There's a huge misunderstanding in our industry: people think of workaholism as a badge of honour. In reality this is a badge of shame.

1. Deconstructing the
myth of workaholism
in web teams

2. A badge of honor?

3. Definition

4. Definition
Working for 10 or 12 or 14 or even
more hours per day, weekends
included, for a few months.

5. Definition (who isn’t)
Business owners

6. Definition (who isn’t)
Freshmen

7. On good web teams

8. On good web teams
Good teams win!

9. On good web teams
Synergy

10. On good web teams
A sensitive ecosystem

11. On good web teams
The frightening invisible bonds grown
among team members
(Spoiler: Barcelona)

12. On good web teams
40 hours/week are enough
(Startups included)
-bit.ly/GJ0uxW
-bit.ly/17u5VOS

13. On good web teams
Workaholics break:
- synergy
- the invisible bonds
- 40hrs/week
-bit.ly/GJ0uxW
-bit.ly/17u5VOS

14. The profile of a
workaholic

15. The profile of a workaholic
The next door nerd
With no personal life

16. Insecurity
Low self esteem, antagonism, authoritarianism, fear of failure, perfectionism etc
The profile of a workaholic

17. Power and money is the antidote
A need to constantly prove to themselves and to others their superiority
The profile of a workaholic

18. An addiction with bad consequences
The profile of a workaholic
-bit.ly/tme5jb

19. The attractiveness of
workaholics

20. The attractiveness of workaholics
Why bosses love workaholics

21. The attractiveness of workaholics
Case study:
A committed lead programmer

22. The attractiveness of workaholics
Case study:
A project manager with guts

23. The fake glow of
workaholism

24. The fake glow of workaholism
A shortsighted,
not very smart strategy

25. The fake glow of workaholism > A shortsighted strategy
Skott Berkun:
Simply outworking other people can have a
negative effect on others: that 5x improvement
may create a -2x impact on everyone else: if the
star demoralizes others and goes out of his way to
embarrasses them with his talent, morale and
productivity are sure to drop.
-bit.ly/109b4xD

26. Even the most productive employees
can't keep working with such
intensity for too long
The fake glow of workaholism > A shortsighted strategy

27. The fake glow of workaholism
It stimulates people express even
worse parts of their personality

28. When a team struggles to cope with an impossible
project, its members tend to become fighters. This
incredible pressure reduces dramatically the
overall quality of work and people start competing
with each other.
The fake glow of workaholism > The worst parts

29. The team is transformed into a herd
and the project fails.
The fake glow of workaholism > The worst parts

30. A bitter end:
the team is broken and
its members are deranged
The fake glow of workaholism

31. Not all workaholics are bad people but...
the worst ones will first appear as
workaholics
The fake glow of workaholism

32. A badge of shame

33. Working with
workaholics

34. Follow the others
Working with workaholics

35. Stand your ground
Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise.
If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this maze?
Pink Floyd - Dogs
Fighting workaholism

36. Fighting workaholism

37. To business owners
(with love):

38. Fighting workaholism
Do you dare to create and lead a real team?
Stop burning people out

39. Workaholism and working hard are
two fucking different things
Fighting workaholism

40. Fighting workaholism
Cut the bullshit, please

41. Fire the Workaholics
-bit.ly/Iq4Lz

42. Yiannis Konstantakopoulos
porcupinecolors.com
twitter.com/yiannis_k