Van Lindberg's Keynote: Say Thanks

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Van Lindberg, the chair of the Python Software Foundation, gave a really insightful keynote at PyCon 2015 last week. In a nutshell:

• The PSF's greatest challenge is that it's short of time: it has one full-time and three part-time employees.

• What can you do to help?

  • Say thanks to people for what they're doing.
  • Raise up and mentor others.
  • Persevere when trying something new. (Bonus points if you help someone out who doesn't look like you.)

• How can a new organization grow up to be the PSF?

  • Don't rush it. (In particular, don't put too much process in place too soon.)
  • Default to openness.
  • Build a culture of service.

There's lots more, and you should watch the whole thing, but I think these are good guidelines for Software Carpentry (and most other things, too).