People talk about networking as an important career activity or skill. But they don’t usually define what it is, or tell you how to do it. Many people dread the idea, and/or fear that they’re being left behind. Do you have to pretend to like people? Do social extroverts reap all the benefits? Is it even moral/fair?

My thoughts on the value you get from mentoring and being mentored, and how to make the most of it.

Once you’ve built up some seniority, you start asking yourself: should I go into management? Will I be good at it? Will I enjoy it? What does a manager do, anyway?

To tell you the truth, I collect people. I can’t help it. I love you all too much to let go. I don’t hoard my treasure like a dragon. I fling it into the sky and share it with everyone. You all are my stars. You light up my life. You glow and I cannot…… Continue reading My Twinkling Stars

Today a technical fellow (a very senior individual contributor, or IC) and I gave a talk to our org titled “What’s My Manager Thinking? A guide to working better with leadership and leading as an individual contributor.” It was fun, and among the questions we didn’t have time to answer was this one: “Can you…… Continue reading There and Back Again: going back and forth between manager and IC