Moolya is profoundly influenced by Jerry’s works and we take this opportunity to thank the genius who helped shape many of our careers would be an understatement, but our thinking and lifestyle too. THANK YOU, Jerry.
Rosie Sherry of Moolya, Jyothi Rangaiah shares a tribute to Gerald Marvin Weinberg(GMW) in the form of this article.
It is with deepest gratitude and respect for Jerry that I share this, I have not met Jerry personally nor am I acquainted with him, except for this one-time communication on LinkedIn.
Jerry ~ A wealth of knowledge
Many of us lost out on the opportunity of meeting Jerry or learning with him directly, but then we are fortunate to inherit the wealth of knowledge that he has left behind for us.
We learn via the host of books are written by him on computer software development, consulting and technical leadership. We are all inspired in the most profound way by the know-how shared through the many works of Jerry and to the benefit of those who aspire to be better in what we do professionally and in bettering our personal lives as well.
His passion ~ Helping Smart People be Happy
Many smart people who did not find their way forward in the corporate world and felt stuck, found meaning to the work they did and took pride in it via GMW’s consulting, coaching and commonsensical method of teaching, learning and writing. We found a grown-up way of looking at software engineering and development.
I did learn:
Individual intelligence is of prime importance, just as sharing group knowledge is and how to stay smart in the not so demanding environments too.
Lessons ~ On leadership from the guru himself
In the times,
- when there were no leaders in this industry,
- was dominated by assumed leadership attributes,
- when many smart people felt submissive to such leadership and
- there was a demand for strong prolific leaders in our respective vicinity ~ We found meaning in his teachings. It was reassuring to know that we were/are on the right path and we have to continue to lead with love.
Few gems of Jerry’s wisdom
It is about changing perspectives not once but more than once. (Are your lights on?)
There are boundaries set and limitations around which we learn any subject, this knowledge itself should make one a humble learner, IMHO. (An Introduction To General Systems thinking, Chapter 1)
We learn from young and old alike. (Latest blog-post https://t.co/XZ0VBsLHT1)
We learn about giving and getting advice successfully and that it requires a lot of unlearning. In Jerry’s words, one must not give but offer advice if our intention is to help people.
A demonstration on learning to say ‘No’. (An online conversation on LinkedIn)
A dose of ‘Perfect software’ for many who wanted zero bugs in the tested software. (Perfect Software: And Other Illusions about Testing)
And I wish to continue to read and learn from Jerry’s writings/teachings and fill the many gaps I identify. I just realized that we share a favorite book together: The story of ‘My Experiments With Truth’ by M.K.Gandhi. Let your legacy continue to live in your teachings and by those whose lives are touched by learning from/with you.
To the many who have been influenced by Jerry’s wisdom, I request and wish for you to share your learning experience with the rest of us. Thank you.
There is no way some of us will be prepared to say goodbye (yet), I heard about Jerry’s passing away from a friend with whom I was preparing for my first workshop and on Problem Solving. We remembered and quoted Jerry many times at this event. I read a few pages of Jerry’s book on ‘Becoming A Technical Leader’ and I aspire to help myself and others on this journey to be better at what we do. Thank you, Jerry, for being the torchbearer of the information and technology world.
Further reading
How Do You Say Goodbye? by Johanna Rothman https://bit.ly/2LayKu8
Jerry Weinberg’s Last Worry by James M Bach https://bit.ly/2BD7d55
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