Could not agree more Yasser - thanks for sharing! On Tue, Jul 10, 2018 at 11:04 AM Tianqi Chen <tqc...@cs.washington.edu> wrote:
> Totally agree with what being said here, as community strives to move > forward it is important to be inclusive and communicative. The same > principle also applies beyond this mail-list, as we also need be inclusive > and welcoming to contributors who contribute via github, write issues and > use discuss forums. > > Tianqi > > On Mon, Jul 9, 2018 at 9:35 PM, Yasser Zamani <yasserzam...@apache.org> > wrote: > > > I thought these could be great for our community so I shared them here. > > > > "The most important and first lesson I learned from the Apache Community > > was to avoid short term gains that were unsustainable in the long term. > > This very important core principle derives in part from the concept of > > "community over code". It does not matter how much code you write, or how > > good your code is if you cannot get along, compromise, and communicate > > respectfully with your peers. The code does not write itself, its the > > community behind it that keeps the code alive." Alex Karasulu, an > > entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience said. > > > > Best Regards. > > > > >-----Original Message----- > > >From: Sally Khudairi <s...@apache.org> > > >Sent: Monday, July 9, 2018 8:00 PM > > >To: Apache Announce List <annou...@apache.org> > > >Subject: Success at Apache: The Apache Way for Executives > > > > > >[this post is available online at https://s.apache.org/2Wg8 ] > > > > > >by Alex Karasulu > > > > > >I'm a long time member of the Apache Software Foundation and have been > an > > >executive officer of several corporations over the course of the past 20 > > years. > > >I've co-founded several projects in the community and mentored several > > others. > > > > > >The "Apache Way" has benefited several aspects of my life, however I > never > > >imagined it would help make me a better executive. Even non-technical > > >executives, in organizations totally outside of the realm of technology, > > can > > >benefit from the Zen of the Apache Way. > > > > > >Life is hard when you're stupid > > > > > >I was involved in a number of early dot com startups as an executive, > > however > > >that was before my involvement with Apache and long before any exposure > to > > >the Apache Way. To this day, I remember how opportunistic decisions for > > short > > >term gains, the lack of collaboration, openness and communication kept > > causing > > >friction that made my job and ultimately my life much harder than it had > > to be. > > > > > >Learning while on the job > > > > > >Exposure to the philosophy began early even while lurking on mailing > > lists but > > >picked up more while incubating the Apache Directory Project where I > > worked > > >with others to grow an active community. Meanwhile, I was the Chief > > >Technology Officer of a large financial services company called Alliance > > Capital > > >Partners. It was 2002, and the first time I had to conduct myself as a > > C-Suite > > >executive in an enterprise that was obviously not a technology company. > > >Incidentally, the lack of hands-on coding got me working on a pet > project > > that > > >ultimately became the Apache Directory Server and Apache MINA. The > project > > >was medicine to keep me sane and technically up to date. Unbeknownst to > > me, > > >this would save my career, not as a developer, but as an executive. > > > > > >The Apache Way makes life easier > > > > > >The most important and first lesson I learned from the Apache Community > > was to > > >avoid short term gains that were unsustainable in the long term. This > very > > >important core principle derives in part from the concept of "community > > over > > >code". It does not matter how much code you write, or how good your code > > is if > > >you cannot get along, compromise, and communicate respectfully with your > > >peers. The code does not write itself, its the community behind it that > > keeps the > > >code alive. Involving only the most technically proficient contributors > > should > > >never trump the need to build a sustainable community. I saw projects > > often > > >suffer from self-centered yet skilled coders added as committers for > > short term > > >gain at the detriment of a healthy sustainable community. So as a > > corollary to > > >community over code, avoid short term gains that get in the way of the > > long term > > >sustainability of an organization's culture. This has immense > > applications for any > > >executive in both technical and non-technical fields. > > > > > >While growing my new development organization in this financial services > > >organization, I decided to avoid hiring people that seemed to be very > > skilled > > >technically but lacked the desire or social skills to collaborate with > > others. Thanks > > >to experiences at Apache, I could start telling them apart much better > > than I did > > >before. Also, I was calmer and less anxious when hiring to fill gaps on > > the team. It > > >was better not to have the resource than to introduce a bad apple onto > > the team. > > > > > >This was contrary to how I had operated earlier and started producing > > great > > >results. The application of this basic principle lead to a solid team > > that worked > > >better together than ever before in the past. They were able to leverage > > each > > >others' skills thanks to collaboration to out perform any one skilled > > developer. > > >This is all thanks to the concept of community over code where social > > skills, and > > >collaboration were stressed more than technical skills. In the end, > being > > kind, > > >listening, and asking smart questions begets the kind of collaboration > > needed to > > >build complex software. > > > > > >Not only did this help with developers, it also worked with teams that > > did not > > >produce code like project managers under the CTO office. The rule is > > golden, and > > >IMHO should be applied to any executive's decision making process > > regardless of > > >the nature of the business or topic at hand. > > > > > >Inner Source is the Apache Way > > > > > >Executives drive the architecture and cultural direction of their > > organizations and > > >the Apache Way provides a solid framework to create healthy foundations > > >through open collaboration, communication and the availability of > > knowledge for > > >everyone to participate. > > > > > >Several very successful technology companies have adopted the Apache Way > > >without really realizing they're doing so. In 2000, Tim O'Reilly coined > > the term > > >Inner Source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_source to apply Open > > Source > > >principles to any organization. Tim was essentially talking about > > applying the > > >Apache Way within organizations. The Apache Way has proven itself with > > >companies like IBM, Google, Microsoft, SAP, PayPal and even financial > > >institutions like Capital One which have adopted the Inner Source > > methodology > > >which is one and the same. > > > > > >Without going into the details, of which we the Apache Community are > > intimately > > >aware (using it daily within our projects), I would like to stress how > > important the > > >approach is for executives outside of Apache to understand. The Apache > > Way can > > >save organizations from all out disaster, not to mention billions of > > dollars by > > >impacting the quality of services and products they produce. Again this > > does not > > >only apply to companies in technological sectors. Capital One a > financial > > services > > >company has also used open source methods for internal projects to be > > >extremely successful https://www.oreilly.com/ideas/using-open-source- > > >methods-for-internal-software-projects . > > > > > >Conclusions > > > > > >The Apache Way provides several benefits to executives aware of the > > approach. > > >Executives can directly integrate the principles of the Apache Way into > > their own > > >thinking to improve their potential for personal success. However the > > biggest > > >value comes from the cultural framework it produces for the entire > > organization, > > >however to leverage it in their organizations, executives must be aware > > of it. The > > >Apache Way has personally helped me grow as an effective executive and > it > > can > > >help others as well. It also provides a compass for how to properly > build > > effective > > >organizations, not only technical ones. > > > > > > > > > > > >Alex Karasulu is an entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in the > > software > > >industry and a recognized leader in the open source community. He is > > widely > > >known as the original author of the Apache Directory Server, used by IBM > > both as > > >the foundation of the Rational Directory Server and also integrated into > > the > > >Websphere Application Server. Alex co-founded several Apache projects, > > >including MINA, and Felix, among others, which, along with their > > communities, > > >thrive independently past his day-to-day involvement in the projects. He > > is the > > >founder of Safehaus, where he authored the first low-resource mobile OTP > > >algorithms in open source with the OATH community that was later adopted > > by > > >Google in their Authenticator product. In addition to IBM, Atlassian, > > Cisco, and > > >Polycom are just a few of the many companies that sell commercial > hardware > > >and software solutions that bundle or embed software and products that > > Alex has > > >created. Alex holds a BSc. in Computer Science and Physics from Columbia > > >University. He is the founder and co-CEO of OptDyn. > > > > > >= = = > > > > > >"Success at Apache" is a monthly blog series that focuses on the > > processes behind > > >why the ASF "just works" > > >https://blogs.apache.org/foundation/category/SuccessAtApache > > > > > >= = = > > > > > >NOTE: you are receiving this message because you are subscribed to the > > >annou...@apache.org distribution list. To unsubscribe, send email from > > the > > >recipient account to announce-unsubscr...@apache.org with the word > > >"Unsubscribe" in the subject line. > > >
