Geese, software, and DEI: Thinking with photos š£ļø
I love taking photos that make me think. Here's how a favorite photo triggered thoughts on geese, software development, & changing the world. (Audio; 5:53)
In āThrough the viewfinder: Seeing with photosā, I described how taking pictures helps me SEE. Hereās one example of how my pictures also prompt me to THINK.
Geese, Software Development, and DEI
Scouting, Leading, or in the Flock?
Adding the pond photo above as the background on my new laptop in recent weeks got me thinking about when (under what circumstances) it's better to be:
the scout goose way out in front,
the lead goose at the front of the flock, or
a goose in the flock!
Iāve held all 3 goose roles at different times in my career. Once, over 20 years ago at a telecom startup, we managers were discussing rotating the āRelease Managerā responsibility on our flagship product. Our HR VP compared this to flying geese taking turns being at the front of the V (she also kept a poster illustrating this in her office). Flying is more tiring for the lead goose, who literally āliftsā the flock. The flock can go farther if the point duty is rotated, and their honks are encouragement to the current leader!1 (Ducks swim in Vās or lines for similar reasons, with the flock ādraftingā off the lead.2)
From the first reference above, I learned that still photos of goose or duck flocks sometimes look like they arenāt in well-formed Vās or lines, but thatās misleading. The article explained that the reason is due to the flocks frequently re-shaping their formation āon the flyā (literally!) and changing positions, even within the V.
A photo I took at the National Mall in DC, below, shows this: the flock had just taken off from the Reflecting Pool, and was not yet in formation.
Here are my thoughts on each of the goose roles, prompted by the pond photo.
Role: Scout Goose
Being the scout goose, alone way out front, is like doing research or technology scouting, alpha or beta testing, or building an early spike for a proof of concept. I did this kind of work in Corporate Research for a while (for an example of technology scouting, see e.g. my imported posts on Leap Motion sensors3). Although it can be frustrating at times, itās a lot of fun to experiment with new technologies when theyāre not yet mission-critical, and even more fun to come up with creative ways of applying them!
When the tech doesnāt work out or simply isnāt ready for prime time, an agile tech scout can pivot and know theyāve saved the larger flock of engineers from wasting their energy paddling in the wrong direction. And when the tech is worthwhile, but has pitfalls to be aware of, the scout can help guide the flock of engineers safely through āchoppy waterā.
One downside of being the scout goose is that people who watch the flockās progress might miss seeing your trail in the water, and may not recognize your contributions to the flockās success.
Role: Lead Goose
Iāve been the lead goose for the flock (long term, or ātaking turnsā at the front when needed) in advocating for constructive change or in a product development environment. Making innovative software products that solve real problems, or achieving positive lasting change in the world, is generally best as a team effort.
In social justice activism, I also like the āparable of the choirā analogy to sharing the load: āA friend once shared what she called the Parable of the Choir: A choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long because singers can individually drop out to breathe as necessary and the note goes on. Social justice activism should be like that, she said. That's stuck with me.ā 4
This only works, of course, if the singers take turns dropping out & back in.
āIf you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.ā5
Role: Goose in the Flock
When I need to use tech to get normal things done, or to build a standard software system element, I tend to be strictly a āgoose in the flockā. I want the āliftā.
For example, as a laptop user, I donāt want to be on the bleeding edge of OS updates with bloated features I donāt need. I just want the OS to be reliable & fast & let me efficiently do what I need to get done. Please.
Thatās how *I* roll in goose-roles.
What kind of goose do YOU prefer to be when?
Flock Behavior and Dynamic Reteaming
A final thought on geese formations and software development or change initiatives: still āphotosā can be misleading. A āsnapshotā view of a team may appear disorganized or chaotic. This might simply mean the flock is reorganizing on the fly.
In software, this can be due to ādynamic reteamingā (credit to Heidi Helfand for the phrase6). It doesnāt mean the team is dysfunctional. Perhaps theyāre simply being agile. š
Executives and managers need to learn to recognize that occasional sampling or views may lead them to inaccurate conclusions about their teams. Self-organized change by teams can be healthy, achieve a sustainable pace, reduce burnout, and enable them to āgo farā together - all good things IMHO.
Credits and References
Thank you to Arman Anwar and Lakshmi Veeramani for their kind feedback on drafts of this post, and to Arman reminding me of the flying geese analogyās relevance š
Camera info links:
End Notes:
Why geese fly in a V, and why still photos may be misleading: birdwatchingpro.com/how-do-geese-decide-who-leads/, https://birdwatchingpro.com/how-do-geese-decide-who-leads/#Video_Evidence
Why ducks typically fly or swim in a V or line: animalcorner.org/animals/ducks/
Tweet on the āparable of the choirā, āThe Hungover Punditā on X, Jan. 14, 2020.
āIt takes a village to determine the origins of an African proverbā, NPR, July 30, 2016