Mike Dent

Lessons from trying to be Agile in a Waterfall industry

Nine months ago my journey led me back into R&D in the life sciences industry, working with (amongst other things) software in a medical setting. The healthcare industry is clearly heavily regulated. Moving from releasing web products several times a week to software that’s released a few times a year (if you’re lucky) has beenContinue reading “Lessons from trying to be Agile in a Waterfall industry”

Why we should think before labelling someone as a millennial

My degree was in astrophysics. When I mentioned that I studied astronomy to people, the response, “can you read my horoscope?” was more common than I’d have liked. Why did that bother me? It wasn’t that people didn’t know what astrophysics was, or even that they were probably just trying to wind me up (success).Continue reading “Why we should think before labelling someone as a millennial”

Being an engineering manager and a coach

TLDR: Listen to people and have good intentions. Read time ~ 6 mins For anyone who’s spent five minutes trying to understand me, they know that my purpose is to grow myself to grow others. My path in the last few years seems to have been driven by a deep need to understand how toContinue reading “Being an engineering manager and a coach”

6 lessons I’ve learned from working with Agile Ninjas

TLDR; Eliminate waste.Read Time ~ 5 minutes Boy has it been an odd year. A year of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA), and having an agile mindset has never been more important. Despite the sombre backdrop of 2020, good leaders have definitely learned, grown and adapted to the challenge during this time. Thankfully, oneContinue reading “6 lessons I’ve learned from working with Agile Ninjas”

Why emotional intelligence is increasingly required in software development

TLDR; Because AI can’t automate human emotion (yet).Read time ~ 7 minutes “emotional intelligence—the ability to, for instance, understand your effect on others and manage yourself accordingly—accounts for nearly 90 percent of what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar” https://blog.dce.harvard.edu/professional-development/emotional-intelligence-no-soft-skill Emotional intelligence (sometimes referred to as EQ) isContinue reading “Why emotional intelligence is increasingly required in software development”