The blog of James Rumkee
I'm a development manager who spends most days thinking about people: how to mentor them, how to build a culture they can do their best work in, and how to understand what makes them tick. Every now and then I disappear into a hardware project too (I make no apologies for that).
Finding the right guidance can make a huge difference to where a career ends up. This one is about what a good mentor actually does, why advice from outside your own organisation is often the most honest kind, and how to go about finding a mentor of your own.
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About the author
I'm James Rumkee, a development manager. I've spent enough years in software now to know that the technical problems are rarely the hard ones: it's the people stuff that keeps you up at night, and it's also the people stuff that makes the job worth doing. This blog is where I write down what I've learned, usually shortly after learning it the hard way.
Most posts are Field Notes on mentorship, work culture and emotional intelligence. Occasionally The Workbench makes an appearance instead, like the Teams status light I built during lockdown so my family knew when I was on a call (I could have bought a sign for the door, but where's the fun in that!).
Part two is where it actually gets built: wiring the light up to the Pi, hooking it into my Teams status, and finally watching it glow red on cue. It doesn't look all that pretty, but it works (much like myself in that regard).
This one started in lockdown, with my family inadvertently making appearances on my calls. What I needed was one of those red illuminated 'on air' lights they have outside broadcast rooms, so I decided to build my own.
No one needs a Stream Deck, everything it does could be a keyboard shortcut instead. But there is something genuinely delightful about a physical button with a picture on it, and it has quietly become the most useful thing on my desk.
A positive work environment leads to engaged people, and engaged people do better work. Some practical strategies I use as a manager, starting with the slightly awkward truth that it all begins with your own behaviour.
Technical skills might get you into the room, but emotional intelligence is what makes you effective once you're in it. Why I think EQ is a must-have skill for anyone working in a business, and some ways to start improving yours.
It's sitting in my drafts folder, honest.