Ask Your Developer: How to Harness the Power of Software Developers and Win in the 21st Century

Jeff Lawson, software developer turned CEO of Twilio, creates a new playbook for unleashing the full potential of software developers in any organization, showing how to help management utilize this coveted and valuable workforce to enable growth, solve a wide range of business problems and drive digital transformation.

From banking and retail to insurance and finance, every industry is turning digital, and every company needs the best software to win the hearts and minds of customers. The landscape has shifted from the classic build vs. buy question, to one of build vs. die. Companies have to get this right to survive. But how do they make this transition?

Software developers are sought after, highly paid, and desperately needed to compete in the modern, digital economy. Yet most companies treat them like digital factory workers without really understanding how to unleash their full potential. Lawson argues that developers are the creative workforce who can solve major business problems and create hit products for customers—not just grind through rote tasks. From Google and Amazon, to one-person online software companies—companies that bring software developers in as partners are winning. Lawson shows how leaders who build industry changing software products consistently do three things well. First, they understand why software developers matter more than ever. Second, they understand developers and know how to motivate them. And third, they invest in their developers’ success.

As a software developer and public company CEO, Lawson uses his unique position to bridge the language and tools executives use with the unique culture of high performing, creative software developers. Ask Your Developer is a toolkit to help business leaders, product managers, technical leaders, software developers, and executives achieve their common goal—building great digital products and experiences.

How to compete in the digital economy? In short: Ask Your Developer.

Table of Contents

Part I: Why Developers Matter More Than Ever
Chapter 1: Build vs. Die
Chapter 2: The New Software Supply Chain

Part II: Understand and Motivate Your Developers
Chapter 3: Hi, I’m Jeff, and I’m a Developer
Chapter 4: Code Is Creative
Chapter 5: Experimentation Is The Prerequisite to Innovation
Chapter 6: Recruiting and Hiring Developers

Part III: Making Your Developers Successful
Chapter 7: Creating an Open, Learning Environment
Chapter 8: Small Teams and Single-Threaded Leaders
Chapter 9: Wearing the Customers’ Shoes
Chapter 10: Demystifying Agile
Chapter 11: Invest in Infrastructure