The Engineering Manager

The Engineering Manager Substack offers guidance and insights for engineering leaders at various stages of their careers. It covers strategies for managing teams, personal growth, decision making, leadership principles, remote work practices, and balancing professional and personal life. The content aims to support current and aspiring leaders in creating effective, fulfilling, and sustainable engineering environments.

Leadership Development Team Management Career Growth Decision Making Productivity Remote Work Work-Life Balance Engineering Culture Personal Development Communication Strategies

The hottest Substack posts of The Engineering Manager

And their main takeaways

First principles and asking why

0 implied HN points • 22 Apr 18
  1. Questioning 'why' as adults helps challenge assumptions and improve critical thinking.
  2. Using 'why' to critique existing ideas and 'first principles' to construct new ones can lead to better decisions and innovative solutions.
  3. Encouraging a critical thinking mindset in managerial roles can result in better outcomes, less waste, and more innovative products.

Working with Sales

0 implied HN points • 03 Apr 18
  1. Salespeople are crucial for closing deals that bring in money to the organization.
  2. Salespeople focus on building relationships, solving client problems, meeting revenue targets, and understanding market demands.
  3. To support sales, get to know them, prioritize software uptime and stability, deliver on time, work on delivery cadence, promise at the right granularity, and involve them in new projects.

Workplace politics

0 implied HN points • 16 Mar 18
  1. Workplace politics are inevitable and can be used for good or bad.
  2. Understand how politics arise through org chart, informal groups, and influential people.
  3. Engage in positive political patterns like learning teams, winning hearts and minds, and building consensus.

Failing fast

0 implied HN points • 16 Feb 18
  1. Failing fast applies to all work you do, not just in software development.
  2. Use the fail fast principle in areas like software development, product ideas, technical explorations, hiring, and decision making.
  3. Failing fast saves time and money, making sure your team's investment yields the best results.

Leadership through kindness

0 implied HN points • 30 Jan 18
  1. Being kind as a leader doesn't mean being soft; it's a show of strength through emotional intelligence.
  2. Techniques for demonstrating kindness to build better relationships include asking questions and listening, being open and honest, appreciating hard work, offering flexibility, giving time back, and doing research.
  3. Leadership can be effective through kindness and compassion, which builds bonds and positive workplace culture.
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Step outside of your comfort zone

0 implied HN points • 04 Feb 18
  1. Stepping outside your comfort zone leads to growth and satisfaction in your career.
  2. Control can be an illusion, and facing change and challenges builds resilience.
  3. Fear of failure, judgement, and the unknown can hold us back from pushing ourselves, but overcoming these fears is necessary for improvement.

Management bugs

0 implied HN points • 15 Jan 18
  1. Consider implementing a 'management bugs' initiative to address issues and improve communication within the organization.
  2. Utilize tools like JIRA to create a system for raising, tracking, and resolving management bugs and process issues.
  3. Encourage open and honest discussions among employees to identify and address various concerns within the department.

Your career is your responsibility

0 implied HN points • 27 Nov 17
  1. Your career growth is up to you - be proactive in seeking opportunities and growth
  2. Take ownership of your career progression by actively seeking out ways to improve and develop
  3. Be entrepreneurial with your career - seek out new skills, experiences, and connections

The sophomore slump

0 implied HN points • 23 Nov 17
  1. High expectations for success when launching a second product after initial success.
  2. Underestimating the effort required to develop and launch a new product.
  3. The importance of giving a second product room to potentially succeed by treating it as a separate entity with its own resources and autonomy.

The stick

0 implied HN points • 02 Nov 17
  1. Software engineering can be challenging to observe progress, leading to misconceptions about team's productivity.
  2. Using fear or pressure to motivate engineers to work faster can be counterproductive and may lead to turnover.
  3. True leadership involves fostering purpose, passion, and clear communication to inspire teams for higher performance.

Wobble

0 implied HN points • 18 Oct 17
  1. The higher up in the organization you go, the more abstract and messy the issues become, requiring emotional intelligence to manage effectively.
  2. As a manager, it's crucial to shield your team from unstructured and emotional input to maintain their productivity and morale.
  3. Preventing organizational 'wobble' involves mindful listening, delaying communication in emotional situations, reframing messages positively, and seeking peer support.

Why is Engineering getting so slow?

0 implied HN points • 08 Nov 17
  1. Internal and external scrutiny can impact the speed of Engineering departments.
  2. Productivity per head decreases as a company grows, affecting speed.
  3. Leaders should focus on pragmatic software development and transparent communication to address slowdowns.

When people leave

0 implied HN points • 10 Oct 17
  1. People will leave your team, it's normal and happens in all industries.
  2. Focus on ensuring people leave for positive reasons and leave amiably.
  3. Be aware of common bad reasons for leaving, like lack of communication, and try to prevent them.

Attracting people to work for you

0 implied HN points • 07 Sep 17
  1. The success of a company relies heavily on hiring the right people.
  2. Methods of attracting new employees include direct applicants, headhunting, community outreach, and referrals.
  3. Encourage staff referrals and participate in community events to attract top talent.

Performance reviews

0 implied HN points • 24 Aug 17
  1. Preparation is key for successful performance reviews, taking time to plan and gather feedback is essential.
  2. Sharing review content beforehand allows for mental preparation and better discussion during the meeting.
  3. Separate salary discussions from performance reviews to keep the focus on feedback and improvement.

Giving feedback

0 implied HN points • 11 Aug 17
  1. Giving feedback can be challenging, whether it's positive or negative.
  2. It's important to give feedback regularly so employees know where they stand.
  3. Radical Candor, combining care personally and challenge directly, is key for effective feedback.

The 4 key managerial activities

0 implied HN points • 13 Jul 17
  1. Information gathering is crucial for managers to make informed decisions based on a solid knowledge base.
  2. Decision making is a key managerial responsibility that should always be taken seriously.
  3. Nudging and being a role model are additional activities that allow managers to influence and lead by example in the organization.

Feeling productive

0 implied HN points • 07 Jul 17
  1. New managers may struggle to feel productive due to constant interruptions and lack of flow.
  2. Creating a process, like using a calendar and to-do list, can help managers stay organized and focused.
  3. Establishing systems like organizing the day, using tools like Asana, and managing emails in batches can contribute greatly to daily productivity and overall job satisfaction.

Managing upwards

0 implied HN points • 20 Jul 17
  1. Managing the relationship with your own manager is crucial for your happiness, career growth, and success.
  2. Take the initiative to set the agenda and communicate effectively with your manager.
  3. Understand how your manager's performance is measured and find ways to contribute to their success.

Your first day on the job

0 implied HN points • 16 Jun 17
  1. Introduce yourself to your team and ask about their work and how they feel.
  2. Book weekly 1 to 1 meetings with each team member to build rapport.
  3. Have a private document for notes and actions from meetings with both your team and manager.

Planning for momentum

0 implied HN points • 22 Dec 21
  1. Planning is a dynamic and generative process.
  2. Planning improves ideas, alignment, and consensus.
  3. Planning leaves vital artifacts for the future.

The spectrum of humanity

0 implied HN points • 17 Mar 21
  1. A balance is needed between asynchronous work efficiency and feeling connected to others as humans.
  2. Encourage goofing off and social interactions to avoid overworking and maintain human connections.
  3. Occasionally use synchronous communication formats and meet in person with colleagues to foster deeper connections.

The spectrum of permanence

0 implied HN points • 18 Feb 21
  1. Communicate and create artifacts with consideration of their permanence.
  2. Maintain an audit trail by documenting decisions and communication.
  3. Organize and keep track of artifacts with indexes and regular reviews.

The spectrum of synchronousness

0 implied HN points • 04 Feb 21
  1. Effective communication is a crucial skill for engineers and impacts programming and teamwork.
  2. Communication can be synchronous (real-time) or asynchronous (delayed), each with its use cases.
  3. Embrace a 'shift right' mindset to adapt communication methods for remote work and inclusion.

If you're repeating yourself, debug it

0 implied HN points • 18 Oct 20
  1. If you find yourself repeating tasks, find a more efficient way to do it.
  2. Apply engineering principles to communication to save time and make it more impactful.
  3. Batch up repeated information and communicate it in a way that reaches many people at once.

Less status updates, more coaching

0 implied HN points • 11 Oct 20
  1. Focus on coaching during one-to-one meetings, rather than just giving status updates.
  2. Use asynchronous methods for receiving status updates, like weekly digests or progress broadcasts.
  3. Make time in one-to-ones for coaching, career development, and deep conversations with direct reports.

Bucketing your time

0 implied HN points • 12 Sep 20
  1. When managing managers, your time management strategy needs to adapt to handle multiple teams working at different cadences.
  2. Bucketing your activities into daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly intervals can help you maintain a balance and focus on high-impact tasks.
  3. Regularly assessing and adjusting how you allocate your time can help you delegate, automate, or eliminate tasks to ensure a balanced workload.

Skip-level meetings

0 implied HN points • 28 Aug 20
  1. Skip-level meetings are semi-frequent meetings between staff with a layer in the org chart separating them.
  2. Benefits of skip-level meetings include building rapport, showing transparency, gaining insights, and valuing every team member.
  3. Skip-level meetings can be held at different intervals, like fortnightly, monthly, quarterly, or occasionally based on the relationship and needs of staff.

VP, Director, what?

0 implied HN points • 15 Aug 20
  1. Different technology companies have standardized job titles like Engineering Managers, Directors of Engineering, and VPs of Engineering.
  2. Moving up the management track involves progressing from tactical roles to operational roles and finally to strategic roles.
  3. To advance from an individual contributor to a CTO, one typically goes through the progression of Engineering Manager, Director of Engineering, and then VP of Engineering.

I have a book deal

0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 19
  1. The author has secured a book deal to turn their content into a complete tome aimed at helping developers transition into management roles.
  2. The book will cover essential managerial skills, practical methods like running meetings and performance reviews, and applying psychology for effective leadership.
  3. Readers will learn how to supercharge their department, plan for the future, and excel as a fantastic manager by developing career tracks and supporting flexible working.

The Unhappy Middle of the Gig Economy

0 implied HN points • 11 Apr 19
  1. The gig economy has changed the world with cheaper, faster services but has significant drawbacks for workers like job insecurity and unpredictable income.
  2. Gig workers fall into different groups, some reliant on gig work for income while others use it for flexibility and may benefit more than traditional jobs.
  3. Platforms in the gig economy need to focus on worker well-being and make fundamental changes to support workers, rather than waiting for legislation to intervene.

Who Pays the Price for Selling $10 Bills for $5?

0 implied HN points • 04 Apr 19
  1. Tech startups often prioritize rapid growth and revenue over profit
  2. Venture capital funds fuel the growth of tech companies, even in the face of significant losses
  3. Workers in the gig economy, despite providing vital services, can suffer from low wages and lack of protection

Surely we're more than our jobs

0 implied HN points • 14 Mar 19
  1. Work identity plays a significant role in defining who we are in society.
  2. Balancing work identity with other aspects of life, like family and personal relationships, can be challenging.
  3. Transitioning from being an individual contributor to a manager involves a significant shift in work identity.

Commit and figure it out

0 implied HN points • 24 Jan 19
  1. Commit to challenges and figure them out with trust and determination.
  2. Embrace uncertainty and use human ingenuity to navigate through situations.
  3. Create opportunities for growth by encouraging staff to venture into new roles with a safety net in place.

Let's make a space for developers

0 implied HN points • 06 Dec 18
  1. Creating a developer-friendly workspace is important for fostering collaboration and creativity.
  2. Involving employees in the design process can lead to more functional and enjoyable workspaces.
  3. Consider the preferences and needs of different roles within the organization when designing office spaces.

Engineering a successful product launch

0 implied HN points • 22 Nov 18
  1. Panic before launch day can lead to unexpected issues in product launch
  2. Software launches are anxiety-inducing but planning and testing can help
  3. Avoid big bang launches by planning for scale, using feature flags, load testing, beta programs, and shadow loading

Switching to a remote manager

0 implied HN points • 08 Nov 18
  1. Transitioning to a remote manager brings challenges like loss of in-person contact and time zone differences.
  2. Creating a weekly digest can help summarize work updates and facilitate meaningful communication with a remote manager.
  3. Adjusting to asynchronous communication with a remote manager can lead to deeper conversations, increased accountability, and a need for trust.

When everything blows up

0 implied HN points • 23 Aug 18
  1. Chaos is normal in SaaS companies, be prepared for outages and have processes in place to handle them.
  2. Incident management requires designated roles like manager, communicator, and technical expert to effectively resolve issues.
  3. After an incident, conduct a 5 Whys session to identify root causes, assign actions, and prevent future occurrences.

What does beta really mean?

0 implied HN points • 11 Oct 18
  1. Beta releases are important in the SaaS world for testing software with known bugs or limitations
  2. In the SaaS industry, beta programs help balance speed of delivery with quality
  3. Beta programs in SaaS provide benefits like early feedback, innovation, and strengthening customer relationships

A fistful of radishes

0 implied HN points • 25 Oct 18
  1. Biases can influence how we lead and make decisions.
  2. Surrounding yourself with diverse perspectives can help combat biases.
  3. Being open to different viewpoints leads to better outcomes.