10 Minutes

2019, Nov 18    

10 minutes is not enough for many things. There is no feature you can write in this time. Its barely enough for a coffe break.

But you can do something else. In 10 minutes you can learn something. Even more so, you can learn from others.

One of the first things I introduced in my new team is a 10 minute agenda point in the weekly team meeting - 10.2GB - 10 minutes to get better.

The idea is to take a few minutes and to share knowledge with each other. It can be work related, technical, non-technical - anything. In the last couple of months we were introduced to a variety of topics like:

• SQL in Google Sheets
• Semantic Versioning
• Mindfulness and Meditation
• OAuth2
• Indexing in MySQL
• Python context manager
• Usage of async in JavaScript
• AARRR startup metrics

Beyond the obvious reasons of expanding (and multiplying) knowledge on the subject and learning from each other, I see a few additional advantages to this team practice from the perspective of the team lead.

1. Build an environment of mutual respect and trust
2. Make team members comfortable presenting
3. Enhance understanding by teaching others

How are you going to spend the next 10 minutes?