Who is Coming to Eat Us?

Fascinating read. Turns out we need both stables and volatiles in an organization and we need someone asking the question - "Who is coming to eat us?"

Personally, I've got a little of both in me.

Michael Lopp on Stables and Volatiles

Stables are engineers who:

• Happily work with direction and appreciate that there appears to be a plan, as well as the calm predictability of a well-defined schedule.
• Play nice with others because they value an efficiently-run team.
• Calmly assess risk and carefully work to mitigate failure, however distant or improbable it might be.
• Tend to generate a lot of process because they know process creates predictably and measurability.
• Are known for their calm reliability.

Volatiles are the engineers who:

• Prefer to define strategy rather than follow it.
• Have issues with authority and often have legitimate arguments for anarchy.
• Can’t conceive of failing, and seek a thrill in risk.
• See working with others as time-consuming and onerous tasks, prefer to work in small, autonomous groups, and don’t give a shit how you feel.
• Often don’t build particularly beautiful or stable things, but they sure do build a lot.
• Are only reliable if it’s in their best interest.
• Leave a trail of disruption in their wake.