It is often said that software development and knowledge work is invisible work.

But as a leader, if you do not see it — how can you improve it? “Going to the Gemba” is one method.

As an agile solutions consultant, I help solve problems in technology-focused companies by looking for ways process change can positively impact an organization and its people. I have the privilege of working with clients in multiple industries, across the globe. …

by Mark Anthony, Senior Technical Writer

At Kenzan and its parent company Amdocs, I work every day with cloud architects, software developers, and other technology experts who specialize in digital transformation. As a technical writer, my job is to make sure the amazing solutions our team members design come across clearly to our clients and with full impact.

More and more these days, our teams and clients are globally distributed. So I often find myself working with both readers and writers for whom English is a Second Language (ESL). I also have to think about making sure the documents we…

This is the sixth post in a multi-part series about Radical Candor and authenticity in the workplace. To start at the beginning, check out the first post in the series.

It’s been a little over a year since I was introduced to Radical Candor, though in COVID times it seems perhaps more like a decade. The book and the practice have helped me level up in ways I hadn’t anticipated, led to conversations I wouldn’t have expected, and given me tools to help me understand myself and my communities more clearly and deeply.

When I first started this journey, I…

This is the fifth post in a multi-part series about Radical Candor and authenticity in the workplace. To start at the beginning, check out the first post in the series.

On the left tail of the COVID-19 bell curve (which maybe we are still in, which is horrifying), when many white collar workers were making moves to work from home for a period of time, I was pretty sure I knew what it would look like. I had, after all, worked from home and far away from my colleagues for 9 years at my last company. I had successfully led…

While it’s a proven fact that diversity is great for business, less than 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. The statistics are considerably lower in STEM. Exasperated grimace.

How do we disrupt this inequality?

As a woman-led organization and as believers in the value of inclusivity, we solicited advice from a few of our female / non-binary peers on achieving success in the STEM field. Our questions ranged from perspectives on career growth to lessons learned, and aim to inspire women along their professional journey. As female contributors, we hope you get the same resolve from these responses as we did.

Happy International Women’s Day! What professional achievement are you most proud of?

• “Earning my degree. Back then girls weren’t supposed to be engineers. I was the only…

This is the fourth post in a multi-part series about Radical Candor and authenticity in the workplace. To start at the beginning, check out the first post in the series.

If you look at photos from me at 10, I don’t look all that different from today, down to the haircut. A little more grey, and a little (though let’s be honest, not that much) taller. But then as now, unwilling to conform much to mainstream standards.

During my whole career — starting at 7 with apron strings dragging behind me in my parents’ pastry shop, through my years in…

This is the third post in a multi-part series about Radical Candor and authenticity in the workplace. To start at the beginning, check out the first post in the series.

I am a deep believer in personal accountability and in servant leadership, and these two things dovetail nicely. I’ve spent the last 10 years mildly obsessed with evolving as a manager. I’ve looked at what I’ve loved (or not) about the ways I’ve been mentored and managed, and how I can leverage those learnings for the folks I work with today. Along the way, I’ve cast aside what I see…

This is the second post in a multi-part series about Radical Candor and authenticity in the workplace. To start at the beginning, check out the first post in the series.

When I first saw the Radical Candor chart, I was both embarrassed and enlightened. I am, more often than I’d like to admit, bent downward on the scale toward Obnoxious Aggression.

I will also admit that it felt sort of satisfying to hear that it’s the second-best option (but clearly in the distance to, rather than on the heels of, Radical Candor).

Caring Personally and Challenging Directly seem like great…