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)
044: Lazy Perfectionism and Performative Diversity and Inclusion with Shanise Barona
Come to Catskills Conf and meet Mandy & Jamey! Stay for the experience.
Shanise Barona: @shanisebarona | shanisebarona.com
00:16 – Welcome to “Plant Parenthood!” …we mean, “Greater Than Code!”
02:19 – Shanise’s Background Story and Superpower
03:08 – “Lazy Perfectionism”, “The Explosion of Dissonance”, and “The Moment of Click”
You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
12:49 – Improving Self-Directed Learning
15:35 – Having Tunnel Vision Past the Point of Where You Should and Moving Beyond a Comfort Zone
“I understood lazy perfectionism differently, more as the tendency to refactor, polish, and improve the various “-ilities” of your code long past the point when you should have moved on to something else. It’s like . . . tunnel vision on things that are important but not all-important. Finding the right balance there is super hard for me.” – Nathaniel Knight
Thank you to our latest $50 Patron, Josh Schmelzle!
21:50 – “Performative Diversity” and Community Building
28:33 – Words and Actions: Influencing Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)
34:25 – Being Angry on Social Media But Feeling the Need to be Perceived as Positive (All the Time)
Reflections:
Sam: Lazy perfection is a thing with a label and something to pay attention to.
Janelle: How shallow efforts can be to create change (i.e. conference diversity).
Mandy: Stop giving lip service! Step up and prove that you care about diversity and inclusion by supporting groups and missions like Greater Than Code.
Jamey: Having connections with people to prove to yourself you’re not alone.
Jessica: If you want to have diverse attendees, get a diverse leadership team.
Shanise: 1. Seeking a balance between wanting and not wanting explosions of dissonance.
- Find opportunities to highlight people that wouldn’t normally get opportunities to be highlighted.
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Special Guest: Shanise Barona.