Episode 3

Last updated Sep 4, 2022 Edit Source

Topics 

1:48 - How does career advancement affect work/life balance? 

• Listen to  Packet Pushers Episode 369 – Work / Life Balance in IT 

• Does work / life balance exist? 

• How do John and Nick define the concept of work / life balance differently? 

  • Departments operating shorthanded can cause imbalance. 

  • See Scott Alan Miller’s article  The Smallest IT Department. 

• In the podcast above, Greg Farrow says work / life balance of an individual could be a byproduct of the company using subpar products (software, hardware, etc.). 

  • Low product cost does NOT equal fragile. 

  • High product cost does NOT equal bulletproof. 

  • Having overworked employees impacts business financials by contributing to turnover. 

    • Do we properly track this and communicate it up the chain, especially for salaried employees? 

• Career advancement often means taking on more responsibility. 

  • Does career advancement throw off work / life balance temporarily or indefinitely? 

  • Be aware of the ramp up time in a new role. 

  • Know the roles and responsibilities of your current job before taking on a promotion / change in role at the same company 

  • Listen to Dom Delfino’s philosophy as a manager and how it changed when moving away from individual contributor. 

    • Geek Whisperers Episode 121 – The Domolosophy of Leadership with Dom Delfino 

• What does Nick have to say about work / life balance after just a few weeks at VMware? 

• How does PTO plays into work / life balance? 

• Does loving what you do mean it’s ok to work all the time? 

29:32 Tweetwatch 

• https://twitter.com/malhoit/status/939374550160216065 

What do you guys think about getting away from the hero / rockstar worship in the tech industry?  We’re all just people. 

• Who is Lauren Malhoit? 

  • Cisco Blog Biography 

  • Datanauts Episode 82 – The Path to Automation and Coding for Ops Teams 

  • Co-host of the  Tech Village Podcast 

• Some folks are well-known / very successful in the technology field (blogging, podcasting, speaking at conferences, large impact radius, etc.). 

  • Often we want to look smart when speaking to these people, but that may not be the best approach. 

  • Putting people up on a pedestal is not helpful.  Be appreciative of others for doing things to help you / the larger community. 

  • Everyone started somewhere.  Listen to  Virtually Speaking Podcast #64 and  Duncan Epping’s first public speaking experience. 

  • What is John’s strategy for connecting with people in the community who have made helpful contributions? 

  • John’s  Wade Holmes anecdote.