For a long time, tech culture has focused too narrowly on technical skills; this has resulted in a tech community that too often puts companies and code over people. Greater Than Code is a podcast that invites the voices of people who are not heard from enough in tech: women, people of color, trans and/or queer folks, to talk about the human side of software development and technology. Greater Than Code is providing a vital platform for these conversations, and developing new ideas of what it means to be a technologist beyond just the code. Featuring an ongoing panel of racially and gender diverse tech panelists, the majority of podcast guests so far have been women in tech! We’ve covered topics including imposter syndrome, mental illness, sexuality, unconscious bias and social justice. We also have a major focus on skill sets that tech too often devalues, like team-building, hiring, community organizing, mentorship and empathy. Each episode also includes a transcript. We have an active Slack community that members can join by pledging as little as $1 per month via Patreon. (https://www.patreon.com/greaterthancode)
066: Growing a Culture with Allison Kopf
01:15 – Allison’s Superpower: Making Unplanned and Hectic Situations Work Out
06:43 – Getting Into Agriculture
08:54 – Building a Company Culture
13:19 – Transmitting Culture and Core Values When Hiring New People
20:02 – Disagreeing Respectfully and Maintaining Strong Opinions
25:19 – Clear Boundaries Between Work and Home Life
32:34 – What Tech Look Looks Like in the Context of a Working Farm
40:27 – Writing Code for Non-Technical People
Reflections:
Coraline: Practicing empathy for the user when writing software.
Jamey: Consciously make space for people who don’t speak as loudly as other people.
Sam: Learn something new every day.
Allison: How different people want to work remotely and how we can create an open way to actually do that.
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Special Guest: Allison Kopf.