78. A Thin Line: The Rough Reality of Enterprise Software

No one likes one-play toilet paper. Yet it’s everywhere. It’s in just about every public or institutional toilet across the world. This begs the question, if no one likes one-play toilet paper, why is it everywhere?Well, I think it’s simple. The people who pay for the toilet paper aren’t the ones who have to use it. And it’s not too unlike enterprise software when you think about it. The people who get stuck using enterprise software have very little say in what tools they’re supposed to use every day. The people who pay for the software are rarely the ones who have to use it. Not to mention enterprise software is usually seen as a cost-center, not a profit-center. So there is very little incentive to bake quality in from the beginning. This week Derek and Jeremy dig into this conundrum and talk through some potential solutions to this unique problem.Topics:• 03:00 – The Analogy of One-Ply Toilet Paper and Enterprise Software• 20:00 – Building Better Software and the Importance of Empathy• 27:00 – Creating Empathy and Relationships in the Workplace• 31:00 – Turning Knuckleheads into Stallions• 31:28 – Building Great Software Requires Focus and Vision• 32:27 – Empathy and Skill are Essential for Solving Problems• 33:40 – Assuming Positive Intent and Encouraging Effort• 34:09 – The Challenge of Leadership Problems• 35:03 – Lack of Vision and Strategy as Leadership Problems• 36:38 – The Need for Empowering Employees to Speak Up• 39:30 – The Iceberg of Ignorance and Incentives for Silence• 41:40 – The Lack of Democracy in the Workplace• 48:26 – Leadership’s Role in Building Better Software—– Thanks for listening! We hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you liked what you heard, be sure to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a comment and a five-star review. It helps us out a ton. If you haven’t already, sign up for our email list. We won’t spam you. Pinky swear. • Check out our website • Follow us on twitter • Find us on Facebook • Subscribe on Google Podcasts • Subscribe on Apple Podcasts • Subscribe on Spotify • Subscribe on Stitcher