Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Cloud Migration: A Journey In Visibility, Communication, & Regulation

A cloud transformation was needed to address the problems caused by an architectural decision to create independent “stacks” of systems for each development feature. This had resulted in hundreds of systems that needed to be managed, draining infrastructure resources. A three-step plan was proposed to present the largely unknown problem to a few hundred people, deal with the concerns of the development teams, and introduce cloud capabilities into the organization. The key lesson learned was that when dealing with complexity, teams need to be empowered to solve the problems and communication channels need to be opened up.

Building a Gender-Balanced Engineering Team

In order to build a gender-balanced engineering team, a company had to reconsider their entire recruiting and hiring process. This included sourcing from different places, changing the interview process, and providing better employee support. Lessons learned from this experience include the need to analyse talent acquisition strategies, hiring process, and employment benefits with an emphasis on thinking outside of the traditional male-oriented engineering hiring mentality, as well as seeking advice from those who have successfully staffed their engineering teams with a balanced approach.

Insights on Diversity and Inclusion

This article discusses the need for diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the practical steps that can be taken to achieve this. The author outlines their goals to improve diversity and inclusion, such as balancing the recruitment funnel, creating special experiences for diversity candidates, and fostering a culture of inclusion and respect. They also discuss the importance of measuring the impact of their efforts and the lessons they have learned.

How to Lead your Leaders

When expectations are not met, people can become frustrated and complacent, leading to a lack of collaboration and progress. To prevent this, it is important to be aware of the possibility to lead your leaders, recognize that everyone is on the same team, and communicate your needs to your superiors. It is also important to remove the hurdles that cause people to wait around and explain the why to both the team and leadership.

From Big Tech to Startup: Adding Value From Day 1

When transitioning from a large tech company to a startup, one must be prepared for a different set of rules and structures. Tasks such as creating a hiring process, building data infrastructure, and coordinating user research must be done, and the mindset must shift from data-driven to insights-driven. To be successful in a startup, one must add value from day one, develop processes, leverage their network, and outsource non-core tasks. Additionally, one must be careful not to recommend major changes while still new and focus on team relations to impact delivery.

Becoming Aware of and Accounting for Personal Bias

Unconscious bias can be a problem in the hiring process, and it is important to be aware of and challenge it. To remove bias, it is important to identify talent specifically and to consider how candidates align with company values. Additionally, it is important to be aware of the language used in job postings and to seek out guidance from colleagues from different backgrounds.