(This is part of an open ended series of posts where I write down random things I feel are sharable from the years of mailing lists I’ve not caught up on…)

Let’s see if we can clear out the remaining 134 messages in the Pip Decks in an hour shall we? The first 80-ish emails processed can be found in Part 1.

Anyhow, the format of “Pip’s Practical Prompts” is bite sized prompts (similar to how the cards work – nice little bit of consistent branding there!) which I’m going to then slice into even smaller pieces. I think 2023 was the year when Twitter upped their character limits as the bite sized prompts became more like a mouthful.

(Also, cracked not only 1000 unread mailing list message, but under 900 now. Hey, 897 counts!)

  • Listen to your team, solve their problems, and they’ll do the same for you.
  • How to tell the difference between a leader and a manager – A nice reminder
  • A story with no stakes is like a car with no engine…it’ll go nowhere. – See also ‘story’ in the development context
  • No one wants to be micro-managed; they want to be empowered. – This is often why developers think they want to get into management. Spoiler, they don’t want the hassle of managing, they want agency and empowerment.
  • Many designers, managers and engineers believe that their users are rational beings… They’re not.
  • The only thing worse than an arrogant leader is an insecure one. Be confident so your team can believe in what they’re doing.
  • 7 characteristics of bad leaders… and how to avoid them – Point 6 (Wants personal success) is the killer one. When communicating at an organization level, protect your people from their losses (it is you job to take it) and celebrate their wins.
  • Sometimes the second draft is worse than the first draft.
  • Career framework inspiration from the world’s best companies. – Ok, this is neat. All the ladders of a bunch of companies. Worth a look if you are designing one.
  • Self-awareness is a hidden trait of effective leadership
  • Taking responsibility is always the best leadership choice
  • Push your team to go beyond the satisfactory.
  • Your brand isn’t the protagonist of your story — your customer is.
  • How to lead: 11 leadership styles and frameworks – I feel like I lean towards Laissez-Faire or Strategic. But, like a Brand[tm], others really are the ones to label what you are.
  • The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.
  • You can’t force your team to respect you, either through bribery or fear.
  • “What will define success in this meeting?” is one of the most powerful questions a facilitator can ask.
  • You’ve lived an interesting life. You don’t need to fabricate anything.
  • The greatest tech books of all time – From 2023, but… Also, I’ve not read a single one. Not sure what that says about the list or me.