Alexander Kliotzkin

Next week, I will be in #Berlin at LeadDev, speaking about #NeurodiversityInTech which is a topic I care deeply about. I will also attend many other great talks, so I am giving a shoutout to some of the talks I am most excited to see. Ice, confusion, and the 38,000ft crash - Nickolas Means Level up the whole party, not just the hero - Denise Yu How to talk to everyone: Connecting with your reporting chain - Najla Elmachtoub

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Uncertainty, anxiety, frustration, self-doubt, worry, imposter syndrome, dropping self-confidence - These are the emotions I see in a lot of people around me. I wish I could give everybody a virtual hug and say it is ok. Because at the end of the day, it is going to be ok. You are going to be ok. There is a job out there for you. There is a great manager out there for you. There is a great company out there for you. Hang in there! I know that some people are in tougher situations than others. Reach out to others in your network for help. You don't have to do it alone. If you are experiencing ghosting, please tell yourself - it is not you. Those who are ghosting you are probably working through their own struggles. Those of you who are a bit more brave, try something out of the ordinary and you might end up having an extraordinary life outside of the regular 9-5. And if you are thriving and doing well, lift one or a few people up. #risetogether #community #leadership #service

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To all the remote warriors out there. Go mingle. Meet a real person. I met Moodi for a quick lunch in front of a weird glass triangle. As a big fan of async/remote work, I forget to stress the importance of a barbell strategy sometimes. Let me explain. 🏋️ Barbell strategy A barbell strategy is about doing both extremes of an activity and nothing in the middle. I apply this to professional / social life. Mostly I keep it async, short in order to stay connected to many people in a somewhat superficial level. But on a regular basis I go meet in person with some. And then I aim to be really, really present. No phone, no distraction. Also, I prefer to do 1-1s. The joy and spark a in-depth real-world connection can make is not to be underestimated. Especially when the rest of the time you are remote. So go to you local glass triangle and have a sandwich someday. It might just give you the business idea you are missing. In my case Moodi inspired me to thing bigger. Which is something I needed - but didn't know I needed.

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STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR HIGH PERFORMER WOMEN 💊 (especially in motherhood) Until 2024… these products were not on my radar or a part of my daily conversations. Zoloft Prozac Lexapro Wellbutrin Duloxetine And now, my clients have put these products on my radar. 👀 Often thought of initially as a “magic pill” coping mechanism for mental health turbulence. Based on who I am as a person, what my beliefs and preferences are, and how I choose to manage my own physical & mental health.. ❤️ I have attracted clients that do not see these products as sustainable, long-term solutions in their lives. ✖️ Before choosing to work with me, my clients have already made the decision (in partnership with a licensed professional) that their mental strength, self-love and resilience is going to GO UP, and dependence on the “magic pill” is going to GO DOWN. I am not licensed to be making recommendations about drugs or supplements, so I just listen and ask questions. I am simply observing a pattern amongst the ambitious women that are choosing to do the hard work to build their resilience, mental toughness, and long-term happiness and success. 💪 What’s your “magic pill” of choice?

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Where to begin? At the end. Yeah. Where the solution is simple: Just Stop Doing This. Oh, for it to be that simple. But if people are still in an antiquated, dinosaur model of annual performance reviews: Think twice before coming up with these words, and ask… would you say this of a man? If you’re in a job that reviews performance reviews (God forbid! What a waste of resources), then call it out! Please! Or perhaps when people say this very robust (full sarcasm intended) blue list for a man publicly, call that out! And ask why we’re not saying the same words for a woman? And, if we’re using them day-to-day to describe women. Oh, please, it’s time to be put out to pasture - the people using them and the words. Whether you are a man or a woman, because it comes from both. Likely another contributing factor (of many) #employeeengagement sits at about 20% globally and LinkedIn is filled with posts like these. Because it’s still out there! I wonder how peoples daughters, sisters, aunts, mums, feel when they hear/read these words and ponder if their friends and family members are using them? Or how parents feel when their daughters are described by these at school? Lots to consider. Data visual Source: HBR. Granted this is a 2018 study .. I can’t imagine it’s changed that much! #OneFiveThirty #wordscount #engagement #womenswords #menswords #stop

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What people post on LinkedIn: “Just saw so-and-so from Big Tech Co. give an amazing talk! So inspired!” What people tell me in private: “The talks from people at big tech companies have zero relevance for our organization. We are 10 years away, at best, from working the way that they work.” Editing to add: People I am just trying to highlight something that often goes unspoken, which is that a lot of people don’t find relevance in talks from big tech folks. There are ~1.8 million apps in the App Store. There are 2363 companies on the NYSE. There are around 3,800 higher ed institutions in the US, all with their many departments and colleges. They don’t all get to implement AI tools, design-and-build in Figma, implement capital-A Agile, etc etc. And I think that’s something we should talk about more. I’ve *been* the speaker or workshop leader from a tech company working in ways that my audience cannot, because they don’t even have a UX function. And I’m sure I’ve given talks on things that weren’t usable for many people in the room. I try to keep that in mind!

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Feedback: Not just a cool effect for punk music in the 80's! I rely heavily on #feedback in so many things in my life: Is my heart rate right? Is my #code passing the tests? Is my bicep getting bigger?(yes, obviously) Even as I type this the browser gives me feedback that obviously was spelled wrong... But what happens when feedback isn't obvious. The other morning while running my watch wasn't tracking my heart rate properly. This was fine for me because I could feel by my breath and pace that I was still meeting my goals. Sometimes though, thinking someone is aware of their performance isn't enough. As a high school administrator I remember once walking into a classroom and seeing the front tow rows engaged in what the teacher was doing and the back three were on their phones, chatting, sleeping, doodling, basically all the things I used to do when I was in high school (my phone had a really long cord.) In my mind I thought it was obvious that the #teacher wasn't meeting the standard of getting everyone engaged and that the teacher would know that the conversations and laughter from the back of the class was distracting to those that wanted to understand the lesson. To my surprise when I asked him how he thought the observation went he was pleased that he got 20% of the students engaged and thought it went well. When I reminded him that this was well below the standard he was upset and a little angry. And to be fair it is difficult in the modern day to keep kids engaged. Also though, once he was made completely aware that he wasn't meeting the standard he sought out help on things he could do to increase engagement and work on some classroom management strategies as well. I could have just left the room, assumed that he knew his performance wasn't good, I mean, it was written down that 80% of the class would be engaged 80% of the time... But, sometimes overt tough conversations have to happen to get folks to realize that they need to improve to meet standards. In my favorite podcast, "Coaching for Leaders" with Dave Stachowiak it was mentioned that criticism is investment. If my manager gives me a critique, even if or maybe especially if it's not positive I feel like he is investing in my future. He is tough on me because he wants me to be the best me that I can. He could sit back and assume I know if I'm not meeting the standard, and he would continue to get the same performance from me. But he knows I want to do a good job so he is overt when I could do better. He does deliver the message with kindness and encouragement of course which made it much more palatable, but the message still came accross. Bottom line, if you want improvement in #performance don't assume anything, provide the tough feedback and form a pathway towards #growth! Thanks for reading y'all and remember the ABCs of coding Always Be Coding and sometimes Always Be Critical (and kind).

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#DEI is surging again as a topic on LinkedIn. Morally and ethically, we want as many open doors to as many qualified people as possible. Who else they may be is only and wonderfully additive. I’m known by many for my pragmatism. So let’s go there. Practically, DEI is crucial. This aspect is not discussed as often as it should be because most people are focused on the moral and ethical debate. Speaking as a longtime leader and CEO, I want and need people with very different perspectives around me. I need them to speak up if they disagree. How and when is important, but I don’t stand on ceremony and if it’s important, it’s important! I add people to teams around me for their competence and proven track record, but also very much because they are not like me. Their perspectives have not only saved me from poor decisions but have added immeasurable upside that I would have missed. So, don’t forget what DEI is all about in the end: Better companies. Better teams. Better decisions. Better lives A better world. Given this, what’s the point of diversity and inclusion if at the moment of greatest need, no one speaks up? The storm is coming. It’s not even here yet, and look at the tumult. We all see it. We need your many perspectives and your different voices. #StandAndDeliver

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#Crowdsourcing question When returning from vacation. How do you process your unread emails? - Oldest first? Disadvantages: -Some things might not need your attention or have already been solved. - Newest first? Disadvantage: - I might not have enough context Today I am trying: - sort by sender --> then oldest to newest. what are your strategies? #productivity #emails

I love going to the office and meeting my colleagues in person—especially when it’s time to plan this month’s event lineup! 😇 We’re at CareerFoundry are excited to host two more events on how to change careers with a Bildungsgutschein this month 🙌 😎 Wednesday, November 20th “Unemployed in Berlin? Reskill into tech for free!” Join us on November 20th for a free info event hosted by the CareerFoundry team. Discover how you can reskill into the tech industry with the Bildungsgutschein, an educational voucher issued by the German government. During this 2-hour info event, we will cover the following: - What is the Bildungsgutschein? - How to apply and obtain your Bildungsgutschein - Using your training voucher to study one of CareerFoundry's career change programs free of charge. ☀️ Wednesday, November 27th: “How to start or change your career on a German spouse visa” In Germany on a family reunion visa? Check the options for your career change with fully funded courses. Join us on Wednesday, November 27th, from 6:00 pm CET at our CareerFoundry office at THE GATE. Together with our partner Match Talent Initiative and their Community Manager Kasia W., we’ll be: - Learning how to reskill with a Bildungsgutschein (educational voucher) - Finding out how Match Talent for Women supports migrant women in Germany - Discovering free services that can support you during the application process - Getting answers to your burning questions in an engaging Q&A That was a lot of info 😅 Feel free to share with friends (and family) and anyone who might be interested in joining :) I'll share the links in the comments 👇 #techcareers #reskilling #careerchange

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Software Development is a team sport. Learning to contribute to the "game" is a crucial skill. Working with my clients now, I’m amazed by their brilliance! At the same time, they are often tortured by their thoughts of not being competent enough. In 100% of the cases - it’s far from the truth 😁 It’s important to find evidence to the contrary. Keep learning and taking action to build the skill of confidence. You are a part of this team for a reason. Your valuable contributions bring the team closer to the goal. So, instead of waiting for the perfect moment, be proactive. Connect with your curious and resourceful side. Focus on the game. Listen. .... aaand jump into the conversation 🏀 😁 In this carousel, I will share 6 different strategies to contribute to the meeting. In the comments below, let me know 👇 Which one is your favorite? I've just finished putting together a cheat sheet ONLY for tech professionals with my 3 top favorite strategies for boosting confidence and speaking up during meetings. I'm only going to share them for the next 24 hours. DM or comment below saying "Speak up!" and I'll send them over to you. #EnglishCommunicationCoach #SpeakingUp

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As Senior Software Engineers, one of our biggest career pitfalls is not knowing when to quit. While being in a senior role comes with many perks: * Flexibility in our work * More influence over others * Choosing interesting projects It also comes with an extra layer of responsibility, which can become our Achilles heel. Our work environment evolves over time. As we grow, it might no longer serve us. Yet we remain optimistic, believing we can change things for the better. So, we push through: * Cancelled projects * Worsening team culture * Stagnation in our technical growth This often leads to decreased motivation, burnout, and quiet quitting. But, that’s not the worst part… We also start doubting ourselves and our abilities as engineers. We blame ourselves for the stagnation and shatter our confidence in the process. It’s important to remember that career growth comes in cycles. There’s a natural start and an end to each stepping stone on that journey. Your abilities as an engineer aren’t defined by a single project, team or company. So, when it’s time for a change, all you need is a clear goal, a solid plan, and some patience. Getting your career back on track is possible. It just takes a little faith in yourself. And you’re worth the effort. ====== If you’ve been “off the market” for a while, career transitions can seem daunting. It can be hard to know where to start. And grinding LeetCode isn’t the answer. It’s important to have a vision, start small and build over time. The good news is you don’t have to do it alone. DM me “Forward” and I’ll help you strategize your next move.

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One aspect of #softwareDevelopment I cared more about than anything else over the years is #accessibility. I have written countless articles - well, 45 so far - on the topic, and last night I decided to make all 45 of them free to read on my Medium site indefinitely. This is my way of helping the world and the web be a better, more inclusive place. Feel free to bookmark this list, share it, reference it. You may credit me, if you quote any of it, but I am not forcing you to. I am making this list public domain (with optional attribution), because I am hoping at least one more person realises the crucial importance of a world that everyone can access, and doesn't just like this post, but does something about it. #accessibilityMatters #webDesign #uxDesign #accessibilityAwareness #webDevelopment https://lnkd.in/ebxH8YKh

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👉We have been chatting to a couple of new clients in Germany this week, about using freelance Developers/Engineers outside of Germany (Nearshore), the same questions pop up; ✔How do we know if they are good or not? ✔How much can we save? ✔How quickly can they start? 👀Like anything, there is pros and cons to everywhere, but we have built a network of Freelance Nearshore Engineers who have been rigorously vetted with technical expertise guaranteed, that could save you a 50% reduction on your current freelance rates. If you are interested to understand more about this option and how this could help your business. 🚨Feel free to book a call in my Calendly and let’s see if we can help - https://lnkd.in/eygXyhaz

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