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Mike McQuaid

@mikemcquaid.com

I'm CTPO at Administrate, Homebrew Project Leader, ex-GitHub Principal Engineer, author of Git in Practice and an OSS and developer productivity leader. Posting mostly automated from mikemcquaid.com. If you want me to read your reply: email me instead.

Posts Replies Media

Mike McQuaid @mikemcquaid.com · 14/06/2026

We Nerds love helping beginners (as long as they RTFM and fill in the issue templates). Watch out for those "False Nerds", folks (2/4).

Most Computer Nerds Love to Help Beginners
It's sad, but almost all computer nerds spend most of their waking hours in front of a computer. They know that's kind of an oddball thing to do, but they can't help it.
Their guilty consciences are what usually make them happy to help begin-ners. By passing on knowledge, they can legitimize the hours they whiled away on their computer stools. Plus, it gives them a chance to brush up on a social skill that's slowly slipping away: the art of actually talking to a person.
v Always be grateful when given help.
Beware of False Nerds. These are people who don't love computers but who went to some sort of school to learn a few by-rote tricks. They may not be helpful nor know anything about computers other than what they're told. You can tell False Nerds because they lack the enthusiasm of the True Nerd, the one who will help you.

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Mike McQuaid @mikemcquaid.com · 29/12/2025

Workplace politics aren’t optional. Ignoring them just hands power to someone else. In our latest Minimum Viable Management episode, @mikemcquaid.com and Neha are joined by @deniseyu.bsky.social to talk about political capital, allyship and how leaders and senior ICs can use influence responsibly.

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Mike McQuaid @mikemcquaid.com · 21/11/2025

Another chat with Neha Batra on When Things Go Wrong: How Leaders Rebuild Trust. We dig into spotting issues early, admitting mistakes, rebuilding psychological safety and creating adaptable plans. Snippet video below.

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Mike McQuaid @mikemcquaid.com · 11/11/2025

Another discussion with Neha Batra on "Creating and Keeping Momentum" on our podcast "Minimum Viable Management". Momentum = clarity + ruthless scope + visible wins. We cover the 3-question test, smallest shippable slices, temporary process, pain snakes and smart nos.

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Mike McQuaid @mikemcquaid.com · 14/10/2025

Turns out people liked the “management podcast thing” Neha Batra and I did last week, so we made more: Minimum Viable Management is now a podcast. This time we talk about decisions, leadership, and other things managers pretend to be good at. Various podcast links at mikemcquaid.com/minimum-viab...

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