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

That massive email

0 implied HN points • 02 Aug 18
  1. Email can be great for archival notices, newsletters, focused conversations, and follow-ups.
  2. Avoid using email for conversations with many authors, quick responses, or complex topics with many layers of context.
  3. Consider being courteous with your email content by specifying actions for readers, providing summaries, and exploring alternative communication methods.

Is the HP Way still relevant today?

0 implied HN points • 21 Jul 18
  1. Establishing and enforcing code consistency is crucial for maintaining a codebase.
  2. The interpretation of management standards varies widely due to the human aspect of management.
  3. Defining and adhering to company values can unite and guide employees effectively.

Working with Product Marketing

0 implied HN points • 03 Apr 18
  1. Product marketing is crucial for positioning and selling your software effectively.
  2. Product marketers help with creating narratives, making marketing decisions, tracking usage, and guiding sales enablement.
  3. As an engineering manager, building a good relationship with product marketers can greatly benefit your team's success.

The Eye of Sauron

0 implied HN points • 06 Jul 18
  1. Feeling intense pressure at work is like being targeted by the Eye of Sauron.
  2. Recognize signs of being in the spotlight to navigate high-pressure situations effectively.
  3. After successfully handling high-stress projects, celebrate with your team and plan for recovery and future projects.

Competitive sitting and leaving loudly

0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 18
  1. Competitive sitting in the office can create unnecessary anxiety and stress among employees.
  2. Promoting a culture where leaders leave loudly can help reduce presenteeism and encourage a healthier work-life balance.
  3. Managers and leaders should lead by example and ensure their actions align with the workplace culture they want to promote.
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Why I couldn't write a manager README

0 implied HN points • 08 Jun 18
  1. Writing a manager README can be challenging and may feel trite or similar to others' writings.
  2. Some believe that adaptability should be on the manager, not the direct reports.
  3. For some, a short and personal approach may work better than a detailed document when communicating with direct reports.

Keeping your 1 to 1s fresh

0 implied HN points • 18 May 18
  1. 1. 1 to 1 meetings can become mundane if not kept engaging with fresh topics and ideas.
  2. 2. Key ways to keep 1 to 1 meetings interesting include discussing personal development, goals, and technology interests.
  3. 3. Adding variety by changing locations, letting the team member lead, or going outside for a walking meeting can boost engagement in 1 to 1s.

Force multipliers

0 implied HN points • 10 Feb 18
  1. Increase your impact by becoming a force multiplier in your organization through technical, cultural, and procedural means.
  2. Enhance your technical skills by mentoring others and advising on projects outside your team.
  3. Improve the culture of your department and streamline processes to make work more efficient and enjoyable.

Dealing with different personalities

0 implied HN points • 21 Jan 18
  1. Understand different personality types for better interactions and communication.
  2. Adapt your behavior and role to enhance collaboration and decision-making in a team setting.
  3. Be mindful of personality differences in meetings to ensure everyone feels respected and considered.

Cadence

0 implied HN points • 19 Nov 17
  1. Cadence, or the rate at which you deliver projects, is crucial for maintaining predictability and efficiency in your team.
  2. Just like cyclists find their optimal cadence for pedaling, leaders need to define the right delivery pace for their department based on various factors like industry, competition speed, and executive expectations.
  3. Maintaining a steady cadence is important for keeping marketing, sales, and engineering teams aligned, confident, and productive.

Your levers: scope, resources and time

0 implied HN points • 14 Nov 17
  1. When managing projects, you have three main levers: scope, resources, and time.
  2. For successful project delivery, it's important to balance the needs of commercial, product, and engineering teams.
  3. By being transparent and making well-informed decisions using the levers of scope, resources, and time, you can prioritize effectively and manage projects efficiently.

Rockstars and superstars

0 implied HN points • 29 Sep 17
  1. There are two main career tracks for engineers: individual contributor (IC) track and management track.
  2. Rockstars are focused experts who thrive on depth of expertise, while superstars thrive on variety and new opportunities.
  3. Managers should identify if their high performers are rockstars or superstars to provide a motivating environment for them.

Doing interviews: the other side of the table

0 implied HN points • 12 Sep 17
  1. Interviews are important to assess technical skills, cultural fit, and suitability for the role.
  2. Consider keeping the interview process efficient with 2-3 stages like actual interviews and an optional take-home test.
  3. Decision-making on hiring should consider feedback from all interviewers to determine if the candidate is a definite hire or not.

Delegation

0 implied HN points • 04 Aug 17
  1. Delegation is essential for managers to increase team output and focus on strategic decisions.
  2. Managers should measure their output based on the output of their organization, not just their personal work.
  3. Delegating effectively involves understanding the task-relevant maturity of team members and coaching them to higher skill levels.

What Great Hybrid Cultures Do Differently

0 implied HN points • 20 Mar 22
  1. Companies need to remember lessons learned during remote work for efficient hybrid work.
  2. Great hybrid cultures focus on staying efficient, effective, and inclusive.
  3. Transitioning back to office work in a hybrid world requires adapting and learning from the pandemic experience.

2020: a year spent remotely

0 implied HN points • 10 Jan 21
  1. 2020 brought challenges for people worldwide in different aspects of life due to the pandemic.
  2. Working remotely became a norm, leading to positive experiences for many and opening doors for a more distributed future.
  3. Learning new communication skills and embracing remote work can lead to a more diverse and inclusive tech industry.

Don't make yourself redundant

0 implied HN points • 27 Sep 20
  1. Don't make yourself redundant by delegating all your responsibilities without impactful activities to fill your time.
  2. When splitting a team, consider promoting an Engineering Manager to run a sub-team and act as the EM for the other to keep being productive and impactful.
  3. Ramp up one new manager at a time during team splits to maintain smoother transitions and better retention of momentum.

Watch my talk on delegation

0 implied HN points • 13 Jun 20
  1. Delegation involves giving tasks to others.
  2. Common delegation mistakes include micromanagement and fire-and-forget.
  3. Learning to delegate connects to acquiring new skills and Stoic philosophy.