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Tech-nically Speaking

Practical Insights on Tech and Leadership

by Isaac Palka

How to Handle Resignations
May 26, 2022 • 5 min read
Your team member asks you to meet unexpectedly. You sit down (or join a Zoom), and they tell you something like, "I found a new opportunity. I'm giving my 2 week notice." What do you say? How do you react? You should respond "Congratulations, I wish you the best in your next role," and mean it. That's it. Ok, that's not quite it. But those who get it, get it. For those reading on, let me backtrack…
5 Things I Learned From My Dentist Wife That Apply to Engineering
Jan 21, 2022 • 5 min read
My wife and I have very different jobs. I'm a software engineer and manager. She's a dentist. I create tech products that help people. She actually helps people. I sit in a chair all day and stare at a screen. She's on her feet all day and interacts with patients. I go deep into code and fix bugs. She goes deep into teeth and fixes decay. More seriously though, because our work lives are so…
Recruiting = Sales
Dec 21, 2021 • 8 min read
Recruiting has been a hot topic ever since the Covid pandemic hit. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard a lot of the following lately: The market is so crazy right now. It's so hard to hire good candidates. Something something about "The Great Resignation". While Covid has certainly shifted the dynamics of the job market, the fundamentals of the game haven't changed. I don…
Practical Approaches to Tech Debt
Nov 12, 2021 • 15 min read
"Tech debt" has become such a ubiquitous, yet commonly misunderstood term. In most circles it's treated like a four-letter word (or two four-letter words to be precise). People avoid uttering it out loud, as if it will jinx their software. Everybody likes to pretend that they're tech debt-free, yet everyone has it. A lot more than you'd imagine. I'll even wager that the software you rely on day-to…