Farewell John Kordyback

Joanne Molesky

writer of “Lean Enterprise”, John’s spouse

My first profession was in well being care. I left that area within the early 1990’s as a result of stress of continually working in underfunded situations (to not point out diminishing alternative for work). As I looked for a brand new profession, John inspired me to learn to use e-mail and educate others how one can use it. From there, he always inspired me to maintain going and choose myself up and transfer on after I stumbled and had doubts that I used to be good sufficient and adequate to work within the Tech trade. He caught his neck out many instances by vouching for me in stretch roles that turned obtainable. I’d by no means have been thought of for them if he hadn’t completed that. He informed me as soon as it wasn’t as a result of we have been married, it was as a result of he knew I might do a very good job and I’d not fail. He has an exquisite present to assist folks see the brighter aspect of life and provides us hope that we will do an excellent job regardless of the quite a few boundaries that must be overcome.

Like many people of a sure age who’ve labored in tech, John by no means obtained a proper coaching in software program improvement or administration. His diploma is in Philosophy. He took some stats programs at college. He taught himself how one can code, check and perceive techniques. Earlier than John began working in Tech, he labored with disabled individuals in group properties. He has a substantial amount of compassion for the much less lucky on the earth and would stand as much as bullies when he noticed them behaving badly in direction of the weak. He talked about that quite than confront and punish, he would use optimistic reinforcement behavioural coaching methods with downside folks at work so they might grow to be a productive a part of the crew. I believe these years working with disabled folks (enormously underrated and underpaid work) paid off in spades later in his profession.

Ian Robinson

writer of REST in Follow

Jim Webber and I labored quite a bit with John, in Calgary, over 2007 and 2008. We went from a one-week troubleshooting gig to a big change programme nearly in a single day. I believe John had a tolerant skepticism in direction of our huge idea and broad-strokes consultancy: whereas many people misplaced ourselves for some time in an abstracted, considerably confused, big-picture tackle proceedings, John sought to supply a gentle counterweight, working in his affected person, humble strategy to set up belief and credibility by educating and inspiring good practices within the engineering groups on the bottom.

John understood that software program is a social exercise, and that change is commonly greatest rooted in day-to-day actions and habits, in belief, and may be most enduring when it emerges from the bottom up. He led by doing, by being candid about experiments and errors, by creating house for younger, upstart concepts and enthusiasms, and by having enjoyable.

By way of influence on my profession, I believe there was a sensible influence then, and an affect now, as I proceed to work out how I’d stay a major skilled life. Someday within the early 2010s, I assumed I needed a “title” for myself in our trade. Someday later, I spotted I didn’t. I’d had mayfly ambitions: John’s lengthy profession confirms for me now {that a} important skilled life shouldn’t be a once-and-done affair. Each engagement is at the beginning an engagement with a contemporary group of distinctive individuals. Success, belief and respect don’t simply roll over from one engagement to a different – each interplay begins afresh to construct immediately’s means of working collectively. There must be a powerful core of compassion and openness, of here-and-nowness, for somebody to take care of that means to construct crew foundations again and again, over a few years – and John had that core.

Moreover our software program pursuits, we shared a whole lot of touchpoints round British comedy and science fiction, and we laughed quite a bit – largely at ourselves, which I believe is the kindest laughter. I believe that characterises John’s skilled life: an effortlessly inclusive interaction of concepts and actions carried out with a light-weight contact of endurance and humor – he was a humble however massively influential trainer, chief and pal.

Sharlene McKinnon

This memorial was each straightforward and exhausting to put in writing. It’s straightforward as a result of John had such an enduring influence on my profession, and it’s straightforward to tease that influence out of all of the silliness that we take care of as consultants. It’s exhausting as a result of it feels so flawed to be saying goodbye. It’s far too quickly.

John is a storyteller, and he has a means of utilizing tales to attach and convey out the most effective in folks. I bear in mind assembly him in 2008. I went to a consumer website on my first day at Thoughtworks, and I used to be so inexperienced. I nervous that I’d mess up as a result of I didn’t know “Agile.”

I ended up on his crew and the very first thing he mentioned is, “Don’t fear about that stuff. Crucial factor is to get folks speaking to one another.” And, that’s what we did. We spent months simply specializing in strengthening the human connections whereas modifications in expertise swirled round us at a blistering tempo.

What strikes me is that I bear in mind the human parts from that point—the laughter, John’s tales, his knowledge and real want to assist. And I’ve forgotten the tech and venture particulars, as a result of they weren’t that vital. Know-how is fleeting and like a high-speed practice that strikes at an unmanageable tempo. It was the conversations and connections that we had on that practice that glued us collectively and made the journey memorable.

One of many issues that John used to say to me was, “That individual is caught within the weeds. Go assist them see the forest.” I’ve constructed a profession out of serving to folks get out of the weeds. This was one thing that John acknowledged and fostered in me in these early years (I didn’t see it). I really feel blessed to have recognized him.

Steven Deobald

It’s been over a decade since I labored with John, and I don’t have any particular anecdotes to share. Nonetheless, I did need to describe the way in which wherein he dealt with a (typically tough) crew. He was not the type of one who would both dominate conversations and current himself because the authoritative chief of the group, nor was he the type of one who would sneakily “seek the advice of” his strategy to the appropriate conclusion.

As a substitute, John simply spoke clearly and truthfully. A standup with John was at all times a type of palate cleanser, irrespective of how tough yesterday had been. His sense of humour was usually the key sauce that helped a crew gel.

He was a really pure mentor and chief, in that he would largely stand apart and let folks develop on their very own. As a substitute of pushing or pulling, he would calmly step in — like an skilled gardener — to information and defend the youngest amongst us as we discovered what the heck it was we have been actually doing. Typically this steerage was technical and inside, typically it was political and client-facing. Typically it was only a hug when somebody clearly wanted one.

On a for much longer timescale, John’s mentorship meant educating others to be mentors. Not by teaching or operating seminars, however by his personal instance. Sadly, a big a part of what I loved a lot about working with John is ineffable. However everybody who had the privilege of working with him has certainly felt it.

Mike Jones

My very first introduction to “QB” (a nick-name for John) was previous to my TW employment. I used to be an integration developer co-located with a TW crew. At one level throughout my very first day on the venture, QB jumped out of his chair, yelled ‘Dopio’ and walked out of the room. I had no thought what was taking place however then your complete TW crew additionally popped up and walked out of the room. I used to be caught off guard however they motioned to me to affix them and I shortly found that ‘Dopio’ (double espresso) was QB’s favourite drink at Starbucks. Proclaiming ‘Dopio’ was QB’s cryptic means of claiming ‘Come on crew, let’s go for espresso’. That could be a very fond reminiscence of mine.

James Pickett

John and I labored intently collectively in 2018 by way of early 2020. Throughout that point, I believe John and I had extra meals collectively than I did with my household! Once I joined Thoughtworks in 2017, I used to be each a lateral rent and an individual with abilities/expertise that have been “non-core” to Tw on the time. I rely John as certainly one of a handful of Thoughtworkers that actually helped me discover a strategy to have an effect for our purchasers and the corporate. We additionally had so many conversations about so many subjects past Thoughworks (household, children, tech trade, and all issues Canada!). Relaxation in peace John. We’ll miss you, and we’re all higher for figuring out you!

Evan Bottcher

John was a presence in Thoughtworks from the time I joined in 2006, a kind of voices within the noise inside our mailing listing, who when he spoke up you listened to what he needed to say, as you would inform it was reasoning from a large expertise base and a excessive mind. I inherited him as one of many “elders” certainly one of whom I felt that I turned later in my time at Thoughtworks.

I believe the factor I’d spotlight was his expertise in working with groups making use of agile strategies to mainframe improvement, together with check pushed improvement. I do know for a number of years afterwards I’d join John with Thoughtworks groups all around the world once they would stumble upon this bizarre world of mainframe and wanted somebody to assist in giving them the ‘Rosetta stone’ to have good conversations and affect with them. John would graciously take the calls and supply that bridge to a distinct period of improvement.

Aleksandar Serafimoski

John was a tremendous pal, mentor and a tremendous human being. He at all times cared about folks, and means out of his strategy to really feel folks heard, acknowledged and really feel as a part of the crew. His information and expertise with legacy modernization and testing has been invaluable. He was at all times keen to share his perspective and to assist folks once they have been struggling. I’ll undoubtedly miss him at TW and in life! Relaxation in peace John.

Angela Ferguson

I had absolutely the privilege of counting John and Joanne associates since they have been right here on project in Melbourne. One of many issues that actually stands out to me about John is his means to essentially really feel the enjoyment in (nearly) any state of affairs and to need to share that pleasure with others, whereas concurrently not hesitating on calling bullshit when it must be referred to as. His want to take colleagues alongside on his skilled journey, to champion for them and to assist them to additionally see the enjoyment in working with nice folks was sensible. Despite the fact that I’ve solely seen him sporadically up to now years – and I really feel very fortunate to have been capable of see him this previous September – I, like many others, will miss having him right here.

Brandon Byars

writer of Testing Microservices with Mountebank

Everyone wants a mentor once they transfer right into a stretch position. The primary time I took on a management place at scale, I used to be lucky to have John Kordyback mentor me. He taught me to “lean in” to issues quite than run or cover from them. He taught me the significance of strolling the halls and speaking to folks, as a result of working at scale meant constructing and relying in your community to get issues completed. He taught me to chortle on the every day tribulations quite than grow to be burdened by them. He helped me suppose not nearly expertise, however how one can implement expertise by way of folks, and how one can keep resilient when the challenges felt overwhelming. John did way over assist me grow to be a greater technologist and a greater chief; he helped me grow to be a greater individual.

Stefania Stefansdottir

I had the fortune to very briefly meet and work with John in 2020 at
Thoughtworks. John was an individual that one way or the other managed to go away such a
optimistic impression on the folks round him. How he approached
structure and software program supply tied to legacy techniques was one way or the other
so tied to empathy for the folks working with it and understanding
the worth of the system that it nonetheless stays with me 4 years later and
has influenced how I work together and work each with legacy techniques and
purchasers.

Martin Andersen

Once I met John I used to be working within the Calgary workplace, which on the time was the epitome of TW’s “like school however with cash” slogan – we have been all younger, it was considerably unhinged, and it was a whole lot of enjoyable. Sooner or later I heard there was some pleasure that we’d managed to rent this senior man from TransCanada, older and extra skilled. I might see the worth in that, however to be sincere I actually wasn’t trying ahead to it. I felt just like the temper would shift, get extra severe and boring. In fact as soon as he arrived it didn’t take lengthy to comprehend this wasn’t the case. John was at all times an extremely youthful individual. He was enthusiastic and curious and at all times filled with power. And he beloved each the issues most important to make this trade work its greatest: expertise and other people.

I used to be at all times impressed by his means to stay involved in and focussed on detailed technical issues. Lots of people age out of this as they shift or drift extra into management and administration, however John at all times needed to be near the metallic. And whereas it’s not unusual for folks to need to stay concerned, in an trade at all times altering as quick as this has, so many don’t sustain. However John did. He by no means uninterested in studying, and you would at all times see clearly his pleasure about no matter it was he was pursuing.

I used to be extra impressed, although, along with his curiosity in and concentrate on others. Once you have been with John he was with you. He was and engaged. He had a wry, playful sense of humour. Could possibly be severe as wanted, however would at all times quite be smiling, which he often was. In every single place he went he made associates and put folks comfy. He’d land at a consumer website and have all of it mapped out earlier than you knew it, joking round with VPs and junior devs alike. Some folks make forging these enterprise relationships look like work, transactional, however I by no means received that sense with John. It felt like he really did simply take pleasure in making connections. Actually, he had the identical enthusiasm and curiousity concerning the folks he labored with as he did concerning the issues he labored on. He made all of it appear enjoyable. Greater than that, he made it truly enjoyable. It nonetheless makes me chortle that I ever thought he could be some gray stultifying presence. I’m glad I had the prospect to spend as a few years round him as I did. I’ll miss him.

Ranbir Chawla

SVP Engineering, RB International

I met John throughout a Undertaking Discovery whereas I used to be working at Thoughtworks, and I used to be instantly impressed along with his means to take heed to the purchasers, ask perceptive questions and attain a fast understanding of the deeper below-the-surface points at hand. John at all times displayed a deep empathy for folks, and on the identical time a really sensible mindset that helped us all see how we might break down a big downside, perceive the human facets and the way they intertwined with expertise issues. He was a incredible communicator, capable of break down a posh resolution into one thing very comprehensible by the viewers he was with. He and I used to joke that the easiest way to ensure you understood an issue was to clarify it to your mom first, and if she get’s it, properly then you could perceive it as properly; so now you’re outfitted to assist take your purchasers on a journey to their finish objectives with out dropping them in some deeply technical presentation or planning cycle.

With that stage of practicality and communication John and I have been capable of accomplice with our consumer leaders to indicate the worth of small-batch work, frequent deliveries of software program to their product groups (weekly vs. quarterly to begin) and ultimately modified throughout the group how software program was delivered, dragging their different consulting companies into the method. All of the whereas John stored smiling, joking, and taking folks on that journey in his personal particular means.

Most of all, John made that fixed on the highway time away from residence enjoyable and cozy. I’ll treasure the straightforward dinners on the native Indian restaurant in Spring Texas, or burgers on the native bar and grill he beloved that we named The Kordy Shack. His humour, empathy, and talent to climate no matter storm hit us left an timeless impression in my soul. As an older man solely 3 years youthful than John, I nonetheless would inform him “Sometime I’ll develop as much as be similar to you sir 😊”.

Vanessa Towers

I first labored on the identical account as John in 2013 after which afterward in 2020. John was a standout in each situations, shortly incomes a powerful status as a technical chief, modernization guru and all-round form hearted human. John’s humor received everybody by way of probably the most difficult instances throughout formidable consumer engagements. John’s dedication to our purchasers was second to none, engaged on a distributed account at scale from the US West Coast meant John and I’d usually begin our working day at 5am, with John usually taking cost of driving important conferences and dealing classes at the moment, with a number of cups of espresso wanted to maintain us going by way of the early hours. John’s dedication to rising the subsequent technology of Thoughtworks leaders was an unbelievable present to these round him. John was an inspiring colleague, pal, gardener, prepare dinner, father and devoted husband to Joanne. He might be enormously missed by his associates and colleagues at Thoughtworks.

Miguel Enriquez

Principal Software program Engineer at Subsequent Knowledge

Like many others, I met John at work throughout very tough instances each private
and professionally. Like many technologists I knew from that point, I used to be very
captivated with a number of subjects however John at all times had these pearls of knowledge to
share with me concerning expertise, management and, extra importantly, private
relationships.

I at all times puzzled why he at all times would transfer between conferences with executives to
our little struggle room downstairs with a smile that was contagious. Everybody was
virtually smiling and laughing each time we noticed him stroll the hallways. I slowly
realized, by way of conversations that I bear in mind fondly, that he was a wonderful
human being and he cemented this with nice talks about tech, clever banter, nice
ebook suggestions, a shared love for cats, and particularly a contagious sense
of humor. I’m at a lack of phrases about all good the issues he was and I’ll
bear in mind him fondly, smiling all the way in which, as a mentor and fellow technologist.

Patrick Kua

Founding father of the Tech Lead Academy

John confirmed me early in my profession what on a regular basis management regarded like. I first noticed his title on inside mailing lists. His contributions at all times felt well-balanced and considerate, contrasting with a number of the heated debates on a software program improvement listing. When he posted, his phrases appeared to maneuver folks, and other people actually listened to him.

I understood this extra whereas engaged on an project in Canada. We labored on the identical consumer, albeit on completely different tasks, so I lastly received to place a face to the title. Though we labored on completely different tasks, we sat in the identical cubicle space. I bear in mind he would at all times greet me on arrival, say goodbye earlier than leaving, and, regardless of his difficult venture, at all times had a smile or a joke to share. Extra importantly, I found I might at all times flip round and ask for enter when not sure about something. He at all times made time to rigorously hear and noticeably pause and suppose earlier than responding.

In management circles, you usually hear the saying, “On the finish of the day, folks gained’t bear in mind what you mentioned or did; they are going to bear in mind the way you made them really feel.” John made everybody really feel listened to. Since you felt listened to, you additionally listened to John when he mentioned one thing. Despite the fact that my venture solely lasted just a few months, his role-modelling underscored how everybody can present management with out being a proper chief.

Amit Uttam

Earlier than becoming a member of Thoughtworks full-time, I had the nice fortune of being a part of a crew that had introduced in Thoughtworks for what was purported to be a quick “consulting and technical” steerage engagement. Simply prior, I bear in mind feeling quite drained from always being pulled into non-technical areas of crew and enterprise administration, whereas nonetheless attempting to maintain my ever-fading technical embers alive and stoked.

It was in that temporary engagement that I met John Kordyback, and he confirmed me that it was okay to be wizened, quirky, politely irreverent and unapologetically technical. I finally turned John’s colleague and teammate at Thoughtworks Calgary, and I can say with full confidence that a few of my most vital profession selections and trajectory forks are laced with a little bit of his particular salt.

I’m a greater individual for having recognized John, my pal.

Kelly Cronin

I solely labored on one venture with John, about 3 years into my tenure at TW, however he and the actual foxhole we have been in there left an enduring impression on me. My first assembly with him was, delightfully, within the bar colloquially recognized account-wide because the Kordy Shack, the place he grinned a welcome at me, handed over a menu he didn’t want, and made just a few suggestions, ones which I used to be silly sufficient to not take.

Over the subsequent few months, as a “pre-technical” addition to a really technical technique group, I made an insane pest of myself badgering everybody for particulars on the whys, so as to perceive, and assist inform the story of, what we have been doing there. Anybody coming into our communal convention room in between grueling consumer conferences was instantly waylaid and set to narrating my more and more unreadable whiteboard diagrams. However John had a present for rationalization, even when explaining to somebody as hard-headed and pre-technical as me; a present he’d honed through lengthy years of seeing round corners for his purchasers when all they might see was a legacy spaghetti diagram; for serving to them discover a aspect door out of the technical corners they’d painted themselves into.

He had unbelievable endurance for that type of dialog. He gave me diagrams explaining some primary knowledge precepts and defined a number of the steps the consumer was going to need to take alongside the way in which to the transformation they needed; then gave me the fact of what they have been prone to do once they ran out of time and money, and the place that might seemingly land them. He helped me fill in an enormous hole in my understanding of information platforms broadly. I won’t ever learn to hear like John, however I actually realized I ought to hear to him. I won’t have had the talents to acknowledge how deeply his information truly rooted, however even I might inform the person was seeing the forests, the timber, and all of the leaves and bugs and sub-bark phloem and xylem that stored the entire rattling factor alive.

That is to say nothing of his dry Canadian wit, his willingness to be foolish, his abiding love of an absurd headline or an excellent dad joke, and his utter graciousness within the face of this unfair, infuriating prognosis and sickness. To have such a person be lower brief is actually tragic; for him to be praising his luck on the way in which out, for the remedy he obtained and the assist of his household and associates, and the care of his medical crew, and the life he received to steer up till…. that’s to his core the person that he was: following hope the place it led down an arduous path, then gracefully bidding hope adieu to stroll the remainder of the way in which with realism and peace. We who knew him have been fortunate; and we’d be fortunate to face what he did as he did, with vulnerability, equanimity, and take care of these he left behind. It was yet one more hole in my information that he crammed for me, and I really like him for it.

Michelle D’Souza

John and I labored collectively in 2008 for quite a few years on my very first account at Thoughtworks. It was a big and nebulous account and more often than not I felt I didn’t know what I used to be doing. However John, along with his huge and reassuring smile (the factor I’ll miss probably the most about him), made me really feel like I used to be able to something.

He was a powerful believer in recognizing an individual’s strengths and amplifying these. He was one of many first few folks to indicate me the significance of the human aspect of expertise. Irrespective of how busy he was, he regularly popped by our cubicles to share a random bicycling story or to speak about consumer technique or the brand new hotness in tech.

He was a mentor not simply to me however to anybody who was keen to hear. He might be dearly missed…..

Nick Thorpe

The primary time I met John Kordyback, he swept right into a consumer we have been working at. It was my first job, and I used to be nervy. I requested him what he was doing there. He pointed on the sky, and mentioned “Air Cowl”. I had no thought what he meant, however as we turned associates, I got here to know it meant “influencing folks many ranges up from what you see out of your vantage level”.

John was at all times involved about folks, however he by no means purchased into bullshit. In a while, we have been speaking about how a few of our colleagues have been deriding the venture as “waterfall”. I had no thought what to say to that, as a result of it was true! He put his hand on his mouth in mock horror, after which got here that wolfish Kordyback grin. “Inform ‘em to recover from it”. He mentioned.

David Robinson

I had the privilege to work with John Kordyback on 3 events throughout my tenure at Thoughtworks. I’m a greater human and a greater advisor due to him. I aspire to be the form of Thoughtworkers he was. His humility and kindness made a optimistic impression on his colleagues, associates, and purchasers. I actually appreciated his relaxed perspective, even when issues received “fascinating”. I’ll miss him

Tom Clement Oketch

I had the superb privilege of working with John extensively at a consumer in Houston from 2018 to 2019. His information of enterprise structure, testing in all its kinds, mainframes, and legacy modernization was unmatched. His means to command respect and restore calm to chaos in a room filled with executives was magical. Nonetheless maybe my favourite trait of his was the endurance and empathy with which he handled everybody round him.

It isn’t usually that somebody as good and excellent as him could be keen to put apart their lofty accomplishments to have deeply impacting conversations about all the pieces from work and profession, to household and the goofiness of American versus Canadian tradition, to random conversations concerning the superb photographs he had taken of his cat. I learnt quite a bit from John, and for that I’m deeply grateful.

Relaxation in peace, form pal.

Ben Escudero

I’ve nothing however fond recollections of John’s prolonged tour of Australia that go properly past studying about how watching ice hockey may be thought of a marital exercise in Canada. At all times keen to inject his rascally humour and a depraved smile into an interplay, John introduced a deep sense of humanity and social connection to all of his technical engagements.

If John was on the crew, you at all times knew that each single member of that crew would have him looking for them, supporting them, encouraging them to contemplate a distinct perspective to the state of affairs at hand. This went means past being beneficiant along with his time, John merely embraced the concept that offering pastoral care was in line with the years of expertise that he introduced to each interplay.

Listening to John specific his timeless love for his gal, often within the presence of mentioned gal, was a lesson within the energy of vulnerability, of the enjoyment of being in love, and the significance of expressing gratitude for all that life has to supply. John helped form and information many technologists who have been lucky sufficient to have had his assist on the powerful issues that wanted to be solved. His considerate, loving care for everybody inside his orbit stays with me even after a decade of our final venture collectively, and by gosh I really like that fella for it.

Christopher Hastings

I met John on certainly one of my earliest TW tasks. He was form and heat, but in addition had a tremendous perspective on what was vital. As a current rent, I used to be nonetheless attempting to kind by way of how one can strategy working with purchasers, and John was at all times a gentle hand to concentrate on what was vital. He was form to swap tales of carpentry and different tasks, as properly. He’s already missed.