Nine-to-Five? I Don't Think So

Welcome to the thirteenth issue of Zero to Hero Highlights.

I was on a much-needed family vacation, so it took a while to get back on track, but I did many cool things in the meantime.

Without further ado, here are the last two weeks’ highlights.

All Your Ops Belong to Us

This is a biggie.

A couple of years ago, with a group of friends and colleagues, we jumped into a startup adventure called OpsBeacon. The main goal of OpsBeacon is to help the Ops and Support teams’ days turn a little bit brighter and help them #sleepmore at night.

OpsBeacon: The future of ops is autonomous.

I was the lead architect of the project and had the chance to try changing the world. I worked with the brightest minds, the most practical thinkers, and the most creative problem solvers I’ve had an opportunity to work with.

Anyhoo, life happened. Things get dragged along. And we decided to put the project on hold for a while.

Well, good news. OpsBeacon is back, and it’s moving full steam ahead.

And I’m delighted to have the opportunity to lead and mentor the team again.

Keep an eye on OpBeacon. You’ll hear more about them from other industry experts and from me because they have the will, knowledge, skills, and decades of accumulated field experience to change the world. And they will do so.

Go Beacons 🤘.

Synestethisia Anyone?

Update 2024-05-27
Radio Zero to Hero is no longer active. I’ve archived the project a while ago because keeping a stream alive without actually hosting the stream did not work well on Twitch. In addition, I was constantly using a lot of system resources and it was effecting the device’s life span.

I’ve updated Radio ZeroToHero to display AI-generated images based on the music that’s being played.

Experience Synesthesia on Radio Zero to Hero

It’s a mesmerizing experience. Come check it out.

Aside
I also started a YouTube channel called Synesthetic Arrangements where I’m using the same visualization concept on piano pieces that I play.
It’s so much fun combining art, technology, IA, and visualization. Plus, it motivates me sit on the bench and practice piano further. I’m liking it so far.

FizzBuzz Pro

I’m mostly done with the “identity management” APIs.

More videos and articles to come. I will also create more articles and use-case videos down the line. Stay tuned.

What’s on the Horizon 👩‍🍳

Here are the first few priorities that I have.

Make Everything Seamless and Streamlined

For example, if I want to be live stream what I’m doing right now, it should not take. No more than a few clicks. Which, apparently, I can do it right now 😄.

Zero to Hero live stream as I'm typing these lines.

I have a second “streamer” machine connected to my work computer. I can switch from the “synesthetic radio” mode, to “live stream my desktop” in mere seconds. No preparation is necessary.

I’ll also create an article about that entire setup, but that’s the story of a different day.

Finalize FizzBuzz Pro APIs

The APIs that are waiting to be completed are

Question/Answer endpoints
Subscription/Stripe integration

And that’s pretty much it. Once these tasks are done, I can focus on the UI of the application.

Help OpsBeacon in Total World Domination

Total world domination… in a good way. I’m sure it’ll be an fantastic journey. And I’m fully supporting the team.

🤘 Go Beacons 🤘.

But yeah, these are my top three focuses in the short term.

Random Thought of the Week

Nine-to-Five? I Don’t Think So

Move away from the nine-to-five culture: It’s outdated, it’s disappearing, and it does not make sense in a global and connected world. Instead, shape your work around your life, not the other way around.

What’s important is to get work done promptly, with good quality. When, how, and where you get that work done should be up to you.

If you are leading people, focus on outcomes, not the processes. Explain your desired results, and set clear goals, roadmaps, and expectations.

Of course, there will be occasions where people will need to be together—physically or virtually—simultaneously. Yet, some of them can be decided on an ad-hoc basis. And if there is an event (like an “all-hands”) that everyone has to be present, it should be clearly expressed to the teams to know how flexible their times are

But other than that, leave the work to those who know how to do the job. You are leading grown adults; the company is not a daycare.

One last thing, make clear agreements around how you use the technology to stay together. So people understand expectations of the online presence requirements, the possible response times, and how urgent issues requiring immediate action are handled.

Disagreement is Okay

As a leader, you have to encourage people around you to handle **differences **, respect one another, listen, and learn.

But how? Here are a few suggestions.

Build an awareness of other’s views. Encourage sharing each others’ stories, mistakes, and vulnerabilities. The only way to build understanding and respect is through everyday interactions.

Welcome differences in opinions. Lead by example: Admit that you don’t know everything and have an open mind to alternative points of view.

Accept mistakes with grace and humility. People may avoid conversations for fear of saying the wrong thing or being misunderstood. Encourage that asking dumb questions and making mistakes are totally okay. Give your teammates the benefit of the doubt.

Disagree without being a jackass. Be clear that it’s fine to debate as long as the conversation doesn’t turn into a flamewar of “I’m right” and “You’re wrong”, Truth can coexist. Moreover, you don’t have to accept someone’s belief to understand and respect it.

Look What I’ve Found

Here are the things that grabbed my attention this week.

I typically don’t share these anywhere else.

Exclusively hand-picked for you 👌. Enjoy.

Thanks a Lot ❤️

That’s all for this week. Next week, I’ll gather more unique content and resources.

So, until next time… May the source be with you 🦄.