Surprisingly Effective managers

Surprisingly Effective tips and tactics for engineering managers working at technology companies

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• “Rationalize and solve” doesn’t help someone who is venting
  If you’re doing the whole servant leadership thing, you’re gonna hear some people venting frustrations. Yihwan Kim, When a 1:1 turns into a vent session: As an engineering manager, I’m learning that a big part of my… Continue reading “Rationalize and solve” doesn’t help someone who is venting
• One priority is like wind in the sails
  It’s true that I can scale myself, teams, and organizations to walk and chew gum at the same time, but it is surprisingly effective to focus on one thing at a time. This is the essence of… Continue reading One priority is like wind in the sails
• Planning focuses our ideas
  Planning is essential. But, not too much. Mostly in the next 90-day window (with apologies to Michael Pollan). Humans are, with few exceptions, awful at planning. It’s impossible to see the future. We rely on our previous… Continue reading Planning focuses our ideas
• Let them go their own way
  A mistake many newly minted (and some experienced) engineering managers (EMs) make is listening to their team (good!), discussing potential solutions and tradeoffs (good!), and then telling them how to solve the problem. Whoops!
• Hire based on outcomes instead of role descriptions
  The first time I hired someone, I wish I’d known it’s much better to think about the outcomes you’re hiring for. With that in mind, work backwards to the experience and skills required for a person to… Continue reading Hire based on outcomes instead of role descriptions
• The unreasonable effectiveness of checklists
  Checklists are a fantastic tool for thinking. This despite the existence of GTD, Kanban, PARA, and any number of ways to organize projects and figure out how to finish them. When I’m starting a project or when… Continue reading The unreasonable effectiveness of checklists
• Onboard new teammates with a 90-day plan
  My new boss had written up a 90-day plan for me the week before I started. This was perfect timing. I was already starting to put a bow on my current work and my focus was wandering.… Continue reading Onboard new teammates with a 90-day plan

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