As winter’s embrace loosens, Jeff Van Fleet, Lighthouse’s President and CEO, is talking renewal. Just as the Earth renews itself come springtime, we must do the same thing intellectually.
Photo courtesy of Waves (Constant Contact)
| As leaders, we must recognize that life and business move in cycles—maybe not always as predictably as the seasons, but with a distinct ebb and flow nonetheless. For me, spring is a reminder to renew myself—whether it’s learning a new skill or diving deeper into an area that’s challenging me. |
As the doldrums of winter are coming to a close, I am looking forward to springtime. Two months ago, it seemed that everything was dead and brown and nothing would ever be green again. Now, my grass is green and almost ready to cut, the early flowers are blooming, and the world is beginning to renew itself.
As leaders, we must also recognize that life and business move in cycles—maybe not always as predictably as the seasons, but with a distinct ebb and flow nonetheless. For me, spring is a reminder to renew myself—whether it’s learning a new skill or diving deeper into an area that’s challenging me. I am a firm believer that we are more effective leaders when we understand a variety of topics; but we are most effective when we deeply understand them (as opposed to staying broad and shallow). Therefore, I try to pick a topic and explore it deeply for 2-3 months before moving on to another. With my “deep-first” approach, I get more proficient on that subject and the knowledge stays with me much longer than if I simply read an article or two. Here’s the approach that I use.
- Pick a topic that you want to grow in
- Buy a book (ideally a workbook) and/or download 2-3 good whitepapers
- Read them
- Work some sample problems
- Apply the knowledge in your job/life
- Teach it to your leadership team
- Encourage them each to pick a topic
With that in mind, this month’s newsletter focuses on two areas that might help you get a little deeper: Software Test Planning and Test Automation. If you are looking for a more structured approach to software test planning, be sure to read our white paper on the predictive methodology; if you have been considering test automation and want an unbiased review of three leading software testing tools, be sure to read our article and white paper on selecting a test automation tool.
I wish you well as you continue on your journey of personal growth. I’d love to hear from you to know what topics are most important to you. As always, if I can ever help you, please give me a call.
Keep having fun,
Jeff Van Fleet
President and CEO
Lighthouse Technologies, Inc
Software Testing | Quality Assurance Consulting | Oracle EBS Consulting
