Learning how to deliver value from revolutionary books
When you hear Unicorn vs. Phoenix you might think of two fantastical beings outsmarting each other in a mystical battlefield.
Or maybe you are a very literal person and think of a bird fighting a horse, to each their own.
It would be fun to someday write about the results of that battle, but for the purpose of this article, we'll stay grounded in reality.
The Unicorn Project and The Phoenix Project are two books by Gene Kim focused on telling a similar story from different perspectives. The goal is to inform the reader about key tenants of DevOps through the stories of Bill Palmer and Maxine.
This isn't meant to be a book review of either but aims to tell you how I think reading both can provide incredible value, no matter where you fall in your daily hierarchy.
Background
I felt ensnared by screens in my daily life. I would stare at a computer screen all day for work, relax on my phone, watch some TV, and maybe end the day back on my PC. This started to weigh heavily on me.
I wanted to stop using my phone so often, to cut down on screen time and also improve my mental health. So I got into the practice of building constructive habits. (Shoutout Atomic Habits by James Clear)
Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash
One place I identified I could cut down my screentime was during Lunch.
I was using my phone a lot during my lunch break. Working from home had me watching YouTube, scrolling social media, or playing games during the break.
I decided instead to start listening to audiobooks to keep my eyes off of my phone while allowing me to do other activities like stretching, walking outside, or playing with the dogs.
The Phoenix Project felt like the perfect place to start.
It focused more on the management side of IT operations and software delivery by telling a personal story full of insightful lessons, rather than giving you an entire instruction manual full of complicated jargon.
I didn't even know The Unicorn Project existed, but I began listening to that immediately after finishing The Phoenix Project. Focusing more on the developer's experience in the same storyline again from a personal perspective was such a refreshing way to peek behind the curtains.
Should You Read Both?
TL;DR: Yes
Don't think that as a manager you should only listen to The Phoenix Project or as a dev you should only care about The Unicorn Project. Both will provide context that ties the entire story together, and make sense of the decisions being made from all levels.
It was eye-opening first to hear the pressure and rigidity being forced upon Bill (upper management) that affected Maxine (developer). Other people on the ground floor were frustrated with decisions being made because they didn't see the battle above them fighting for the right decisions.
Taking these learnings to the real world can have a tangible impact.
Understanding both sides of a crisis will develop workplace empathy and knowledge, making everyone collaborate to attack the problem, rather than each other.
If you become the embodiment of those values, you will be an invaluable asset no matter where you are placed.
The next time you're in an uncertain environment with other people throwing new solutions into the mix, slow down and try to view the problem as a whole.
We often get too narrowly focused on one specific task from a particular angle, we forget others are viewing it from their unique angles.
Understanding where each side is coming from will help generate a solution that can lead to more success and collaboration since you will probably discover you've been looking at the same beast, just with different glasses.
Personal Value
As I've talked about previously, I've transitioned from a PM position to a developer role. So both books have given me invaluable personal lessons I've tried to bring to my team, and I'd like to share them with you.
The "Backwards" Journey From PM to Engineer: Why I Chose Code
My journey from PM to Engineer: A series of lessons Learned from a Backwards Transition
Medium
Phoenix
Listening to The Phoenix Project as a PM helped me relate to the issues that I was facing daily, and gave me ideas on how I could solve my personal issues. I felt like I was gaining knowledge on how to conduct my job more effectively.
It became easier to collaborate with others and find creative paths to solutions that had been hiding from the team.
When I was a developer I felt like I could understand the unseen battles that my managers were going through, since PMs don't always explain every meeting they attend.
It became easier to tease out questions that could help the team understand the issues facing our team from a higher level. As a manager, you don't want to overshare high-level problems, but I found that unified teams that understand the problems ahead of them are far more effective as an informed unit rather than an informed leader with underlings flailing blindly to accomplish goals.
When each individual in a team is aware of the direction and overall goals of not just the product, but the organization, you build focused and effective solutions rather than something that only meets some of your criteria.
This applies to more than just corporate or large-scale organizations, you can practice this in daily life. Don't be alone when solving problems, invite others to collaborate and share your goals. You will be amazed at how much impact informed individuals aligned to solving clearly laid out goals can have.
Unicorn
As a PM listening to the daily issues Maxine faced really opened my eyes to my ignorance. I never truly understood the daily hurdles that developers faced until I heard them and experienced them myself.
I finally understood that I expected too much without truly spending time to figure out why some days seemed so unproductive. I admit my mistake, and now can practice better empathy towards others I work with.
It's easy to get stuck in a routine as a PM because Google Meets or Zoom are hardly ever down.
Compared to developers, sometimes builds don't work, or one tool was updated which is breaking existing code, or someone implemented a change that broke everything or…
The list goes on and on, with a seemingly unique issue arising each day.
The beauty of The Unicorn Project is discovering how collaborating towards those issues and documenting discoveries can eliminate daily issues across so many lives.
Maxine ran into the same daily issues as everyone else, but instead of accepting it as truth, she sought out creative solutions and creative people to clear these hurdles for everyone.
We took this to heart and instead of saying:
"I'm having build issues, I'll look into it but not sure when this will be done, then I can help out on other objectives."
We say:
"I'm having build issues, can we take some time to address this and come up with a documented solution as a team so that it doesn't affect anyone else?"
This change in how we collaborate increased our productivity but more importantly established collaborative norms focused on helping others, rather than shunning them.
Conclusion
I use Developer or PM a lot, but these lessons are beyond the tech industry. Any manager and employee can benefit from the lessons that these books provide. Understanding other people's job roles and responsibilities not only helps us solve problems better but also become more understanding humans.
The Phoenix Project and The Unicorn Project may be focused on tech and learning how to implement DevOps, but they also provide an opportunity to be more empathetic humans.
Reading both books offers a unique way to see two sides of the same story. Next time you encounter an obstacle, realize that there are multiple sides to it and take the time to step back to understand more than just your perspective.
Humans accomplish amazing things when working together, so be the one to welcome collaboration into your daily routine.
…Until Next time =)
Originally posted on Medium
Cover Image: Generated by Microsoft Designer
Photo by Lala Azizli on Unsplash
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