5 Years CTO & Business Owner
Things I learned
Things I would do different
Things I would do again
Michael - @Schnitzel
Michael Schmid
@Schnitzel
Group CTO Amazee
Zurich - Austin - Cape Town
Director at Large
Drupal Association Board
Voting starts 7th March!
2010
- Deputy CTO
- Amazee Labs
- 6 People
- 2 Developers (me!)
- Zurich
- Drupal only
2015
- Group CTO
- Amazee Labs, Amazee Metrics
- 35 People
- 20 Developers (not me)
- Zurich, Austin, Cape Town
- Drupal not only focus
Hiring
Hiring
- Hire slow, Fire fast
- Adding one more person:
You got a new team - Do not hire out of need
- Open your vision
Hiring Process
- Interviews
- Team Lunch
- Skills Test
- More Interviews
- Team decision
Take Notes!
Where to Hire
- Job Platforms
- Twitter, Facebook, StackOverflow
- Friends
- Family
- Events
You are hiring all the time!
The first day
- Everything ready
- Blogpost, Website
- Tech, Goodies
The first day is the first impression
Firing
The first f**king hard thing
Firing
- Ask team members
They will not tell you right away - Define clear goals and deadlines
A baby step is not a reached goal
Firing
- Definitely don't wait too long
- "How would I feel if that person is gone"
Your team is suffering and will get sloppy too
Careers
Careers
- Think about career paths
- Do not focus only on leadership
- Ask!
- Be clear about rights and duties
The best job is boring after 3 years
Delegating
The second f**king hard thing
70% Rule
70% Rule
- 70% is good enough
- Keep the 100% required tasks
WTF
Why to delegate
- Task A: Business Impact: M
- Task B: Business Impact: XL
- 30% chance to fuck-up Task A
- Non fucked up Task B protects Task A
They will fuck up
Why to delegate
You don't know yet what other tasks are waiting
Failcake
Documentation
Documentation
- One task, once a year
- How can I prevent to explain something a second time?
Think about 5 years
Automation
Automation
- Find good tools
- Focus, Focus, Focus
- Write your own tools if necessary
Let tools define your process
Focus
Focus
- Define who you are
- Focus on that
- Think about possible costs
The first day is the first impression
Be flexible
Be flexible
- Don't oversleep trends
- Try out new things!
- You might need it in the future
Flexible company gives flexible Teams
Personal
Personal
- Sleep, at least 6 hours
- Drink
- Find something that relaxes you
- Get a coach/group
Be reflexive
Take Notes during hiring!
You are hiring all the time!
The first day is the first impression
A baby step is not a reached goal
Your team is suffering and will get sloppy too
The best job is boring after 3 years
They will fuck up
Think about 5 years when thinking about documentation
Let tools define your process
Flexible company gives flexible Teams
Be reflexive
You don't know yet what other tasks are waiting