Tag: work

Book: Marina Pereskokova “Mom, I’m a Team Lead!”

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This year I’ve been reading fewer books on professional topics, but the ones I do read I choose very carefully. I didn’t pick up Mom, I’m a Team Lead! right away: first I listened to colleagues’ feedback, then I looked into what other readers were saying about it. And only after that did I decide it was worth reading myself — because the topic of growing from an individual contributor into a manager has always interested me. I myself spent a long time trying to sit on two chairs at once, until I finally moved fully into “pure” management (although I still don’t shy away from working with my hands when there’s no other choice).

The main goal the author set for herself in this book is to show how any manager needs to grow — starting almost from the very first steps, when just yesterday you were simply an executor (even a highly skilled one), and today you’re already responsible for other employees in the company. Marina breaks down the main fears and typical mistakes along this path. And that alone is extremely valuable, because not every young manager is lucky enough to have a good mentor who can help them deal with such fears and challenges.

I have to admit, though, that at first I reacted somewhat skeptically when Marina mentioned that she gained virtually all of her experience (10 years) in a single company with a single culture — one she was clearly very lucky with. Because she was genuinely fortunate: she had a manager who helped her grow, and the team relationships were built according to healthy rules, judging by her descriptions. But the harshest school of management is learned when things aren’t so rosy. And the lack of such tough experience is felt a bit in the book, because it’s easy to act “correctly” and “by the book” when the company and leadership allow you to. You need to be even more prepared to grow and solve problems in situations where circumstances make that much harder.

Of course, one might say: “Why work at such a company? Go find another!” But that’s not always possible — the job market doesn’t welcome everyone with open arms, especially young and inexperienced managers. And besides, there are no ideal companies in the world. There are better ones and worse ones, and far more of them will be not quite what you’d like (I personally believe that if all companies were ideal, strong managers would barely be needed at all). And finally — the harsh school gives you far more problem-solving skills, meaning you’ll be fully capable of working even in good conditions later on. But the other way around? That’s far from guaranteed.

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Hiring: My Approaches

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Somehow, over the years, although I’ve mostly been an IT manager, I’ve become something of a go-to person among HR and recruiting professionals. Probably because every manager needs to know how to hire the right specialists for their team.

For a few years now, I’ve been actively recommending the book “To Hire or Not to Hire?“ by Konstantin Borisov. It’s concise and very clear, covering most hiring-related topics in our field.

That said, there are a number of points that often don’t get the attention they deserve—and I’ve promised more than once in various discussions to eventually share my own approach. It seems that time has come.

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Book: Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention”

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It seems that every large (or simply well-known) company has its unique culture, which is also considered the only correct and successful one. We are all unique, after all. However, the concept of “correctness” and “success” is highly subjective. Yet many want to showcase that they achieved success solely because of their approaches (and that others, therefore, succeeded despite theirs).

First, there was the remarkable book Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull about the culture at Pixar. Then came the very loud, but completely unappealing to me, Principles by Ray Dalio. Finally, I reached No Rules Rules by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who co-wrote this book with Erin Meyer. I frequently recommend Meyer’s The Culture Map almost every time someone asks me about the best books.

This book, like many others, was highly praised by my colleagues, receiving the highest ratings. However, I always strive to form my own opinion rather than follow the masses. I read it. And it took me quite a while to gather my thoughts and finally write my review. This is because it is one of the most controversial books I have read in the past several years.

On the one hand, I will definitely recommend it. On the other hand, I had comments like “interesting, but there are nuances” for nearly every chapter. This is because, as usual, I tried to apply all the described approaches to myself as a manager and to the companies I have worked for. And here, as they say, things became far less straightforward.

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Bad/good manager

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Since my school years, I’ve wanted to start some kind of business. I tried myself in various roles while simultaneously working as an ordinary developer. Although I spent more than half of my 30 years in IT in GameDev, over these years, I also had the opportunity to work in other interesting fields: educational apps, enterprise software, the semiconductor industry, and a bit in banking and telecommunications.

At some point, I realized that not everything I did turned out great.

Initially, I was upset, realizing that I wasn’t as strong in creativity or in coming up with crazy ideas and inspiring people with them. This is precisely what a leader of the inspirational type excels at (Adizes, in his framework, refers to such people as entrepreneurs).

But then I reflected on what I had done well over these years and what truly resonated with me. And I realized that my strength lay elsewhere. So, I began to develop in that direction. Over time, the list became clearer: I am good at production, evaluating and building effective teams, working with people, negotiations, operations, and administrative tasks. In other words, I am a very good “right-hand man” to a CEO, who is usually the one generating ideas and acting as the driving force. I, on the other hand, am more inclined toward the pragmatic work of “making it all happen.” This role in many companies is often gathered under the COO title or split between the CPO and COO.

And when I understood this, my career and self-esteem took off. Yes, I’m not much of an idea generator. But without people like me, even the best ideas might never be realized.

It’s impossible to be the best at everything; you need to find your strengths, the ones that interest and energize you, and develop them. The key is not to get complacent, not to stop at what you’ve achieved, and to keep learning, always asking yourself, “Am I doing everything right, and could it be done better?” Of course, here you need to guard against two well-known pitfalls. The first is perfectionism (because things can always be improved, but sometimes you need to stop and release a good product rather than chase an unattainable ideal). The second is self-doubt (when you start thinking that you haven’t done enough and that someone else could have done it better. Maybe so, but that person isn’t here, and you’re the one leading the project).

So don’t be discouraged if something doesn’t work out. Find what drives you, what you’re valued for. It’s better to become strong in that than to try to excel at everything. Even Gaius Julius Caesar, who according to legend could multitask like no other, didn’t end up too well. 😉

Book: Timur Aslanov “I Know What to Tell Them”

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On the recommendation of a good acquaintance, Anton Vert, I read Timur Aslanov’s book I Know What to Tell Them. In the blurb, the author promises to explain how to deal with negative comments about you, your company, and your products online. To do this, he introduces the concepts of the “Light Knight” and the “Dark Knight.” The latter is ready to act tough, respond rudely, and wipe out comments he doesn’t like. However, the greatest benefit comes from the “Light Knight,” who constantly monitors his emotional intelligence and knows how to respond to the substance rather than the tone.

My direct work has never involved responding to user comments; more often I’ve been on the other side of the barricades — and I’ll admit that at times I can be overly emotional in voicing my criticisms. Still, I’ve always tried not to stoop to personal attacks or mudslinging just for the sake of it.

At the same time, I’m active on social media, I have my own blog, and sometimes my position or certain statements can provoke negativity — both from subscribers and from people who just happened to drop by. So I was curious what exactly Timur Aslanov might advise, especially after such a strong recommendation from someone I know.

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TV Show “The History of Russian Computer Games”

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Recently, the streaming service Okko released a documentary series titled The History of Russian Computer Games, about how the video game industry developed across the post-Soviet space—starting with the USSR era.

Anton Vert recommended it to me, immediately pointing out a few downsides. But it’s one thing to listen to smart people, and another to watch it yourself and then share your own opinion that nobody asked for.

In 30–40 minute episodes, the series talks about different milestones in the industry’s formation—first in the USSR, and then across the entire territory of this former Soviet empire. At least, that’s how the series is sometimes positioned (I’ll come back to this in more detail later).

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Book: Egor Yatsenko “IT Recruitment”

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In recent years I’ve been reading quite a lot about hiring specialists, and I find it interesting to look at the topic from both sides. I interview candidates myself, and I’m constantly trying to get better at it. At the same time, when reading books about hiring, I always try to recall how I was interviewed, how I behaved as a candidate, and what I liked or disliked about the people doing the hiring.

About a year ago, Alpina released a new book on IT recruitment. I wasn’t familiar with the author, Egor Yatsenko, but the reviews were generally quite positive, so it would have been a shame not to pick it up.

With this kind of literature, though, it’s always important to understand the qualifications of the “trainer.” Egor Yatsenko is the co-founder of the recruitment agency Wanted: Profi, which specializes in hiring for the IT sector. In addition, he’s well known as a frequent speaker at various industry conferences, regularly giving talks, and he’s also involved in teaching sourcing (a professional term that essentially means targeted candidate search across different platforms).

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Book: Patrick Lencioni “The Truth About Employee Engagement”

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Among some of my colleagues, it became fashionable to poke fun at Patrick Lencioni, since at one point he was practically turned into a cult figure. Nevertheless, I “got hooked” on his books from the very first one I read — a book I’ve now gone through almost three times. And all the others consistently earn the highest praise from me as well. For me, he’s probably business author number one — the writer whose books every manager should have on their desk.

In his book The Truth About Employee Engagement: A Fable About Addressing the Three Root Causes of Job Misery, written in Lencioni’s signature genre of the business fable, Patrick touches on the topic of job satisfaction.

All of us work in one way or another. And those who don’t “go” to work are most likely doing work at home: taking care of children, feeding the family, keeping things in order. That’s work too.

And sometimes people don’t even realize how sick and tired they’ve grown of their daily routine, how reluctant they’ve become to deal with it. A lack of motivation leads to falling engagement, productivity, and proactivity. And it’s unlikely that any leader wants their team — and their product — to be, at best, mediocre, if not outright sliding into a hole.

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Book: David Kushner “Masters of Doom”

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It seems like not so long ago I used to get carried away in computer clubs, where you had to move a few squares across the screen from point A to point B, and then there was a masterpiece in the form of the game Karateka. These days you look at a game that’s, say, five years old — ten, heaven forbid — and you already think: ugh, how could we even play that? And yet 35 years ago it was those very squares on the screen that seemed to us like a miracle of miracles.

And that’s why it’s so fascinating now to read the biographies of people who are, essentially, already legends, who rapidly changed both the video game industry itself and society’s attitude toward it. The story of id Software is just such an example.

David Kushner’s book is titled Masters of Doom, making it clear which game is considered the most famous, which name can attract potential readers. Modern players are more likely to know Doom (2016) and its sequel Doom Eternal, and are unlikely to have ever played those very first games.

For me, though, the acquaintance with the company’s games began much earlier — although back then I paid no attention to who actually made them. I remember playing Commander Keen in the school computer lab. And later, when Wolfenstein 3D appeared, it became not only a breakthrough and the progenitor of all shooter games. It was also the first game my father ever played on a computer — and at that time he was about as far from technology as one could be. So, you could say I’ve walked almost the entire path alongside this company — only as a player.

But when I say that the book tells the story of id Software, that’s not quite true. It’s not so much the story of a company as it is the story of its two founders — “the two Johns,” as the author constantly calls them: John Romero and John Carmack, two guys who “created an empire and transformed pop culture.”

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The Death of Belarusian IT: How to Kill a Successful Industry

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No matter how Belarusian officials try to put a brave face on it, the exodus of IT from the country is a fact. And for many years the IT sector was the nation’s calling card and a fairly substantial share of GDP.

Just the other day I had to discuss yet again what will happen to this industry now, and when it might recover. Unfortunately, my forecast is bleak: Belarus will never again be an IT country. Or at least not for decades. I could be wrong—I’m no great economist—but I’ll try here to lay out the considerations on which I base this view.

But first—a bit of history.

Belarus didn’t become strong in IT out of thin air. In Soviet times, Minsk was an assembly shop, including for computing hardware. It was in Belarus that the large “Minsk” computers were made, and later the ES personal computers, which people chased after even when I was a teenager, because they were IBM-compatible machines you could buy for home use and, for better or worse, enjoy the benefits of a personal computer.

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