RTS Labs' online newsletter for July 2018
JULY 2018
RTS Tech Journal AMAZING PEOPLE MEET MODERN TECHNOLOGY
The Birth of RTS Labs
There is one mistake everyone makes that never fails to cause panic. In an instant, you regret every decision you’ve ever made and wonder how you could do something so foolish ... You’ve accidentally deleted a file you still need. I did not grow up innately skilled with computers. In college, when I was an electrical engineering major, I deleted a file I’d been working on for a few days. I was in the middle of freaking out when my girlfriend, a computer science major (and
fast, the automobile industry doesn’t evolve rapidly, but the technology industry is different today than it was yesterday. Even before I got into computers, I loved building and working at a fast pace. When I started following the path of computers, data, and technology, I envisioned working in a fast-paced, highly technical environment, surrounded by really smart people so I could just soak in their intellect. Eventually, I realized that if I wanted to work in a place like that, I would have to build it myself.
to build a team that could communicate. Today, we have a team based on trust, respect, and learning, and that is what I credit as my biggest success. The people who work at RTS aren’t content anywhere else. They want to move fast, be challenged, work on something new each day, and surround themselves with people who are just as smart and dedicated as they are. Together, we want to be great, not big, and we’re willing to put in the work to get there. I’ve often said that RTS is a place where the misfits fit. Here you’ll find people who spent 10 years as a bartender, came from a background in claims adjustment, or didn’t know about the recycle bin until college. God gave me the opportunity to change my life and the lives of my team and create a company I’ve always wanted to work at. It’s a unique experience, and I’m proud to share that experience with our clients for years to come.
Some projects will fail, I’ve learned, not because of the team, but because of poor communication.
today my wife), came in and recovered the file from the recycling bin in a few clicks. I couldn’t get over how amazing it was. For the next couple of days, I kept bringing it up, thanking her a hundred times. I knew so little about computers that just realizing that deleted files ended up in the recycling bin blew my mind. Skip to eight months later, and I had surpassed even my girlfriend’s experience with computers. Technology is the tool that enables things to move so fast. No other industry changes so quickly. The medical field doesn’t move
I started one other company before RTS Labs. We were a data company with three founders, and though we had a good client base, the company faltered after one of the founders had to move back to China. It was discouraging, but that was the seed that RTS Labs came from. I saw what worked at my first company and what didn’t, and I set about creating a place I knew would succeed. Some projects will fail, I’ve learned, not because of the team, but because of poor communication. Eight years ago, I began
-Jyot Singh
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WHERE DO WE FIT IN? Get to Know Gabriel Duke, DevOps Engineer Not everyone in the technology industry got their start in technology. Just ask Gabriel Duke, one of our DevOp engineers at RTS Labs. For 10 years, Gabe worked as a line cook, but he has always loved tech. From building machines out of discarded components in his uncle’s computer shop to visiting hacking spaces in his free time, Gabe loved to learn about technology and software. One of his greatest passions is working with Linux, an open-source operating system. “I lived in a commune for a while and am really drawn to egalitarian ideals. This pushed me towards using Linux,” Gabe explains. “Open- sourced system means all the source is available to everyone. Anyone can read it, anyone can use it, and anyone can create with it. It’s not owned by some corporation that can lock it down. What you create with Linux can go back and be used by someone else to create something greater.”
It’s no secret that employees want to work where they feel valued and nurtured. You also know that turnover is costly — Glassdoor estimates that businesses spend as much as 21 percent of an employee’s pay to find their replacement. So how do you get good employees to stay? Glassdoor’s study points out the importance of employee development. According to Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor, “Even after controlling for pay, industry, job title, and many other factors, we find that workers who stay longer in the same job without a title change are significantly more likely to leave for another company for the next step in their career.” Glassdoor’s findings corroborate the experiences of many business leaders. Chief Revenue Officer and longtime business leader Christian Valiulis emphasizes that employee development is essential to any company’s growth. Here are a few methods he’s identified to promote it within his company. Meet at least every month, without fail. Meetings are an opportunity for you to share where you’re at as a company, where you’re headed, and where your employees fit into that plan. Consider how your employees can be involved in such meetings. For example, at each monthly meeting, Valiulis has a different team member give part of the presentation. This builds their investment in the meeting, gives recognition to that employee, develops skills, and gives that employee an opportunity to try out a new role. Express yourself. You know how much your employees mean to you, but do they? It might be as simple as saying, “You are doing a great job.” When your employee tells you about their goal of writing a book, find ways to support it, even if it’s just checking in now and then to see how many pages they’ve written. If your employees feel that you’re interested not only in their professional development but also their personal development, they’ll feel more satisfied in their work. You’ll improve morale and retention. Give clear opportunities for internal development. If your employees feel like they can’t achieve their career goals at your company, they’ll begin to look elsewhere to reach them. In addition to highlighting how your company fosters employee development during the hiring process, make good on that advertisement by offering workshops, trainings, and opportunities for promotion. Valiulis suggests encouraging job shadowing between departments. It can help strengthen teamwork and show employees new opportunities within the company. The source of training doesn’t have to come from a faraway conference — look for internal opportunities where coworkers can learn from each other. Give Employees Opportunities for Growth
After a decade as a line cook, Gabe’s “big break” into tech would come when his brother, a developer,
referred Gabe to his former company. At this company, Gabe started in tech support before he moved to quality assurance. Then the small company was bought up by a large business out in Boston, and Gabe quickly discovered how difficult it was to communicate with managers in another state. Fortunately, it was around this time that RTS Labs came knocking. Our CEO, Jyot Singh, found Gabe on LinkedIn, and after getting to know him, he offered Gabe a job in DevOps.
“It’s crazy,” Gabe says. “I’d been doing this stuff as a hobby, then someone came along and asked me if I wanted to do it full- time and get paid! I wake up in the morning, and
I’m excited to go to work. I get to use the tools I love, like Linux, work with a group of great, like-minded people, and do work that I care about. It’s the best-case scenario, really.”
When asked what it is about technology that has kept him fascinated for so long, Gabe responds almost poetically.
“Technology is just one of my hobbies,” Gabe says. “I also enjoy photography, gardening, hiking, and kayaking when I can. These all sound different, but each one gives me a chance to get to know the world better. I don’t want to be separate from the world; I want to feel like I’m part of it, like I’m giving back to it, and the way I spend my time helps me get there.”
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WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW
How RTS Labs Helped Goodwill Get the Word Out
After Hurricanes Harvey and Irma devastated the southern United States last fall, people responded with an outpouring of support. The government received so many donations that they didn’t know how to handle it all. They reached out to Goodwill, the world leaders in managing donations, for help making sure the goods got into the right hands. This is a remarkable achievement, but few people are aware it even happened. It’s this kind of lack of awareness that Goodwill Virginia sought to overcome with help from RTS Labs. Our team sat down with the entire board of Goodwill Virginia and their senior leadership staff to have an open conversation about how we might meet their needs. Most people only saw the retail aspect of Goodwill and had no knowledge of their other programs. The teamwanted to make it easier for people to learn about their employment education opportunities, community employment centers, resume workshops, staffing solutions, and other valuable but often overlooked services. Goodwill needed a complete redesign of their website, and we knew where to start.
As we got to know Goodwill more and recognize the organization’s needs, we developed a better understanding of what Goodwill’s target clients wanted from the company. Alongside Goodwill’s internal team, we reorganized the way information is presented on the website, developed a more mobile-friendly platform, and moved through planning and prototype stages together to create a digital solution that met both client and user needs. The final website allows the internal team at Goodwill to connect donors with their goals and share community success stories, new business partnerships, and job-training workshops.
John Leopold, Goodwill’s vice president of technology, had this to say about the overall experience: “The best consultants take the time to truly understand a need of a customer. RTS lived that to the fullest. They did not force a solution on us; rather, they worked at length to determine needs and a design idea to meet them. All our internal units who had a stake in the website helped [with] the design through not only their own lens, but that of our target customers. As a result, I think we have the best Goodwill website in the country!”
Web design isn’t a service we often provide, but we were thrilled to help such an amazing company spread more good in the world. Goodwill offers so many important
“The best consultants take the time to truly understand a need of a customer. RTS lived that to the fullest.”
services to the community, and now those services are more readily accessible on Goodwillvirginia.org.
John Leopold, Goodwill’s vice president of technology
Sudoku
CHARRED CHILI- CHEESE CORN
You’ll find all of the flavors of elote, Mexican street corn, in this dish, without any of the mess. It’s the rare side that can outshine any main course.
• 4 ears of corn, husked • 4 tablespoons high- smoke-point oil, such as canola or vegetable • 1 large shallot, thinly sliced • 1/2 red chili (such as Freson) or jalapeño,
thinly sliced • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice • 2 ounces fresh cotija cheese (or feta), crumbled
• 1/4 cup cilantro • Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Heat grill to medium. 2. Brush corn with 2 tablespoons oil and grill until visibly charred, 10–12 minutes. 3. Cut kernels off cob and combine with shallots, chilis, lime juice, cheese, and remaining oil. 4. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with cilantro, and serve
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INSIDE This Issue
The Real Reason Projects Fail
How Employee Development Can Improve Your Bottom Line From Line Chef to DevOps What Makes Goodwill Virginia’s website so Special? Charred Chili-Cheese Corn
Kim Scott’s ‘Radical Candor’
HOW ‘RADICAL CANDOR’ CAN GUIDE YOUR TEAM TO SUCCESS Leadership Expert Kim Scott’s Fantastic New Book At the outset of our careers, when we’re learning to jockey for a position in the workforce and master the concepts that will carry us to success, many of us immediately begin to absorb the wrong kind of thinking. In the midst of youth, when our egos are paper- thin and we haven’t yet fully developed our personalities, business culture comes along and tells us to “be professional.” bring your whole self to work and to create the kind of environment in which everyone around you can do the same.” This ability to “Care Personally,” writes Scott in her book, is the first key principle leaders need to understand in order to succeed as bosses. Though movies about Wall Street may teach us otherwise, it’s difficult to succeed leaving their potential untapped or shirking their responsibilities. This “brutal honesty” doesn’t have to be brutal at all; instead, it should be direct, clear, and compassionate.
At the intersection of “Care Personally” and “Challenge Directly” lies the concept of “Radical Candor,” a framework that allows bosses to build two things: an empowered culture of honest feedback around the office and a team that works well together and is eager to achieve fantastic results. If you’re interested in learning how to be a more effective leader but are uncomfortable with the manipulative strategies espoused in so much of business culture, you can’t do better than Kim Scott’s book. It’s chock-full of actionable advice on how to start treating your team not only as employees, but as people, with all the emotions, aspirations, challenges, and potential that they bring.
in today’s collaborative business world without genuinely investing yourself in meaningful relationships. But, as Scott is eager to point out, love alone won’t push your team to new heights. You also need to “Challenge Directly” — to be honest with those who depend on you by letting them know when they’re
“For an awful lot of people, that gets translated to mean ‘leave your emotions, leave your true identity, leave everything that is best about you … and come to work like some kind of robot,’” said Kim Scott, bestselling author of “Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity,” at a recent Qualtrics X4 event. But to be the best possible asset to your team, she argues that you need to genuinely care about others — you need to “be able to
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