One of the most valuable lessons one learns when driving on a racetrack is to keep one’s eyes on the horizon. You become a smoother and faster driver when you position yourself for the next turn while you negotiate the present one.

As an engineer, the tempt­ation is strong to focus intently on the tasks at hand; to over­emphasize a small list of items of immediate concern. It’s the equi­valent of staring at the road directly in front of you as your drive at speed.

Take time each day to look up at the horizon. Be aware of where you are in the schedule. Observe deadlines and obstacles approach­ing. Anti­cipate the needs of other teams that interface with your compo­nents. Maneu­ver yourself into the best position to handle the next challenge. Paradox­ically, the more factors you are aware of, the better you will be at figuring out what needs to be done in the immediate future.

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Code and design reviews are events where your standards and guidelines actually get enforced. Apply your standards clearly during review, then hold the line. An author should have to justify why you should bend the rules for their submission.

Conceding too early to an exemption (out of simple expediency, or worse, pity for the author) erodes your product’s quality. Every premature concession is an admission that you don’t really believe that your standards are necessary to build your product.

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View this photo in my flickr photostream

The Midway neon sign at Dave and Busters in Milpitas, CA.

📷 Nikon D800, Nikon 24–70mm f/2.8. 24mm, f/2.8, 1/80s, ISO 1250

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As the engineering profession becomes more inclusive, we need replacements for terms that may conjure up prejudice or bias. Here are some suggestions for improvements:

What other terms can you think of?

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You may be tempted to hire a smart asshole into your team. Think long and hard before you do this. Don’t underestimate an asshole’s natural ability to ruin your team’s morale; to intimidate junior engineers; to become territorial about code and ideas; and to turn a productive hallway into a toxic environment.

Is an asshole’s genius really worth more than the loss of a good team dynamic? In twenty years I have never seen a single instance where a team wouldn’t be better off without them. Your odds are probably about the same.

Great reference: The No Asshole Rule

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