In this episode, Tom Santero and Reid Draper of Basho, talk about hiring where the talent is, doing what you think is best for the company, and the wonderful benefits of having work flexibility.
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Show Notes:
Tom Santero (twitter github)
Reid Draper (twitter github blog)
Basho (twitter site)
Riak (github)
00:53 – Background & Introduction
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- Basho: commercial backers of an open-source distributed database called Riak
- Cambridge, Massachusettes
- 100 employees strong
- 5 offices worldwide
- Riak CS
- Engineering team is completely distributed
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02:50 – Employee distribution
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- Hire where the talent is
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03:44 – Looking for and hiring developers
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- Open-source contributors
- Meetup groups
- Conference circuit
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05:08 – Strategy to grow a distributed team
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- Organic
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06:35 – Organization appearance
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- Valve model: Valve Handbook For New Employees
- Do what you think is best for the company
- Teams of 1-4 or 5
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08:09 – Team interaction
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12:26 – Remote pair programming
14:21 – Standups and phone Q&As
15:51 – Distributed team challenges
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- Growing pains
- Onboarding
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18:31 – Personalities best suited for remote working
19:34 – Flexibility
22:13 – Advice for dispersed teams
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- Hiring the right people is crucial
- Have an open mind
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