How to Tackle (Organizational) Debt with Jonathan Raymond, Founder & CEO @ Refound #6 - a podcast by ELC

While you don't jump out of bed excited about it, you know how powerful it is for morale when you make the choice to tackle technical debt. Learn a framework for how to do the same thing with organizational debt, and unlock untapped energy, creativity and connection on your team in the process. 

“As organizational leaders, when it comes to organizational debt, we know that we take shortcuts. We make easy decisions. We do things that are expedient in the moment. But it has a cost. But we have to deal with it as a responsible leader.”

Jonathan Raymond (@jonathanrefound) is the CEO at Refound and author of the award-winning book, Good Authority. In 2018, he was named one of Inc. Magazine’s top 100 leadership speakers.  Refound trains leaders on how to give effective feedback and create a culture of accountability. The former CEO of EMyth, Jonathan has led business transformation projects in technology, renewable energy, and the coaching industry. He’s a half-decent barista, a bad-but-enthusiastic surfer, and will never give up on the New York Knicks. 

SHOWNOTES

• What is “organizational debt?” (3:45)
  
  


• Defining technical debt. (5:05)
  
  


• How you know when you have technical or organizational debt.  (6:34)
  
  


• The first step to solve technical/organizational debt. (7:26)
  
  


• Second step, what’s next before entering “solution mode.” (10:47)
  
  


• Understanding the problem now that the issue is in the open. (12:03)
  
  


• How you sell someone on doing something new (13:05)
  
  


• Where we often leave the process of solving organizational debt unfinished. (15:10)
  
  


• The active solution after the first three steps. (17:25)
  
  


• What separates good engineering leaders from mediocre ones. (20:00)
  
  


• Become the engineering leader your team is waiting for. (21:39)
  
  


• Additional examples of organizational debt. (23:48)
  
  


• Who owns organizational debt. (24:53)
  
  


• Dealing with over-leveling or title inflation. (25:48)
  
  

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