True Grit

"Well, pilgrim, ya just need to persevere & persevere and persevere some more."  John Wayne, sort of.

From time to time I like to delve into the realm of cognitive science, so bear with me here.

I ran across a study by Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews & Kelly published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology titled:

"Grit: Perseverance and Passion for Long-Term Goals".

"Grit", of course, is a highly technical term that measures an individual's resolve quotient. (Not really, I made that up.)

Nevertheless, this psychological study attempted to assess how the non-cognitive trait "grit" factors into individual achievement. The authors' definition of grit is a passion for achieving long-term goals that can span years. A marathon, not a sprint. There are well established correlations between intellectual talent and achievement, but that is just part of the story.

The authors developed a "grit scale" which, when used at West Point, turned out to be a better predictor of success for plebes than West Point's homegrown candidate scoring system. The grit scale measures an individual's ability to focus & persevere.  The researchers found that a significant indicator of how successful you will be is how you handle setbacks and failures. Do you learn from your failures, get off the deck and dive back into the fray? This may seem obvious, but continuing to continue through trials and criticism is fundamental to becoming the best you can be and takes an enormous strength of character. (see Olympic athletes like Lindsey Vonn for example.)

A side lesson from these conclusions can be a guide when building teams to accomplish specific goals. Make sure you don't have all blue-sky idea people. Include some nose-to-the-grindstone folks as well, those who can get you from inspiration to execution. And character is important because when most projects complete, you must persevere through the final test - the rewarding of the non-participants.

If you dare, you can get your your "grit score" with this University of Pennsylvania survey: https://sasupenn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_06f6QSOS2pZW9qR
(I'll tell you my score if you tell me yours)

I'm kind of tired of this topic now, so you should probably go read the research paper.

Copyright © 2018 Dave Hoplin

How to Hire a Programmer

I spent most of my work career in the software development business. I hired many programmers. Programmers are different beasts than most job seekers. And interviewing programmer applicants can be a challenge. (They may not look at you. And perhaps vice versa.)

So I created a just-for-fun software developer interview question list. This may be all you need.

4 questions:

1.  What's your favorite sci-fi book?

2.  What's your favorite Monty Python line?

3.  What musical instrument do you play?

4.  What's the name of your cat?

*Answers in the back of the book

If you get positive answers from all 4, hire that person now.

* Back of the book

1. Any sci-fi book will do. Extra points for Stephenson's "Cryptonomicon" or Heinlein's "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" or some well known classic. The point is not some specific book but rather just being a sci-fi fan. It indicates a love of technology, especially technology that doesn't exist yet. [A digression.  I am a big fan of Neal Stephenson's books.  If you haven't read his Cryptonomicon, do - hackers, cryptology, WWII, corporate espionage ...  "a tour-de-force".  And then try his Baroque CycleTrilogy  - medieval techno sci-fi.] Here's a flowchart for choosing a Sci-Fi book just right for you. (From NPR)

2. Just knowing a Python quote will do. My favs - "You're all individuals" or "Tis only a flesh wound" or "We're destitute. I've got no option but to sell you all for scientific experiments". The point here is having a sense of the absurd. Putting up with the absurdities of software development with humor is a success indicator. Can you quote from Hitchhiker's Guide & Monty Python?

3. Any instrument will do. There is a creative aspect to programming and I've found musicians/artists make good programmers. Programming is more like composing or painting than engineering.  And like painters, programmers just code over their mistakes.

4. Just having a cat as a pet will do. Cats are night-time creatures & prefer to be left alone - much like programmers.  And managing programmers is like herding cats. If they own a ferret or a snake, end the interview.

Copyright © 2018 Dave Hoplin