Note: This had been sitting in my drafts for over a year. Finally realized this and was able to share! (11/24/2020)
I recently had the honor to interview April Wensel, the founder of one my favorite organizations, Compassionate Coding. The work that April and her team is doing feels essential in the technology space. I was so glad to have the chance to chat with her about the organization and how it all began.
How fluid was your journey from software engineer into a founder of Compassionate Coding? Was there a particular situation that inspired you to focus on your own business of empowering others through empathy and compassion?
While working as a software engineer and engineering leader for ten years, I had always taken an interest in other parts of the business — marketing, sales, fundraising, etc., so that experience set me up nicely for entrepreneurship.
I always knew I wanted to start my own company, but in 2016 two things happened.
The negative trigger was a troubling experience at a company where I had been hired as the first female software engineer on a team of about 40. I often spoke up about diversity issues at the company, e.g. advising people not to bias the hiring process by saying, “We need to hire an iOS guy.” I was told that the men on the team were “afraid” of me because I spoke up so much. Not getting the support I needed on that team, especially after ten years of working on many other teams with similar problems, I decided it was time to break out on my own.
The positive trigger was that around the same time I went vegan, and I learned about what compassion really means, i.e. wanting to alleviate suffering in yourself and others. It occurred to me that what was really missing from the tech industry was compassion. All of the other problems in tech — the lack of diversity, the incidence of burnout, the creation of unethical products — were all symptoms of the root problem: a lack of concern for human beings.
That recognition led me to start Compassionate Coding to address that root problem.
What are the core values of Compassionate Coding and how do you inspire companies to buy into these beliefs? From my personal experience it is difficult on software development teams to move past the male dominated organizations that do not value empathy.
The most important one is right in the name — compassion! It’s a nice catch-all value because even when we talk about addressing “pain points” in products, that’s compassion. I see compassion as empathy combined with action. You not only feel suffering in others, but you want to take action to relieve that suffering.
Compassion is traditionally seen as a feminine trait, so in the male-dominated tech industry, it can be a struggle to get people to understand the importance. My approach is helping individuals understand how compassion will benefit them personally and their teams. Compassion contributes to feelings of joy and resilience, and it helps teams become more effective. For more on this, I recommend checking out the book Awakening Compassion at Work by Monica Worline and Jane Dutton.
As an industry, we’re definitely in a transition period right now, where the importance of traits traditionally viewed as feminine are being recognized as essential in the workplace. All genders can cultivate compassion, and it helps us work better together to build products that actually improve the world.
Finding your twitter account and Compassionate Coding was an awakening for me. It felt promising that there are people out there that are working hard to foster better working environments — it allowed me to reflect on ways in which I had been complicit with toxic environments. Are there other people or organizations or talks out there that have inspired you in this way?
That’s so kind of you to say!
I understand what you mean about being complicit in supporting toxic environments. One way to survive in toxic environments is to adopt toxic behaviors. If being pessimistic and aggressive is rewarded, you can exhibit those traits and gain respect. I used to take that approach. However, I think everyone loses in that scenario. Imitating the toxic behavior of men and suppressing our authentic selves just to fit in is poisonous to our well-being. That’ why it really concerns me to see other prominent women in tech advising women to take this approach.
Given all the deep-seated problems with tech, the people who inspire me most are traditionally not working in tech.
My biggest inspiration is my mom, who is an artist and is the epitome of compassion.
Also, when I went vegan, I went to a compassion retreat led by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, an animal advocate, and she has also been an inspiration. I also admire the work of Dorie Clark, who wrote the book Stand Out, which is about using our uniqueness to our advantage. Monica Worline and Jane Dutton, who wrote Awakening Compassion at Work, have also inspired me.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring software engineers or people that want to start their own companies?
For everyone, I advise taking some time to get in touch with your own core values and allow those to direct your behavior. Too often in tech and even in entrepreneurship, people just follow what’s popular. I think this is how the toxic behavior spreads.
It can be hard to challenge the status quo as I do with Compassionate Coding and veganism, but it’s infinitely rewarding to live authentically according to your values instead of just going along with the crowd.
And for people who want to start their own companies, my advice is to fight the fear and just do it! It’s a great way to claim your personal power and declare independence from toxic organizations. You don’t have to wait for the “perfect” moment. There is no perfect moment. Ignore the naysayers. Take the risk. Adapt as needed. Make it happen.
Any last parting words?
Something I recommend to everyone is starting a gratitude journal. Especially as technologists, we’re programmed to look for faults and problems to solve. It’s important to take time to appreciate what’s going well in your life.
