embarrassing our employees in public again

[denise]

You know, in nine years when we're all celebrating DW's tenth anniversary, we are going to all look back and say that hiring fu when we did was the smartest thing we could have done. Seriously: she's smart, talented, creative, and motivated, which are all highly important qualities, but the one quality she has that makes her such a brilliant hire is that she is positively gleeful about what she does (and whom she's doing it for), and that kind of enthusiasm is not only great to see, it's infectuous. I never fail to walk away from a conversation from her without feeling like this is the best project ever. The degree to which this improves my productivity cannot be measured.

So, I wanted to take a second and announce to Dreamwidth (or at least the subset of Dreamwidth that is reading my journal) that she is awesome and we made a damn good choice when we hired her. Because everyone should know that fu rocks. That is all.

Comments

[cesy]

Squee is good :)

[denise]

It is easy to forget to do these things. Too often, we only note the crappy things, and I have been having some exceptionally crappy times lately, so I thought it was important to let everyone know just how awesome Fu is. :)

(She has been doing a grand job of reminding me why my job is awesome and I love it.)

[angelikitten]

Go fu! Go Dreamwidth! \o/

[yvi]

I love it when you embarrass people in public! :)

Go fu!

[denise]

And while I am on the embarrassing-people kick:

OMG, I don't know how we got so lucky as to have you, but I give thanks daily that we do. Your dedication to constantly improving your skills, trying new things, and being undaunted at just about any task possible is such an asset to this project. I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I find you incredibly inspirational; your attitude towards trying new things is something I constantly remind myself of when I'm frustrated and ready to give up.

[yvi]

*blushes*

Thank you :)

(And Gosh, yes, I am crazy like that. I get bored by doing what I already know so easily - I hope that counts as a good character trait ;))

[denise]

It's excellent. Your fearlessness is one of the things I admire most about you. And it's incredibly valuable, not only to the project as a whole (every project needs at least one person who'll charge fearlessly into the fray) but to me, personally, because between that and your attitude on corrections/reviews/suggestions/feedback, you model a type of behavior I've always tried to do myself and often fall short of. You're a fabulous role model and a great reminder that I should just go for it.

[yvi]

your attitude on corrections/reviews/suggestions/feedback,

Thank [deity] you don't see me the first 30 minutes after receiving that feedback. The less said about that, the better.

And now go for it! Or, well, let your hand heal first :) I'll be over here, head-diving into poll code *g*

[denise]

I don't think there's anyone in the world who doesn't need that thirty secnds. If there is, I don't watn to meet hir, because sie would be insufferably perfect. *g*

[fu]

I agree with denise completely. I'm so *so* glad that you're diving in and coding and being so fearless in building up some of the most awesome features of Dreamwidth.

♥

[pepper]

Hoorah for fu! Hoorah for DW! *\o/*

[goodbyebird]

[tyffi]

Wait... weren't you supposed to rest your finger? Though, fu really is awesome - like the rest of the staff. :D

[denise]

I'm on half typing by now -- finger's still splinted, but the wrists/forearms were the real problem (I have RSI tendencies, had the carpal tunnel release surgery done done in '99 and have had to be really careful since) and i was on no typing from weds-sun to let those heal a bit from where i overworked them. i can afford 30 mins on/30 mins off now!

[senmut]

I've really enjoyed seeing her enthusiasm!

[ninetydegrees]

That she does. I love that she makes it seem as if anything is easily solvable as long as we think a little about it and that she's the most approachable person ever. She never seem to mind answering my questions.

And ditto to what you said about Yvi. :)

[denise]

Yes! One thing I really love about the DW project culture is the way so much approachability is baked in from the start. I kind of adore that "someone is frightened or unsure of whether to step up and say something" is considered a bug we should fix in our process.

[yvi]

Yes, this! fu will always be the person who held my hand for me. And still does every time I decide I need to take on something that is just out of reach for me :)

fu ♥

[mayank]

*\o/* fu

[ex_pseudonym472]

Yay fu!

[denise]

Icon love!

[ex_pseudonym472]

:D I'm going to get the symbol (but in black) done as a tattoo when I have the funds.

[denise]

ivorygates recently did have it done, on the inside of her wrist -- first ink! I took her to have it done and it looks awesome -- plain black, about the size of a quarter.

I've been thinking about having more ink done, including that symbol. I have to stop myself from letting the voices in my head design my next ink, though, as someone in there thinks a full backpiece in black-and-white in about 16 different languages/layers/symbologies is perfectly reasonable *eyes him*

[ex_pseudonym472]

I've got just the normal point of origin (without the "sun" turned into a trans symbol) done on the back of my neck. Only tattoo I've got so far, had it done in 2005. (http://twitpic.com/15dqfs bad pic)... it's a little small, and I wish I'd put it in a place I could see... but lesson learned.

I'm not sure where I want to get this one done. For years I've wanted to get "the universe is infinite" in Ancient (picking the symbols they used in Avalon Pt 2) done either around my wrist or on the inside of my left forearm... so I don't want to conflict with those plans, and I feel totally weird about putting any ink on my right arm, just doesn't seem like where it should go for some reason. Thinking on my calf, like three inches tall, or so.

/yammering

[denise]

yeah, I have a lambda at the nape of my neck (for a lot of reasons, but mostly for the juxtaposition between the gay-rights symbol and the word logos; it was done to cheer me up after a bad string of religion vs queerness incidents) and a geometric lines-and-angles along the small of my back. My next piece is probably going to be the Sh'ma Yisrael in hebrew around one ankle and the Adhan in Arabic around the other, but I'm still not 100% sold on it; I might want to save the Sh'ma for elsewhere. It's all very complicated! But I've been getting that itchy want-new-ink feeling lately, so I might cave and get something. I'm kind of at the point where I need to do some long-term design work and thinking before I get any more ink done, though.

I don't have any ink where I can see it either, but my girlfriend appreciates them at least :)

[azurelunatic]

Yay!!!!!

[jenett]

Yay, fu

Also, yay denise for having a skill in finding good matches between people and stuff they can do brilliantly that improves the world for everybody (says me, who has learned a lot from watching that one. I keep getting "You make really good hires!" comments at work, and I keep going "It's all a combo of conversations with D and basically looking at hiring through my coven-brain lens).

[denise]

Thank you. :) I think that the experience of my few really spectacular fuckups with putting ppl in charge of things/'hiring' ppl to do things back on LJ (and there were a few really epic ones) taught me an awful lot about fitting round pegs to round holes and square pegs to square holes, and fortunately i have been able to generalize a lot of the lessons, traits, etc. I think you are right, and making smart hires/being smart about who to put in what positions is one of my core talents. (It's part listening to people carefully, because they tell you -- in pretty much every way beyond coming ouot and saying it -- where they belong and what they should be doing. It's one of those very-rarely-appreciated managerial talents. (I keep meaning to write an entry about why geeks deride and devalue management so badly, and why this is wrong, and why they do it anyway because they have not experienced good management and seen what it should be. I need more hours in the day.)

But, yes. The ability to gauge interest/talent/proclivities and steer people to the 'right' roles for them is something that I'm so glad I started cultivating so long ago, and if I had to name my one core strength as a manager that'd be on the very very shortlist.

[jenett]

It's one of those very-rarely-appreciated managerial talents. (I keep meaning to write an entry about why geeks deride and devalue management so badly, and why this is wrong, and why they do it anyway because they have not experienced good management and seen what it should be. I need more hours in the day.)

Which is why I wanted to go yay you, as well as yay fu - because you're right, it's deeply underappreciated, and it's so often do so incredibly badly in geek settings so often, in particular. (Also schools, I think, and for many of the same reasons.)

[pauamma]

I'd like to see the braindump on that when you write it. :-)

[aquaeri]

I keep meaning to write an entry about why geeks deride and devalue management so badly, and why this is wrong

No pressure, but I look forward to reading this once you've written it.

[pauamma]

She's Awesomest in all things. 'nuff said.

[turlough]

fu is awesome!!

[littlemousling]

but the one quality she has that makes her such a brilliant hire is that she is positively gleeful about what she does

Of all the people I've ever worked with (or for), this has been the one quality that has stood out among all the others. Sounds like you made a very good decision indeed.

[rainbow]

Woo hoo fu!!!

And woo hoo D and DW!!!

::confettis of glee!::

[fu]

♥♥♥ *blush* ♥♥♥

[shalom]

GREAT decisions on both your parts! You for making the offer, and she for taking it.