Re: FW: Success at Apache: The Apache Way for Executives
Could not agree more Yasser - thanks for sharing! On Tue, Jul 10, 2018 at 11:04 AM Tianqi Chen 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 > 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 > > >Sent: Monday, July 9, 2018 8:00 PM > > >To: Apache Announce List > > >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 > >
Re: FW: Success at Apache: The Apache Way for Executives
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 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 > >Sent: Monday, July 9, 2018 8:00 PM > >To: Apache Announce List > >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
