If you contribute to open source, attend meetups, or just exist in the tech industry, you are likely a member of multiple tech communities. Our communities can be an incredible source of strength and comfort. They can support our personal and professional growth while satisfying a universal human need for belonging. However, in tech, many of our communities have become exclusionary clubs with unnecessary and unfair barriers to participation. These hostile, ego-driven communities create ingroups and outgroups, causing shame and stress in members and non-members alike.
Compassion is the key to creating more inclusive and supportive communities. Compassionate developer communities welcome newcomers, support the well-being of existing members, and contribute to positive change in society overall. As a tech community member, you’ll leave this talk equipped with practical tools for transforming your various communities in order to produce happier developers and ultimately, a more socially conscious tech industry.
—
April Wensel is the founder of Compassionate Coding. compassionatecoding.com
Presented at Anxiety Tech, San Francisco, July 27, 2018
http://www.anxietytech.com/
4. “[TECH WORKERS] ARE NOT THE
HAPPIEST BUNCH. THEY’RE ALL
OVERWORKED AND UNDER PRESSURE.”
–Christina Grant, Ph.D., Vegan Gourmet Dinner
Meetup, Palo Alto, August 29, 2016 @APRILWENSEL
9. “WORKPLACE CULTURE DRIVES
TURNOVER, SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTING
THE RETENTION OF UNDERREPRESENTED
GROUPS, AND COSTING THE INDUSTRY
MORE THAN $16 BILLION EACH YEAR.”
@APRILWENSELhttps://www.kaporcenter.org/tech-leavers/
20. “I’VE REALLY BEEN STRUGGLING…THIS WEEK. I’VE BEEN IN
TEARS FOR MOST OF IT, AND NOW I JUST GOT A SNARKY
RESPONSE ON STACKOVERFLOW TELLING ME HOW EASY THE
SOLUTION IS AND THAT I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DEBUG MY
OWN CODE. I’M READY TO THROW THE TOWEL IN.”
Post in a Facebook group for women in tech
@APRILWENSEL
22. “…DEMANDING ENRON EMPLOYEES PROVE THAT THEY WERE
SMARTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE INADVERTENTLY CONTRIBUTED TO A
NARCISSISTIC CULTURE…EMPLOYEES …WERE BOTH INCREDIBLY
SMUG AND DRIVEN BY DEEP INSECURITY TO KEEP SHOWING OFF. IT
WAS A CULTURE THAT ENCOURAGED SHORT-TERM PERFORMANCE
BUT DISCOURAGED LONG-TERM LEARNING AND GROWTH.”
Angela Duckworth
Grit
@APRILWENSEL
25. “…IN A THREATENING ENVIRONMENT,
THE HUMAN BRAIN BECOMES
PERMANENTLY ORGANIZED FOR
AGGRESSION.”
Karen Armstrong
Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
@APRILWENSEL
32. COMPASSION:
“THE FEELING THAT ARISES WHEN YOU
ARE CONFRONTED WITH ANOTHER’S
SUFFERING AND FEEL MOTIVATED TO
RELIEVE THAT SUFFERING”
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/compassion/definition
@APRILWENSEL
37. "PEOPLE IN POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS
OUTPERFORM THOSE WHO WORK IN NEGATIVE
CLIMATES BY 10-30%. IN A POSITIVE WORK
ENVIRONMENT, PEOPLE ARE MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT
THEIR WORK. THEY ENJOY WORKING WITH ONE
ANOTHER."
Shawn Murphy
The Optimistic Workplace
@APRILWENSEL
39. “IN A COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY, THE NEEDS
OF ALL THE [MEMBERS] OF THAT COMMUNITY
ARE RECOGNIZED AND MET, THE WELL-BEING
OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IS A PRIORITY, AND
ALL PEOPLE AND LIVING THINGS ARE TREATED
WITH RESPECT.”
https://charterforcompassion.org/communities @APRILWENSEL
40. A COMPASSIONATE TECH COMMUNITY
‣ HELPS US LEARN AND GROW
‣ OFFERS SUPPORT AND
ENCOURAGEMENT
‣ PROVIDES A SENSE OF
BELONGING
@APRILWENSEL
41. ‣ EGO
‣ ELITISM
‣ COMPETITION
‣ BEING “SMART”
‣ BEING A “ROCKSTAR”
@APRILWENSEL
42. ‣ EGO HUMILITY
‣ ELITISM INCLUSION
‣ COMPETITION COOPERATION
‣ BEING “SMART” BEING KIND
‣ BEING A “ROCKSTAR” BEING A MENTOR
@APRILWENSEL
47. "I BELIEVE IT IS IN EVERYONE'S INTEREST THAT
PEOPLE CHANGE, NOT IN ORDER TO AVOID
PUNISHMENT, BUT BECAUSE THEY SEE THE
CHANGE AS BENEFITING THEMSELVES."
Marshall Rosenberg
Nonviolent Communication
@APRILWENSEL
48. ‣ JOY
‣ RESILIENCE
‣ PEACE OF MIND
‣ JOB SATISFACTION
‣ LOWER CHANCE OF BURNOUT
@APRILWENSELhttps://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/compassion/definition#why-practice
BENEFITS OF COMPASSION
52. ‣ WHAT IS VALUED IN THIS COMMUNITY?
‣ WHAT BEHAVIORS ARE REWARDED?
‣ WHO IS IN THIS COMMUNITY?
‣ ARE THERE GROUPS OF PEOPLE MISSING
FROM THIS COMMUNITY?
‣ HOW ARE NEWCOMERS TREATED?
‣ HOW IS POWER DISTRIBUTED IN THIS
COMMUNITY?
@APRILWENSEL
72. "...SOMETIMES YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT...YOU
HAVE BEHAVED UNKINDLY AND INCONSIDERATELY.
AT THIS POINT...HAVE COMPASSION FOR YOURSELF,
SMILE WRYLY AT YOUR OMISSION, AND RESOLVE TO
DO BETTER TOMORROW."
Karen Armstrong
Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
@APRILWENSEL