Mistakes (Junior) Managers Make

Two excellent threads on Quora:

• What are common mistakes that new or inexperienced managers make

• In a growing tech company, what are the most valuable things on which an engineering manager should spend time

To the already long list of mistakes presented there, here are some others I've experienced so far:

Thinking that it is enough just to create task lists in Excel

I have seen quite a few managers that, after being appointed into position, completely forget their craft, forget about people, forget about product and transform themselves into task administrators. The problem, I guess, lies in lack of role models and lack of understanding of the job. Management is not a reactive profession, but rather one that requires time to think and put things into perspective. 

To overcome this situation, one needs to seek for role models, read, ask questions, network, escape the comfort zone of always being busy. This is particularly hard and requires a lot of emotional energy, especially in an unstructured environment, without clear performance metrics and job descriptions. 


Disconnection from the product

I also call this "management from excel" or "management from inbox" and, to me, it means relying only on reports to mark work as done instead of going on the floor and inspect the product yourself. This is very dangerous as it leads to optimistic reports where everything seems fine while the product is completely broken. It also leads to non-communicative behavior in the team, lack of challenge, lack of risk management, sloppiness that spreads - the broken window effect.


Transparent manager

Every communication layer needs to add something valuable to the communication. When communicating up, the manager needs to create a new layer of abstraction and encapsulate the information for the needs of his/her managers and when communicating down, he needs to be able to break the information for his colleagues.

When the manager is not able to deal with his superiors autonomously, without constantly asking for support and clarification from his team and vice versa, he doesn't bring any value to the communication. He needs to understand the problems, the product and the requirements so well that he can have a dialogue with all his peers without constantly relying on "wait, I need to ask my lead programmer / engineer / game designer / marketing / HQ/ ... ". 

To overcome this, the manager needs to practice questioning skills and treat every problem with deep understanding. 

Conflict avoidance

Being afraid to go to the team and say: "look, this is not working. What can we do?". Being afraid or postpone to open touchy subjects and trying to maintain a sense of peace and calm at the expense of higher risk and lower performance.

To overcome this, the manager needs to practice self confidence and facilitate genuine dialogue. Curiosity and questioning also help.

Lack of trust in team members

By trust I mean not "I trust you to finish the job without checking" but rather "I trust you to open up to you, challenge you, be vulnerable in front of you to push you to over perform". Lack of trust leads to complains about the team to upper managers, disconnection from the team, conflict avoidance, gossip, low performance.

There are many ways to overcome this, but a basic one is to go to the team with problems and ask them to help you solve them. Something like "guys, we have this on the table; what do you think we should do about it?". 

Lack of control and measurement

Very much linked to all of the above: lack of trust, lack of depth in analysis, managing from excel. In order to be able to challenge the team one needs facts. Facts come from setting up several metrics and benchmarks for performance, then bringing the results to the team for debate. Without this, all dialogue becomes personal and subjective.

Not asking for support 

Manager's mission is to ship projects, grow people and deliver value and, sometimes, we don't have the knowledge, experience or tools to tackle every problem alone. We need support and we need the maturity and courage to step back and say "ok, if I pursue this course of action alone, the risk of failure in unacceptably high". Many managers were appointed as leaders to their teams for their own drive for achievement and resilience in front of problems. We need to understand that the results are more important than ourselves. It is true that nobody wants to work with a defeatist, but also nobody wants to work with someone who is blind and drives the projects straight into the fence. Vision is needed as, most of the time, there won't be an upper layer with enough knowledge of the project to be able to take the decision to offer help without being asked for help.

There are other behaviors at least as important as these: lack of decisiveness, hiring too soon and firing too late, not taking into consideration values and team fitness when hiring and firing, and many others. These were probably the ones that affected me the most so far and I will probably touch them in a future post.

Performance Appraisals

I believe it is important to evaluate performance not only based on absolute results, but rather on results put in the context of that person: what was his level of understanding at the moment for which we are evaluating him, his know-how, visibility, what kind of help did he receive, how was the team he worked with. Given the context, would he have been able to do better? Is he willing to learn from past mistakes? Did he have the proper means to act differently? Many environmental factors are not under the direct control of the employee nor does he feel he has control over them. Did I, his manager, do enough to provide him with the tools to take the right decisions?

Some people shine in a certain environment only to fail later when the factors they relied on change. Do we take this into consideration? Do we allow them to fail to grow or do we leave them to be failures? In order to perform, one needs to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses and learn from mistakes. What kind of example do we set when we evaluate performance? Do we apologize for our mistakes? Are we really encouraging trial and constructive failure? What do we measure? We should never  forget that the performance appraisal is one of those moments when managers show their true self: what they value and what kind of behaviour they expect from their teams.

Appraisals should be done from the heart, with true empathy. It is a very much needed and powerful moment that can affect employees for years to come (in their career path, self esteem, salary revisions, role in the company, perks). It can give them wings or it can break their wings. How much heart and care do we put in that moment? How much responsibility do we take for that moment? Do we try to level people or do we set them performance targets so that they can surpass themselves? Do we customize the appraisal to the individual and his strengths or do we try to fit everyone in the same measures? Do we work toward a Gaussian distribution for performance or do we give recognition and celebrate uniqueness? Do we really care for our men to give them feedback way in advance for them to have a chance to improve before the official paper is signed? Do we explicitly set individual performance targets that can, eventually, be exceeded?

Performance evaluations can be painful if not properly performed. They can impact morale and careers for years to come - even a lifetime. They impact salary, mobility, advancements, perks, assignments, everything. This is why we should care more about giving our guys an honest, customized feedback and set up correct performance objectives for the next appraisals rather than to look good in the eyes of our supervisors. We should try to deliver bad news in advance, verbally. We should try to give people time, space, guidance to improve or surpass our expectations. As Jack Welch put it, a good appraisal is one in which no one finds anything new.

Transactional Thinking vs Generosity

My feeling is that too many people enforce too often and too soon transactional patterns in their relation to others and their needs. By "transactional pattern" I mean a conversation that can be summed up to "if you do this, you get that".

Even if the balance seems right at first, in many circumstances such a transaction may have a demotivating, un-involving effect, diminishing the trust between the two parties.

The opposite would be to offer generously, not expecting anything in return (or expecting very little), assuming the risk of some taking advantage of you, but building relations in return - not to mention the feeling of fulfilment that comes from giving. From the receiver side, I remember my strong feelings of respect for the people that offered more than I asked for, unconditionally.

While transactions mean insurance, generosity can be seen as a risky investment in others. By giving a helping hand unconditionally and showing trust and appreciation for other's needs and personality, we raise the bar for development and commitment. While some will take what they were offerend and never look back, others will take the challenge and become better persons themselves, giving back or giving forward to others in return.

This brought me thinking back to a book I read several years ago "The Generous Man: How Helping Others Is The Sexiest Thing You Can Do" which argues that generosity is one of the most revealing signs of strength one can show.

Small Things You Can Do To Keep the Nature Clean

Last weekend: short escape in the Bucegi Mountains with my girlfriend, Alina.

View from the road to Piatra Arsa chalet

Unfortunately, the closer we got to easily accessible places of interest, like the "Babele" chalet, we were stroke by the increasing number of beer cans and plastic bottles that were thrown away in the field.

Gathering Plastic Bottles, near the "Babele" Peak (1st round)

Many people think that either a solution cannot be found to having tourists not throwing garbage in the fields or that it is not their responsibility to find a one. I don't think so.

Plastic bottles left behind by tourists

Probably most people believe that it lies with someone else, like with authorities that should increase penalties for garbage disposal in non-specifically arranged locations, have enough law enforcement officers in the field to apply the law, install trash bins in these areas and collect the garbage frequently. NGOs. Students. Army. Somebody else. And up to a point they are right: authorities should maintain public spaces clean, as we pay them to do so and it lies within their area of responsibility.

Others simply don't care.

Plastic bottles gathered from the fields, near the "Piatra Arsa" chalet (round 2) - unfortunately we couldn't carry more with our bare hands

What is often forgotten is the role that each individual has in maintaining the environment pristine. It is within our grasp to have an attitude. Yes, I believe in the power of small individual action applied on a large scale. I believe in the power of small personal effort multiplied by a large number of people:

• When you see a plastic bottle thrown down in the grass or in the street, collect it. Collect as many as you can. Other people will see you and might do the same. Yes, I honestly believe that many people don't know that they can collect these bottles. 

• Invite others to follow. Many people are afraid to make the first step. Show them that it is ok.

• Explain what you are doing. Explain the power of collective action. If 10 people collect 10 bottles each, that is 100 bottles - a clean field, without much hassle. 10 people is very few for a location like "Babele" where hundreds  of people go there every weekend. Explain the power of personal example. Spread the word! Take a stand!

• When you see someone throwing a cigarette on an empty bottle in an un-arranged location, approach him, look him in the eyes and ask why. (yes, it is scary at first, but what would you do if that person throws trash in your own garden - yes, the streets, the mountains, the parks are our own collective gardens)

View from the top

I believe that many people are reluctant to act because they don't trust that their effort has an effect on the long term. But it does and it extends beyond their mere action. I believe that cleaning up the environment is contagious and invites others to follow. It passes the message further. It creates waves. It creates a trend. An individual, by himself, does not have enough power to clean up the whole planet. But he can empower the people around him to do so by his personal example. If 10 people watch and follow him in the course of his life, and if another 10 people follow each of the 10 people, we have already 111 people cleaning up our fields, our neighborhoods, our streets. And it grows exponentially. And where it is clean and tidy, it is less likely for others to throw trash back in.

Tourists at the "Babele" Chalet - if each of them would pick one bottle...

Yes, I believe that it lies within our power to act locally. It is scary at first but after that it feels great. Don't wait for the weekend. Tomorrow, when you see a plastic bottle on your way to work, pick it up! You do it in your living room, right? Why not extend to your street, your nearby park, our forests?

Entrepreneurship - Notes

GRASP Start-up Weekend - Bran (July 2011)

Here are the notes I took while participating in the GRASP Start-up Weekend meeting this July. I believe they apply to any person looking to take control over his or her (professional) life, not only to those who we commonly refer to as entrepreneurs. For instance, one can have an entrepreneurial spirit in pro-actively managing his education, his career or act as an intrapreneur by employing resources from an organization to develop new ventures inside it. For me, all of the elements below define a free, action and growth oriented spirit.

http://www.facebook.com/MyGRASP

• Location: Bran, Romania
• Participant profile: entrepreneurs looking to starting their own business
• Speakers:
• Adrian Amariei - Founder and CEO Axonite
• Dan Dimancescu -Honorary Consulate of Romania in Boston
• Ovidiu Sandor - CEO ModaTim Investment S.A.
• Simona Baciu - President "Happy Children" Foundation, Cluj International School
• Andrei Cretu - Manager, PwC Consulting
• Iulian Carciumaru - Manager, PwC Consulting
• Livia Radulescu - "incubaAT" - UNDP Romania
• Cristina Visinoiu - PR Expert, UNDP Romania

1. What kind of profiles does a business need? 

All three:

• Entrepreneur - breaks the rules, risks
• Manager - predictable improvement
• Administrator - keep it working

As nobody is perfect, always work with people who are better than you at least in one area.

2. What does an entrepreneur need? 

• Know people - Network. (HBR Article Here)

• Stay up-to-date to spot trends and generate creative ideas. Creative ideas come from associations of two or more domains (transportation and IT, for instance). Talk to people (conferences, trade associations, on the street). Ask questions. Exercise the "creative" muscle by spotting problems around you and try to fix them.
• Books
• Trainings
• Masters
• Read the news! My list here (of course, I don't have time everyday to check all of them :) ):
• Linked-in News
• Business Insider
• Entrepreneur.com
• Inc.com
• Fast Company
• HBR newsletters with tips and link to business blogs
• MIT Sloan Review

• Business plan:
• More than a business plan it needs a market analysis (simple: Google, ask  for information and feedback wherever you go. Test your product before you do it). Niche! Segment market!
• Start slim. Favour contractual relations:
• Don't have employees
• Don't have co-owners
• Own 100% as long as possible
• Worst: 50%-50% due to lack of decision power
• Write your business plan like you want to sell your business
• Elevator pitch - brief and clarity of ideas
• Don't overestimate revenue and don't underestimate costs
• Write then get feedback - test it before you implement it
• Bring an idea from outside - if you can copy, don't reinvent the wheel
• Define your product, your market, your network, your selling and your growth strategy
• Don't stick with the business plan but have it handy as a baseline

• Credibility:
• Most important: business today is done based on trust
• Built in time
• Who is your mentor and who is your advisor? Board of trustees.
• People you want to know always talk to you when you are a student. When you are in business, they think you want to sell something - the true value of an MBA is access to these people.
• How to build and maintain credibility:
• Keep people informed of what you do. Send emails from time to time to cultivate relations, not necessary to ask for something.
• Send information that might be useful to them
• Say thank you
• Reply immediately to emails and phone calls
• Send emails to people after you meet them

"Tell me what you have done and who you are associated with and I'll tell you who you are".

• Money:
• Cultivate relations with bankers and lawyers.
• More important than a refusal is to know why you were refused. Ask for feedback.
• Sources of money:
• Personal funding
• Angel investment
• Venture Capital
• Banks

• Think big and global:
• How would it transform your business by growing it not by 30% but by 1000% or 10000%. Bringing ideas to the extreme reveals marginal forces and ideas one may not take into consideration. Forces prioritization.
• The world is not only Romania or Western Europe. It is also USA, the Arab countries, Russia, China, India, Japan, South America, Africa. How can we extend to these countries? Distant worlds may need my expertise more than the people around me.

3. Personal traits:

• Self disciplined

• Curious. Quick learner.

• Writes ideas down - get into the habit of writing down everything you think about. Plan your week, plan your day, plan your next year. In writing. Write names. Calendar meetings and activities. Ideas. Catalogue sources of information. 

• Thinker and doer - think first and prototype quick. Rework. Incorporate feedback. Prototype and deliver something fast.
• Who are my early adopters?
• Who can benefit immediately? (company / person)
• Develop in collaboration

• Courageous

• Passionate

• Forward thinker: how can this concept work without me? 

• Servant mentality: not what I want to do but how can my business help others? This gives purpose which, in terms, helps people self propel in times of hesitation. It helps define the mission which, in terms, is the goal for strategy and tactics and a major motivation factor. Who are we? - What is my motivation? Leader = agent of change.

4. True value of an MBA:

• Understand the language of business
• Know and network with business people who wouldn't talk to you unless you are a student
• Create mental models for reality checks

And since we also took pictures there, here is another one:

Bran, Romania

What Means to Be Sure of Yourself

Yesterday I was putting my papers in order when I stumbled upon some notes I wrote during a leadership training I participated in few years ago. It was about what it means to be sure of yourself. I thought I'd share them with you as a short sum-up of the subject.

A person sure of herself:

• Speaks loud and clear
• Expresses his feelings
• Expresses her wishes loud and clear
• An unspoken wish does not exist.
• An unsure person is afraid to express his wishes because of fear of criticism or refusal.
• Knows how to say NO
• Personal note: I've discovered that it is much easier to say NO when you are prepared. By that, I mean you know your objectives and you have a course charted to accomplish them. If you have a plan, it's easier to estimate your resources and availability and whether what you are asked to do benefits you as well. 
• Is capable of criticism
• Positive statement + criticism
• Express emotion + criticism
• Express solutions + criticism
• Descriptive and precise
• Reacts positively to criticism
• Criticism is seen as information
• Asks for more details and rephrases to make sure he understands
• Asks for advice
• Expresses her emotions when critics is overwhelming
• Can decide whether to use the other person as mentor
• Allows himself to make mistakes
• Any mistake is seen as an experience that can be overtaken
• Any mistake does not say about me that I've embarrassed myself forever
• Is capable of asking for help
• Only the strong ones ask for help
• Hiding a weakness and not asking for help attracts attention
• Is capable of self-presentation
• Visual contact, distance between individuals, movement, speed of speech, loudness of speech, content of speech

As a side note, all the above traits transcend the One Minute Manager's story:

http://www.amazon.com/Minute-Manager-Ph-D-Kenneth-Blanchard/dp/0425098478

How To Make a Successful Game?

There are two conditions for a successful game

• basic, implicit requirement: the game hits the shelves
• the game is fun enough for enough people to buy it and make it profitable

The fun part is, in term, defined by quality and gameplay:

• Few bugs, no showstoppers
• Smooth game experience, accessibility, gradual learning curve, no unnecessary frustration
• Minimum workload for the player
• High quality audio and render, beautiful landscapes, credible animations and behaviors
  
• Interesting setting, meaning, learning value
• And many more

There are also many more variables, conditions and restriction like, budgets, sales forecast, tough competition, marketing, distribution, etc... How do we achieve all that? It may seem impossible at first but some people just do it. For a successful game to be produced, a series of skills and roles must be defined and assumed. It's not only a one man's show as it was in the early 80's but rather a team effort, based on creativity, technical skills, organizational skills, artistic vision, communication and, above all, passion for the job and strive for self improvement.

The game core team usually consists of:

• a producer (project manager)
• an associate producer
• an art director (gives the unity in terms of looks and the overall artistic direction of the game)
• a creative director (handles the core gameplay mechanics, responsible with the fun element)
• a lead game designer (manages the game design team)
• a lead game programmer (manages the game programming team)
• graphic team leader (manages the graphic team)

These people are responsible for the project, each with his own role and expertise. It's not only them, it's actually the whole team but these guys are generally accountable. They must be, by default, highly motivated and have full faith in project. These guys should explain to the team the means and the purpose of what they do, be convincing and also be a role model for each and every other team member. They are the leaders, they provide the vision and the organizational framework for the project and so, they are not allowed to disrupt the team in any way, they must be coherent in their actions and coordinate among themselves accordingly and must have the talent to ignite passion in the rest. A negative behavior is not tolerated in front of the men. They must understand not only the fun element of a game but also the business requirements and adapt their actions accordingly.

Foot note:

There are two main things that must be taken into account when building a game:

• complete it and mitigate risk
• strive for new, for fun

These must be kept in balance for the project to succeed. The first part is mandatory and is more traditional: "define tasks, deadlines, complete them in time" the other part comes from the team (core or not) and their passion. If the passion is not there, the game will not be a success even if it is completed in time and has only a few bugs. (actually, if the passion is not there, the game will also not be completed in time because it's just too much work to be done and too many challenges on the way). So passion is the key ingredient in this business.

Leader Role, Manager Position In the Team

Leader

A leader is someone who is capable of developing a solution for a given problem and be able to do whatever is necessary to implement it. He must be able to act with courage and with the company values in mind. He must always have a proactive, optimistic attitude but should also be pragmatic in terms of risks and plans. He should genuinely believe and always make sure that his personal interest is in line with that of the company. He should be able to motivate people and have enough people skills as to make others follow him not by the means of force but by good will. He should be able to convince people to trust and follow him and not let them down. The role of a leader (formal or informal) should always be a positive one – he is the one who makes things happen.

A Jack Welch Story

The following story is allegedly attributed to Jack Welch and, therefore I will presume the same.

A manager comes to Jack to ask for help in a delicate matter. Jack joyfully offers his assistance but warns his subordinate that the next time he/she comes in with a problem he/she will be fired. "Why?", asks the employee stupefied. Jack answers: "You are hired here to solve problems not to report them to me. It may happen that you ran into something that you can't handle by yourself but such a problem is unlikely to occur more than once in your career here so I'm more than glad to help you. But if it happens more than once though, it means that you are not that good and maybe we can find somebody who does better."

While Jack surely is quite radical in his approach, he has a good point. A manager who goes to his superior whenever he encounters a more difficult situation is a weak manager. He/she has no intrinsic value on his own. Leadership comes from the ability to solve problems and not forward them up the hierarchy. I'm not implying that he/she should hide things or be afraid of consequences of his own actions. I'm not implying either that he/she should never ask for advice or even help. What I'm saying is that, if he/she always feels the need to go "upstairs" for interventions than he/she should seriously ask himself/herself - "Am I really adding value to the enterprise?" And one more thing: if you need to go to your superior, BE PREPARED! Make sure that you have all the answers to all the questions, that you have perfect arguments, discuss them with somebody first. Otherwise you will only make a fool of yourself.

BTW, (Jack Welch in Romania)

http://www.standard.ro/articol_45402/jack_welch__romanii_nu_pot_ajunge_in_tinerete_manageri_in_vest.html

http://www.standard.ro/articol_46708/exclusiv_tmc___jack_welch__credem_ca_oamenii_incearca_cu_disperare_sa_reuseasca.html

http://www.standard.ro/articol_46800/jack_welch__catre_top_manageri__de_ce_este_atractiva_romania.html

Knowledge Transfer

Knowledge transfer, information and change should be communicated in a way that will not trigger people's natural defense mechanism and resistance. Ideally, it should be demonstrated by practice and coaching and introduced gradually (however, that is not always possible). The process should also have a human, personal touch. Bombarding people with documents, links, articles, plans is a dangerous way to go. If too much information is presented at once, especially in an impersonal form (email, for instance), it never gets read or understood and, a priori, is considered a threat or something that is worth resisting to or, in most cases, a useless managerial caprice. Change is easier to implement if the team is prepared in time, by sending those documents way in advance and request comments on them, by talking about the advantages and issues, by asking questions to identify possible threats and bottlenecks (no, you don't know everything and everyone has a valid point of view), by fostering learning and identifying and naming issues with the present setup. Talk, be personal, ask, understand what others are saying and remember that knowledge transfer should always be bidirectional.

Project Constraints

Every manager knows that, given the quality-deadline-budget constraints, sooner or later he needs to "adjust" one in order to complete the project within the other two - especially if they are tight. Every project should find an acceptable balance between the three, a balance based on a trade-off limit established with the involved parties before the slippage occurs.

A question each PM should ask is: "In the most likely case that something goes wrong, what are my limits? What can I adjust?" The deadline and budget being rather fixed, given the market window opportunity and the sales forecast, is it quality then? It shouldn't be, as long as the quality target is within the application domain (e.g. no military constraints for a domestic use). Especially in our times of crisis and fluid markets - community sites, experts within reach, reviews, high competition-, lowering the standards of the product could mean a major drop in sales, or, even worse, brand compromise.

There is, however, an escape - the number of features. I can almost certainly say about every software project that is has at least one not-so-needed function that can be dropped off in case of emergency. What is there to do then? Well, I think the key word is prioritize: selecting that set of features that constitutes the core, that set that defines your project and makes it stand out of the crowd. These should be quite a few and be given the highest priority. Assigning a lower priority to the others, based upon business value and duration and making sure that you can complete the core and do as much of the rest as possible, without compromising integrity and quality should do.

As a rule of thumb: always try to make sure that a complete and coherent working product can be delivered at the highest acceptable standards, no matter what happens, and that all the stakeholders understand and agree with the compromises. And one important thing to remember: late cuts lead to inconsistencies, therefore cutting is something that must be prepared in advance. Ideally, all the times, the product should be coherent and marketable.

The Broken Window Effect

A broken window - not a notable event by itself but, if not fixed soon enough, might lead to the idea that the owners don't care. If that's the case, eventually another window gets broken or some graffiti is painted on the walls. Later, it spreads throughout the entire neighborhood. The criminality rate starts to raise and the community collapses. A dramatic scenario that is quite unlikely to occur if there weren't already hidden tensions beneath the peaceful surface but the point is that, if an issue is left unfixed, things are much likely to start degrading exponentially. Imagine a car parked in the street. It can stay there for months left untouched but, once somebody breaks one of its windows or punctures a tire, the car is soon vandalized: all windows are broken, beggars start using it as a place to spend their nights, all valuable parts are stolen and it becomes a wreck in no time.

Smaller scale, personal life, common example: it is easy to wash the dishes immediately after dinner but, once you leave them in the kitchen sink unwashed, new dishes will start to gather there and it will be more difficult and unpleasant for you to wash them. A dirty car, uncompleted jobs are just the same. It is easy to maintain things in proper shape but, once you loose track of them, they start to multiply and then it is more difficult to put them back in order - with really bad possible consequences: lack of motivation, depression, loss of productivity and a sense of incompleteness, affecting your mood, your job, your relationships.

In software development, sloppy code maintenance can lead to disaster. It all stars with the inability to enforce coding rules or standards, a too permissive architecture and a lead programmer that does not validate code - either because he / she is too tired, under too much pressure or just doesn't care. Failure to maintain a good code quality is a clear sign that the project is slipping and every programmer will start hacking his way through the source or impose his personal view on things, leading to bugs and spaghetti code. Once this state of things installs, it triggers an acute loss of motivation in every team member, the feeling that the project is loosing track that, in turn, leads to a great decrease in productivity. People become unhappy with their jobs, soon fights start to happen and some might even start looking for something else. Again, a snowball effect.

Points I'd like to make:

• Little things can get amplified and have really bad consequences if not properly recognized and managed.
• Problems left unfixed generate a feeling that "no one cares" and weight that will, eventually, lead to bigger problems.
• Taking care of issues when they first manifest is the easiest way to stay fit.
  

The subject is somehow analyzed, among other very interesting topics, in "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference", written by Malcolm Gladwell - published in Romania by the "Publica" print house.

An interesting article on the subject is also "http://www.ambiguous.org/robin/word/brokenwindows.html"

Innovation

One of the key ingredients that pushes a company or a product in the elite group is constant innovation. This applies to game development more than anything else because, in this industry, the winner takes it all and seldom it happens that a game that is not innovative sells.

How do we generate innovation, then? The process is tightly linked with a small resistance to change. It can only be embraced in a team that has constant improvement and self challenge as its core values. Innovation appears in teams made of professionals who are involved in the project beyond their current task. Innovation comes from inside those who spots a potential issue and propose a solution - even if the proposition cannot be applied directly, any idea, if spoken, can generate a cognitive process in someone else that might lead to something. It is a rare resource and it should be carefully managed and highly appreciated. It can be triggered only by sustaining a sense of friendship among the team members. It can be triggered by inviting team members to speak even if the subject is not necessary tied to their job description.

Constant brainstorming is a key process but innovation also comes from inside everyone - inner motivation and personal initiative being its traits. As lead, one should always take care people are not afraid to speak their thoughts. Innovation also comes from respect and the ability to actively listen to others - those who think too highly of themselves are less creative because they stopped listening. Everyone should know that their opinions are taken in consideration seriously.

Innovation needs time and, most of the time, it is an iterative process: an idea leads to a prototype, then again and again and then to the final product. People should have time to think and understand their role and the project, and, as a result, it will lead to something novel. However, care should be taken not to get lost in an infinite creative loop and never finish ;)

The Team

The team is not an amorphous mass. It is made up of people, each of them unique in his own way with his own values, beliefs and experiences. It is made up of Serban, Mihai, Dragos, Marius, Cristi and so on. A team leader should preserve and cherish individuality. He should not think of his team to as a pool of resources that is there to complete given tasks but rather how to help each member express his ideas and allow each and everyone to participate in the project creatively. He should find ways to involve people and and let them do their jobs as they see fit. Rather than imposing his point of view, he should strive to generate consistency from all points of view and maintain the project heading forward. This is especially true for game development, an industry that focuses on fun and, since fun is a subjective matter in most cases, more opinions are always welcome. Treating each person as an individuality has, potentially, the following benefits:

• People are more motivated if they feel its their project they build and not a series of unrelated taks
• The outcome is better since it is the mediated value of many opinions
• People work better if they feel that they mean something in the team and see the importance of their job
• People understand better what is required because they are directly involved
• A sense of friendship occurs from many people working together towards a common goal
• Knowledge is spread within the team
• Know-how is put to better use since everyone finds his place within the team and the project
• People end up liking what they do and develop a sense of confidence, leadership and attachment to the project
• Generates better visibility of the team members outside the team, to upper management
  

A common pitfall is getting lost in details and endless meetings but this can be properly managed and its the duty of the team leader to make sure the project is not stalling. A lead or manager should never forget that is the team who builds the project and not himself.

Working With Junior Engineers

During the last four months I had the pleasure of having some new, junior programmers in my team. Working with them, I realized the enormous benefit of inner motivation. While well trained, they also posses a proactive state of mind that pushes them forward at an incredible pace. I hope that, next time I feel close to loosing my motivation I will remember the following lessons:

• Competency is not necessary related to experience (especially in IT) - there are a lot of highly trained junior engineers outhere!
  
• Constant learning and willingness to self improve is the only way to keep pace with the freshmen.
• Inner motivation is extremely important. Young people have it and its helping them achieve things that some may think only a senior can do.
• It is easier to work with junior engineers because they want to learn and to demonstrate what they are capable of (again inner motivation)
• In a team it is good to have the right balance between seniority and juniority. Senior and junior people tend to complement each other - while the first have the skills the others have the motivation. Junior engineers will inject energy and will increase the motivation of seniors. On the other hand, juniors will have some to learn from to achieve a higher skill level faster.
• Proactiveness is pushing things forward and its one of those key ingredients that we don't ever want to loose.
• Since it is not (most of the time) possible to have a team made up of only senior engineers, juniors can prove a valuable choice especially if the company is also interested in investing in people and future projects
  
• A project can fail if not enough senior resources are assigned to it - due to lack of expertise