DEV Community: Fredric Mitchell

EQ and the Red Queen Effect

Fredric Mitchell — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 23:29:06 +0000

In our childhood science classes, we learned about dinosaurs.

Pictures of giant beasts looking like reptiles were depicted as the inhabitants of the Earth hundreds of millions of years ago.

Many teachers also used this story to introduce the concept of evolution. The idea that, over time, all creatures, including humans, change and adapt for survival.

What’s fascinating about the concept of evolution is the instinctual nature of how we understand its power.

Fight or flight. Eat or be eaten.

The emotions tied to these instincts is what we need to be tapped into. Our efforts to develop deeper emotional intelligence are the next evolutionary step in our development as a species.

One way to understand why this is so important is something called the Red Queen Effect.

What is the Red Queen Effect?

The Red Queen Effect is a mental model.

It is best understood through the eyes of Lewis Carroll and his novel Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass.

Alice is running as fast as she can with the Red Queen to keep up with wherever she is going.

Interestingly, she has noticed that although they are running, their surroundings (trees, bushes, etc.) are not changing. From the book:

‘Why, I do believe we’ve been under this tree the whole time! Everything’s just as it was!’
‘Of course it is,’ said the Queen, ‘what would you have it?’
‘Well, in our country,’ said Alice, still panting a little, ‘you’d generally get to somewhere else — if you ran very fast for a long time, as we’ve been doing.’
‘A slow sort of country!’ said the Queen. ‘Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.
If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!’

The parable is essentially explaining a sobering reality:

In order to keep up with what is happening in the world, we must continue to change. If we slow down or stop, we will fall behind.

We need to evolve at the same rate as the systems we interact with everyday. This is often referred to as working smarter, not harder.

Sticky Frog Tongues and Slippery Fly Bodies

Another simpler, ecological example of the Red Queen Effect is the evolution of frogs and flies.

Continue reading at eqfordevs.com

The Self-Aware Developer

Fredric Mitchell — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 21:35:02 +0000

The hardest part, it seems, about being a developer or an expert in the tech space is being self-aware.

The various DevOps, Front-end, Back-end, Security, and SRE communities I’ve been exposed to consciously or unconsciously reinforce the principle of “you’re doing it wrong”.

Even more, once you’ve been in the game for awhile and begin speaking at conferences, you fall into the same trap of telling others that they may be “doing it wrong”.

All of this one-way communication, either top down or bottom up, creates a void in a key element towards developing exceptional emotional intelligence.

That element is self-awareness.

What is self-awareness?

Self-awareness is your ability to recognize and understand your emotions as well as your power to control them. It is foundational to your personal growth and success.

It may sound touch-y feel-y, but a lack of self-awareness is catastrophic. It can not be solved through an algorithm or new language.

Emotion is one of those things that is uniquely human. Whether you admit it or not, handling your emotions are the most important factor to holding you back or accelerating you forward towards your goals.

How many times have you been around another person and been shocked when they criticize someone else for behavior that they themselves have exhibited?

A lack of self-awareness tells others (your team, your boss, your colleagues, potential investors, etc.) that you are unprepared for bigger things, that you have a blind spot that you are unable to fix, and that you are unwilling to invest in yourself.

Who would want to follow, promote, or invest in that person’s idea?

Your Assumptions as a Dev

The first step to becoming more self-aware, and ultimately becoming more emotionally intelligent, is taking inventory of your assumptions.

Continue reading on EQ for Devs...

Zen Buddhism Inspired EQ: Shoshin

Fredric Mitchell — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 21:29:30 +0000

The key to developing your emotional intelligence (EQ) is continuous practice and iteration. Similar to learning a new coding language, books and Stack Overflow can only take you so far. Most learning happens by doing.

A simple, yet difficult, mechanism to practice that will help build up your EQ is something called shoshin.

According to wikipedia:

Shoshin is a word from Zen Buddhism meaning “beginner's mind.” It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner would.

The “beginner’s mind” philosophy is exactly what it sounds like: approaching things like you are beginner. When you are beginner, what do you typically do?

Slow down to make sure you understand all points
Ask clarifying questions
Practice a concept, then show your steps to make sure you haven’t missed anything

Repeat your interpretation of a concept back to the person speaking to you

Why is this difficult?

What makes shoshin difficult to master is it can feel like it’s in direct conflict with your career and reputation.

You’re paid to know, right?

You’re likely a subject matter expert or team leader. You’re likely depended on within your team to know the answers.

If your goal, however, is to improve your team culture and your personal emotional intelligence, you need to practice asking questions even if you know the answer. Asking questions unlocks the “beginner’s mind”.

Asking questions develops EQ

If shoshin is all about beginner’s mind, and beginner’s ask questions, how can asking questions help develop my EQ?

Glad you asked! Let’s break it down.

Read the rest over at EQ for Devs.