Here are 3 Behaviors that I'll predict I may have trouble with. So it's good to think about them up front.
I've acted irrationally over sunk costs before, thinking that I'm too far down a path to turn around. I like that last thought in this section. Experience gained from writing the wrong code actually helped to produce the right code. It's taking what seems to be a negative and realizing the positive part of it. I like that.
It's normal to finish something and just want to show it off, immediately passing it on to the boss, so they can see how cool it is. However, learning to review your own work first makes a lot of sense. You're making sure you've got the details right.
I mention this because I'm naturally wired as a perfectionist. I'm the guy that is likely to over-engineer a complex solution to a simple problem, so learning to live with a quick workaround makes a lot of sense.
The most interesting part of the article was the idea that most doctors who claimed that checklists didn't help, would want another doctor doing surgery on them to use a checklist.
I've used checklists a lot in the past. I go backpacking regularly and I've made up checklists for every possible kind of trip, from one night, all the way to 15 nights--a list I've used twice in the last two years. I used to forget things these kind of trips. Once, I forgot a fishing rod on a fishing trip. I didn't catch much. Since making checklists, I've never forgotten anything important. Even long trips, with hundreds of small details, get packed with relative ease with a good checklist.
Interestingly, I haven't used them as often with work. I've used big, broad, checklists, that remind me to finish a few major tasks, but I've never broken them down the same way the author of this article describes. Making checklists with homework seems like a good place to start. I'll try it.
1. What is your impression of strengths-based development? What questions do you have about this kind of development?
It makes almost too much sense for a company like Facebook or really any company that is large. However, can this work for a startup company? Often, a smaller company has a pretty specific set of tasks that they are looking for someone to accomplish.
I'm good at diagnosing problems and finding creative solutions. I'm very handy around the house. I like to do everything on my own rather than hire someone to come and do it for me. I take pride in learning to do something like a professional, working through a difficult hangup, or finding creative solutions.
In the articles I just read, the strengths that most people had were aligned with the things they most enjoyed. So the first thing to do is pay attention to what is the most interesting, engaging, and enjoyable for me in software development. When I find myself working on a certain task during my spare time, just for fun, that'll be a good sign.