Do Unto Others
There are many concepts that software development processes and management can learn from. Many of them we use for our technical engineering, others apply to processes and still more apply to the organization as a whole. But none come as simple and as important as The Golden Rule. The Golden Rule states:
- One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself
- One should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated
It’s as simple as this folks. As a team leader every action I perform, every task I ask someone to do I first evaluate this rule mentally to ensure that I am not asking the developer at hand to do something that I would not do myself. It also allows me to reflect on the situation to make sure I am not applying double standards or treating someone unfairly.
Being software developers, our ego’s are larger than usual and we have so much to prove. Often, we forget that we are working with other human beings and our ego’s usually do us more harm than good.
As simple as this rule is to utilize and apply, so many of us get it wrong or ignore it completely. I am continually baffled that so many people do not take this rule into consideration in their daily lives. The karma wheel always comes around, and often at the time when you are at your weakest.
Why not have it benefit you rather than hurt you?