liamandt — Founder of Trilogy Software
“ We’re elite talent; and it’s potential and talent, not experience, that has merit.
The bro culture • How many piano tuners are there in the • • world?; How many golf balls fit in a standard double decker bus?; How much would you charge to wash all the windows in San Francisco?
The bro culture Work hard, play hard.
The bro culture Insane work hours, drinking, gambling and Vegas.
The bro culture
The bro culture • Women; • People of colour; • LGBTGIA+; • People with a disability; • People in economic or social hardships.
Make everyone feel welcome and included
Make everyone feel welcome and included Reach out to new colleagues
Make everyone feel welcome and included On-boarding buddy
Make everyone feel welcome and included Your whole team changes
Make everyone feel welcome and included Don’t assume that they will eventually learn
Make everyone feel welcome and included Use inclusive language
Make everyone feel welcome and included Use inclusive language • Put people first;
Make everyone feel welcome and included Use inclusive language • Put people first; • Avoid jargons and abbreviations;
Make everyone feel welcome and included Use inclusive language • Put people first; • Avoid jargons and abbreviations; • “Guys” is not gender neutral;
Make everyone feel welcome and included Use inclusive language • Put people first; • Avoid jargons and abbreviations; • “Guys” is not gender neutral; • Don’t underplay the impact of mental disabilities;
Make everyone feel welcome and included Use inclusive language • Put people first; • Avoid jargons and abbreviations; • “Guys” is not gender neutral; • Don’t underplay the impact of mental • disabilities; Coding is also communication;
Be humble
Be humble Accept your limitations
Be humble Listen
Be humble How many times do you bring your phone or laptop to a meeting?
Be humble Talk less, listen more
Be humble Let people be heard
“ When you have a contribution to make in a meeting, how often are you able to do so?
Be humble Let people be heard • Introverts;
Be humble Let people be heard • Introverts; • Remote workers;
Be humble Let people be heard • Introverts; • Remote workers; • Women;
Be humble Let people be heard • Introverts; • Remote workers; • Women; • People of colour.
Be humble Let people be heard • Share the purpose of the meeting; • Include remote workers; • No talking over each other; • Keep it central; • Email a summary.
You are awesome too!
Be humble Find people who believe in you
Be humble Stand up for what you believe in
Be humble Be yourself
Be humble A little bit of kindness goes a long way
Thank you! Paul Verbeek-Mast Senior Software Engineer confrere.com @paul_v_m | noti.st/paul
