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Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by matwood on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @08:39AM (#11908904)
Basically practice "How to Win Friends and Influence People."
Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by mknocker on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @12:08PM (#11910161)
Great book. Easy to read and full of examples.
Re:Ask HN: What non-technical skills make a senior dev and h... by xxr on Wednesday June 15, 2016 @02:27PM (#11911028)
One of my favorite tips from the book that's stuck with me in the 10+ years since I've read it is the immediate breakthrough you'll have with someone if you pronounce their name correctly when you meet them for the first time, particularly if their name is uncommon to your culture. In the author's case, I believe it was a Greek business partner whose name other English speakers had anglicized down to "Nick." When the author pronounced the other man's name fully, the other man welled up and replied that no one had tried that in decades. I haven't ever had a response quite so extremely positive, but I have experienced sparks of surprised excitement from new coworkers with, for example, Polish and Indian names when I've taken the time to think about or learn how their names are more accurately pronounced.