Compassion is the key to effective communication.

Compassion is the key to effective communication.

Welcome to the nineteenth issue of Zero to Hero Highlights.

It’s a new year and a new issue. I’m still recovering from the long break, and ideas are a bit fragmented in my mind. So I’ll leave them that way and jot down whatever comes to mind. It’s the first issue of the year after all 🙂.

Zero to Prod in Half an Hour

I started the year with a video lecture series about how you can deploy a production-ready web application in half an hour.

I have ~15 lectures. I’ve published two of them already. And I’m planning to publish 2-3 lessons every week depending on my workload.

Zero to prod.

Zero to prod.

FizzBuzz Pro

While, on the topic of FizzBuzz Pro, there is a lot planned for FizzBuzz Pro.

In the next few weeks, I want to focus on the infrastructure. Then, once the web app has a minimally-viable feature set, I’ll circle back to adding more competitive programming questions and learning resources there.

Stay tuned.

GopherCon Was Awesome 🎉

Here are the slides and an the source code of my recent GopherCon talk on Cloud Native Identity Federation.

Here is a video recording of the demo I made there too:

🤘 SPIRE Rocks 🤘

Random Thought of the Week

Here are some random thoughts. I don’t have a theme; I’m writing as it comes to mind. Yet, I’m sure you’ll find something useful out of them.

Here we go…

Equating Innovation to Throughput

There’s a misperception that innovative teams are quick decision-makers. That’s not always true: Sometimes the best ideas require long incubation periods.

Sometimes resisting the temptation to “move fast” can lead to more far-reaching and creative solutions.

Have an Open Mind

Creative thinking is a mentally taxing process. As a leader, you should pay close attention to how new ideas are shared and discussed between your teammates.

Encourage people to build upon each other’s ideas instead of flat-out criticizing them. Approach ideas with an open mind; acknowledge what’s practical and improve what appears weak.

Give People Space to Think Alone

While group brainstorming feels more productive because of the social amplification factor, it’s not always the best way to come up with ideas.

If the problem is complex, you may want to let people think about it for five-ten minutes before discussing the idea. Then you can ideate independently without being sidetracked by others’ thoughts can be helpful. After five minutes of self-ideation, you can go on group brainstorming as usual.

Try it, and you’ll feel the difference.

Listen Intently

While it might sound like a cliché, there is one golden rule in communication: “ Treat others the way you want to be treated.“—actively listen to people around you. If you can hear them with an open mind and willingness to learn, not only you’ll become wiser, but you’ll also become better equipped to help them.

Whenever you are about to talk to someone in the team, step back a moment. Ask yourself: What might be going on with them? Would they need any kind of support other than the technical project you are working with? Leadership requires compassion.

Motivate people to become a better version of themselves:

When you see that someone is doing good enough, you might feel that pushing them to learn more or to do more can be discouraging. Instead, reframe that thought as an indication that you care about them and want them to be better. When you think that way, challenging people to grow (within reason) is consequentially an act of kindness.

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 🦄.

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