Mike Duskis: Leaping Lizards! Your Subconscious Key to High Performance

Hi there!

High Level Agenda:

6:00-6:10 Folks dial in to Zoom and get settled
6:10-6:20 Networking, guided by Joe T
6:20-7:20 Mike's talk (during which questions and open discussion are welcome!)
7:20-7:30 Wind down

We are scheduled for 6-8pm, so the schedule is very flexible!

Talk Description:

Your team functions. The software gets tested. Bugs get filed and fixed. You ship something that resembles what the customer wanted on a date that resembles the schedule. Yet you can't shake the feeling that you could have done better. What if the developers hadn't wasted three days bouncing that bug around in Jira? What if the product owner truly understood the cost of bolting that one feature on at the last minute? What if people were more invested in the user experience?

You have the power to break out of this rut. In fact, the solution lies in your own mind, buried just beneath the surface. As Gerald Weinberg observed from software projects in general, “it's a people problem." Despite the delusions of supreme rationality that we constantly spin for ourselves, we retain a core of reptile instincts highly attuned to food, sex, and most importantly danger. Members of a high-performing team don't suppress the lizard brain. They manage it to the team's advantage. This session will help you recognize reptilian influence over yourself and your teammates and equip you with specific strategies to create a safe environment where everyone can excel.

Mike is the Director of Quality at CyberGRX and has earned his gray beard working in software. Mike has worked in many industries (including healthcare, education, and cybersecurity) and has held many roles (including developer, tester, test manager, and director of quality).