More than a “Manager” – How to become a Career Coach & Help Your Makers Thrive

There is a big difference between being a good manager and a good coach. Managers focus on making sure team members are meeting expectations and help them navigate the policies of the organization. Good coaches, on the other hand, bring out the best in team members so they can reach their full potential.

Grit: Why You Want the Tough Stuff

In early 2013, while working for a previous employer, I realized that we had a problem. I learned that a client for whom we were actively developing software had not been paying their bills. I had a large development team working very hard, and we were in the middle of a multi-month project. This client […]

You Need to Be Involved with SoftwareGR

Are you a software designer or developer looking to connect with others in West Michigan? How about an owner of a software consultancy who would like some exposure to potential new employees? Maybe you lead a department of software designers and developers and would like to expose them to new ideas?

You’re Doing Feedback All Wrong

Managers are expected to give feedback. It goes with the responsibility of leading a team of employees. The idea is that by giving compliments and constructive criticism, they will correct errors and improve the performance of their employees. If they do this task well, their teams will excel. This will lead to happy employees and […]

What Challenge Will Your Company Face Next? Check the Predictable Success Framework

As each company grows, it faces different challenges. Some of these hurdles follow known patterns related to where the company is in its evolution. For example, early-stage companies founded by a strong entrepreneur often get to a point where the founder becomes overwhelmed with too many competing demands. Companies that have experienced rapid growth can […]

Have a Big Software Idea? Start Small, then Make it Better

I admire the pursuit of perfection. Think of athletes, artists, and musicians who dedicate their lives to continual self-improvement—to becoming experts. One thing every expert knows is that striving for perfection is a process. You have to be willing to fall short, learn, and try again. You wouldn’t refuse to run in a race until […]

Why it’s Time to Retire the Software MVP

The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) term has outlived its usefulness. Since “MVP” was first popularized by Eric Reis’s book The Lean Startup in 2011, it’s become a catch-all term that means both far more and far less than it once did.

Atomic’s Radiator as a Digital Dashboard

In yesterday’s post, I shared the value of having a scorecard for your business. A scorecard follows the idea that you can improve what you measure. Conversely, if you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it.

Setting Up KPIs and a Dashboard at Your Software Consultancy

Your secret weapon is data. You have lots of it. It lives in different systems and with different people in your company. But data itself does no good if you can’t turn it into information–information that is aligned to your business strategy and on which you can act to reach your goals.

Six Software Startup Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

At Atomic, we are often approached by entrepreneurs who want to start a new business. Their ideas involve technology, are creative, and cover everything you can imagine—like building a service business on top of Uber, or starting a niche e-commerce website focused on a specific group of people. Some are copies of existing successful companies […]

Atomic Spin

Atomic Object’s blog on everything we find fascinating.

By: Jeff Williams

Author: Jeff Williams