This little discussion was initially prompted by an old Information Week’s article of “Stay Ahead With Soft Skills” aimed at computer programmers and “techies”; however, while project management and such are great skills—especially in agile development–the most important skill is communication.

I love when my team shares cool ideas, hacks, and optimizations. It shows they have passion for what we’re doing and see the job more than just an inbox/outbox gig–and the team is made better by the innovation and contributions of each individual member.

What’s the worst part of your job as a team lead or manager? Deadlines? Crazed customers?

Individuals with these qualities can sap your energy and put a strain on your business.

In a recent blog post by Seth Godin, “Learning from the rejection,” he reminds us that we all grow from rejection.

So how do you find what you were meant to create and that’s extremely hard. I talked to a lot of folks who feel lost in understanding what that might be. There’s two things that I found for me that were really helpful.

Are certifications becoming a think of the past in development shops and startup companies? What does it really take for a developer to stay on track for growth and job success?

With the Christmas holiday passed and New Years coming up, I wanted to take a bit of time and reflect on balancing priorities.