Using Programmer Tools To Be A Better Manager

ArtsHacker.comThere’s something uniquely satisfying with connecting people to tools they would otherwise be unaware of. To that end, I asked my Lead Technical Developer, Aaron Overton, to write an article about how artists and arts managers can take advantage of a commonly used programmer tool that has yet to work its way into the field in any sort of mainstream fashion.

What I’m talking about is version control software; in particular, Git.

We’ve been using Git for years and its benefits keep improving every year. But even though it started life as a tool geared toward programmers, other fields soon discovered its usefulness. As a result, it’s no longer just for programmers.

Having said that, it’s rare to encounter anyone inside nonprofit performing arts who knows what it is, let alone uses it.

We published Aaron’s article at ArtsHacker yesterday and I strongly encourage you to give it a read (doubly so if you’re a composer, librarian, or archivist!).

Git With The Program And Don’t Stress When Deleting Stuff

 

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

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