YAP2APE Yet Another Preaching to Achieving Personal Excellence

1
YAP2APEYet Another Preaching to Achieving
Personal Excellence

• In Context of participating in Linux and open
  source community

2
Our Balances Contradictions

• Craftsman vs. Swanky salary/ Prestigious job
• Glamour vs. guts gore
• BHAG vs. Incremental results
• Complete solutions vs. Quick fixes
• Elegance vs. Reuse
• Depth vs. Breadth
• Staying technical vs. becoming managerial
• Work solo (complete control) vs. Team play (1 1
  11)

3
How to achieve balance

• In real life - Each versus choice (0 or 1) is
  actually a balance.
• Explore ors thru relative proportions of and
• Any shade of grey x black y white
• Amazing fact Ask an older person on how often
  her (earlier thought of) either-or choice was
  an and and be surprised !
• To straddle an and instead of an or, more
  capability is required
• Sheer bandwidth
• Additional competence
• Tolerance for ambiguity
• Personal Excellence is the path (to create more
  capability)

4
Pillars of Personal Excellence

• Involving Head there are 2 sides
• Solution domain a.k.a. technology driven
• Problem domain a.k.a. customer driven
• Involving Heart again there are 2 sides
• Connecting to community
• Finding (and chasing) personal passion(s)
• Involving Hands if there was 1 side, Id look
• Getting head heart ( hands) involved
• Getting results

5
Involving head solution domain

• Essential theme Have hammer. Get me nails!
• Hammer 1 More breadth lurkers on freshmeat,
  sourceforge net surfers
• Hammer 2 More depth Craftsmanship
• Hammer 3 Latest is best (retro to Hammer 1)
• Other Hammers
• Already happens to great extent
• Neither good or bad by itself
• Depth does matter
• If you were the package, what else come
  packaged with it?

6
My 0.02

• Chase craftsmanship

7
Involving head problem domain

• If you dont know where you are headed, no road
  is good enough. Do you?
• If you climbed the ladder faster and better than
  anyone, youd be sure to succeed provided your
  ladder was leaning against the right wall?
• It is not only the what, it is also how much. Can
  I change the world by 1000 AM tomorrow?
• If only there was a surefire pole star at least
  for day to day problems
• Spend sufficient time in problem domain
• Build expertise in problem domain, as also in
  solution domain

8
A Framework for understanding the Problem Domain

• Who is my (are) customer(s) ?
• even if community is customer, a real face helps
• What is important to (each of) customer(s) ? What
  is not ?
• What does the problem solver require in turn
• against all impossible odds should happen only
  in movies
• Therefore - Identify pre requisites
• Golden rule Pre requisites Effort Solved
  Problem
• Working the golden rule Iterate between the 3 to
  balance
• Pre requisites can bring in additional support,
  buy decisions etc.
• Effort plans are impacted by staffing,
  motivation, schedules
• Boundary of a problem can be changed for
  doability. Also interims
• LHS of golden rule is solution domain
• Favorite hammers ? can be applied

9
My 0.02

• Chase customers

10
Involving heart community connect

• Most meaningful real life problems are complex
• Require multiple skill sets and specialties
• Sheer amount of work is too much for one person
• Needs ongoing support and attention in some form
• Imagine running a relay race without the baton
• All creation, first requires learning
• Best way to learn is together
• The acid test of learning is teaching
• It is not only the knowledge per-se learn to
  persuade/ listen/ see patterns

11
My 0.02

• Join a community to solve problems or learn

12
Involving heart Chasing Passion

• Yesterdays logic (In your own life) Think back
  to times when you were most alive. Think also of
  times when you were chasing (some) purpose. Are
  they the same?
• Todays logic What kind of people do you admire?
  Do they have a sense of purpose? A sense of
  passion?
• Tomorrows logic You may be passionate today.
  Will you be passionate in 10 years from now? In
  30 years from now? For only such passion will
  lead to critical mass

13
My 0.02

• Find (and chase) your purpose

14
Finding your purpose (some thoughts)

• If you have a hunch, act! (and check it out)
• If you dont have a hunch make a list of 50
  things you want to do before you die and on (a
  few of) them act!
• No one else also had the purpose all well defined
  and handed out on a platter (and yet called it
  her own)
• Usually purpose aligns all of head, hands and
  heart. If there is fundamental misalignment set
  it right!

15
My 0.02

• Above all else Act!

16
Involving hands Getting Results

• Shelves all over the world are littered with
  uncompleted projects
• Genius is 99 perspiration
• Results serve a triple purpose
• Milestones on intended achievement can be put to
  use
• Clarify intent and make mid-course readjustments
• Reinforcement to self and other sponsors
• Consciously pick low hanging fruit by considering
  impact (on targeted customer) and doability (by
  self)

17
My 0.02

• Results matter

18
Finally, Free Advise Summarizedto be taken with
a pinch of salt

• Chase craftsmanship
• Chase customers
• Join a community to solve problems or learn
• Find (and chase) your purpose
• Above all else Act!
• Results matter