Andrew (burntsushi) is a tech leader. He's got a huge heart and a whole lot of grit. I see him enduring as a high-profile open source project author. How many battles a day does one accept before reprioritizing life decisions? One too many strained interactions takes a toll on anyone. No matter how much grit someone has, everyone has a limit defining how much is worth enduring.
Andrew should not have to deflect burning arrows fired in his direction on a regular basis, and when they are fired he needs be able to cut them down before they make a mark. Further, while he has developed the required skills, his counterparts haven't. I remember an interaction I had with Andrew where he mistook something I said as a flaming arrow and acted accordingly. Realizing this, I immediately considered how what I said could be misinterpreted and did not take offense to his reaction. His situation is far different from mine and he's fighting battles I can only imagine.
For his sake, and that of others, there needs to be a concerted effort to address the difficulties that open source authors are dealing with. In an organization, an employer facilitates various types of training to help employees navigate challenging situations. Ethics and professional conduct are learned, as well as conflict resolution. I've taken such training a number of times and continue to learn from them. There is a huge chasm between knowing and doing, though, so hands-on training is required to internalize these skills.
I propose a concerted effort to provide "soft skill" training for the technology community. Users and authors of open source will benefit. I realize that this alone will be insufficient but it is one concrete step that can be taken in the immediate future to begin to address challenges that many people are having.
Andrew should not have to deflect burning arrows fired in his direction on a regular basis, and when they are fired he needs be able to cut them down before they make a mark. Further, while he has developed the required skills, his counterparts haven't. I remember an interaction I had with Andrew where he mistook something I said as a flaming arrow and acted accordingly. Realizing this, I immediately considered how what I said could be misinterpreted and did not take offense to his reaction. His situation is far different from mine and he's fighting battles I can only imagine.
For his sake, and that of others, there needs to be a concerted effort to address the difficulties that open source authors are dealing with. In an organization, an employer facilitates various types of training to help employees navigate challenging situations. Ethics and professional conduct are learned, as well as conflict resolution. I've taken such training a number of times and continue to learn from them. There is a huge chasm between knowing and doing, though, so hands-on training is required to internalize these skills.
I propose a concerted effort to provide "soft skill" training for the technology community. Users and authors of open source will benefit. I realize that this alone will be insufficient but it is one concrete step that can be taken in the immediate future to begin to address challenges that many people are having.