In DevOps we've systematized delivery, but we've been very nebulous about defining how to do empathy and culture, so it has turned into being nice to each other but we're left to our own devices as to what that means. I want to take an honest look at the history of DevOps. I’ll share with you about what I’ve seen work when systematizing empathy and what fails miserably.

You'll leave with a specific system you can implement Monday morning, not another corporate development class, but permission to be intentional about creating a good company culture of mutual support and empathy.

## Overview:

* The platform team compromise
* Fear of systematizing empathy
* Stories of what intentional support looks like
* Practical Monday morning advice

We’ve all half-laughed at the fact that years of DevOps cultural initiatives to break down siloes have turned into the creation of the platform team. We’re pretty good at systematizing delivery, but we would balk at the idea of systematizing empathy, a core DevOps principle…to our detriment.

Company culture is created by what people are doing, not saying.

Everyone gets visions of Jira-madness when we say to systematize anything. They get overwhelmed and stop listening. In addition, systematizing your relationships conjures up feelings of fear of being seen as manipulative or using your friends. We can agree that both of those things are bad.

But I want to stress that a system is anything that helps you to be intentional and consistent. It works best when it’s a personal decision, not an enforced, top-down system.

I’ll share personal experiences showing why intentional support of your colleagues works better than random acts of kindness. It creates a community of support which has real business value as well as creates an environment conducive to creativity, productivity, and contentment.

You’ll walk away with a practical guide for how to implement this on Monday morning, putting words into action.

## The audience will take away answers to the following questions:

1. What keeps us from helping people, and how do we create an intention of support with our colleagues when we’re overwhelmed with our own jobs or lives?
2. How can we map our skills and privilege against other people's constraints?
3. How do I systematize empathy with authenticity, without appearing manipulative or cold?

Playlist of past speaking engagements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvNeiILKHF0&list=PLPECrO0ROcqroVyQsdQpbVMUBLvbzXbIM