Leading Developers

Leading Developers focuses on practical tips and insights for development team leaders and engineering managers, covering challenges like delegation, managing bad days, leadership styles, team meetings, and transitioning roles. It emphasizes communication, personal growth, business orientation, effective team and project management, and self-improvement for leaders in software development.

Leadership Development Team Management Communication Strategies Personal Growth Project Management Engineering Best Practices Career Transitioning Self-Improvement Technical Skills Enhancement Business Acumen for Developers

The hottest Substack posts of Leading Developers

And their main takeaways

Managing people you don't like

111 implied HN points • 18 Feb 25
💼 Business Management Leadership Workplace culture Human Resources Team Dynamics
  1. It's important to recognize that your personal biases can affect how you view coworkers. Sometimes, just because you don't like someone personally doesn't mean they aren't valuable to the team.
  2. Diverse teams are often more productive and successful. Focusing only on people you personally get along with can lead to missing out on talented individuals who bring different skills and perspectives.
  3. To manage effectively, you should examine your biases, focus on each person's strengths, and adapt your communication style. This will help create a better work environment for everyone.

7 proven mental models for engineering managers

218 implied HN points • 04 Feb 25
💼 Business Management Leadership Decision-making Team Dynamics Productivity
  1. Use mental models to help make better decisions as a manager. They can guide you to avoid mistakes and think more clearly.
  2. Consider the opposite of what you want to achieve. This helps in identifying what to avoid and improves decision-making.
  3. Always think about the long-term effects of your choices. It's important to consider not just what happens now, but what could happen later.

The 5 intensity zones of software teams

59 implied HN points • 11 Feb 25
💼 Business Management Team Dynamics Productivity Work Culture Employee Wellbeing
  1. Software teams can operate in different 'intensity zones' ranging from very light to maximum effort. Understanding these zones helps managers know when their team can relax or when they need to ramp up work.
  2. Switching between intensity zones is important for a team's success and well-being. It's crucial to have a balance and prepare the team for high-pressure times while also allowing them to unwind afterward.
  3. Effective 'intensity management' is key to keeping a team adaptable and preventing burnout. Setting clear expectations about workload and work intensity helps everyone understand what to expect.

The victim trap of engineering managers

160 implied HN points • 07 Jan 25
💼 Business Management Leadership Workplace culture Professional development Emotional Intelligence
  1. The Drama Triangle explains how people fall into three roles during conflicts: Victim, Villain, and Hero. Recognizing these roles can help people avoid feeling powerless.
  2. When faced with challenges, it's important to shift focus from blaming others to understanding their perspective. This can help resolve issues more effectively.
  3. Concentrating on desired outcomes instead of problems can lead to better solutions. A positive mindset can transform frustration into productive action.

Being an Engineering Manager at Meta

100 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Software Development Engineering Management Company Culture Leadership Career development
  1. At Meta, managers are there to support their engineers, who have the freedom to choose their projects and set goals. This leads to a culture where trust and autonomy help engineers excel.
  2. Managers at Meta are evaluated based on the impact of their team and how they help individual contributors grow. It's important for managers to realize their role in coaching and supporting their engineers, rather than taking credit for their success.
  3. Meta encourages a fast-paced environment where developers can easily set up their work and start contributing quickly. This focus on efficiency comes from long-term investments in tools that make working faster and smoother.
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6 secrets for never being blocked again

57 implied HN points • 21 Jan 25
🕹 Technology DevOps Software Engineering Management Cloud
  1. Developers can avoid being blocked by working directly on DevOps tasks themselves, like opening Pull Requests instead of just making requests. This way, they learn and the DevOps team gets involved faster.
  2. Instead of just asking for help, it's better to ask intriguing questions that engage the DevOps team. It makes them think more creatively and motivates them to assist.
  3. Developers should create their own alerts for their applications. This helps them understand their changes better and ensures that they take responsibility for their work.

6 reasons why the senior leadership doesn't take you seriously

130 implied HN points • 24 Dec 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Career development Workplace culture Soft skills
  1. 1. Being careful with how you communicate is important. Saying things in a sensitive way, especially when delivering bad news, can make a big difference in how people perceive you.
  2. 2. It's crucial to present yourself confidently, regardless of age or experience. When you're sure of your abilities, others will trust you more and you will be taken more seriously.
  3. 3. Clearly explaining what you expect from your team helps them perform better. Being explicit in your communication can support them in achieving their goals without confusion.

The 3 top mistakes of managers under 30

103 implied HN points • 17 Dec 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Career development Workplace culture Professional Growth
  1. Young managers often worry about their age and try too hard to prove themselves. It's better to ignore age and focus on maturity and confidence.
  2. Trying too hard to be liked can backfire. It's important to give honest feedback and set clear expectations without being overly apologetic.
  3. Making quick decisions can be risky. It's wise to consult team members, especially those with more experience, before deciding on important matters.

Using fake deadlines without driving your engineers crazy

98 implied HN points • 10 Dec 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Productivity Engineering Workplace
  1. Setting deadlines helps teams focus and improve productivity. When there’s a finish line, people are more likely to get things done quickly.
  2. Involve your team in setting deadlines to avoid frustration. If they help decide what's realistic, they'll feel more committed to meeting the goal.
  3. It's okay to be flexible with deadlines. Sometimes things change, and what's important is clear communication with the team about any adjustments.

The slow death of the hands-on engineering manager

139 implied HN points • 12 Nov 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Management Artificial Intelligence Coding Productivity
  1. Many engineering managers want to code more, but their roles shift them away from hands-on work. Finding even a few hours a week to code can help stay engaged with the team.
  2. Choosing small, impactful tasks can keep managers involved in coding. Projects that help the team or solve annoying issues can be both beneficial and satisfying.
  3. Creating internal tools, like a chatbot for documentation, can improve efficiency and learning. Such projects can bring value to the team while allowing managers to practice their skills.

Staying Calm When You Want to Disappear

103 implied HN points • 19 Nov 24
💼 Business Leadership Career Personal Development Workplace culture Stress management
  1. When faced with pressure, pause and take a deep breath. It helps calm your nerves before responding.
  2. Always evaluate the situation by asking yourself questions about what's happening and what you know versus what you don't.
  3. After assessing, respond clearly and confidently. It's important to communicate what you understand and seek help if needed.

Why sprints are taking the joy out of building software

147 implied HN points • 29 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Agile Methodology Product Management Team Dynamics Engineering Practices
  1. Sprints can make software development feel rushed and stressful. Teams often end up prioritizing completing tasks over enjoying the process of creating.
  2. Agile isn't just about following the sprint process; it's more about flexibility and responding to change. Focusing too much on the sprint leads to sticking to the rules instead of adapting to needs.
  3. Instead of traditional sprints, teams might benefit from cycles where they take their time, release when ready, and allow some room for creativity and quality work. This can create a more enjoyable work environment.

Safe vs ALL-IN Engineering Management

70 implied HN points • 26 Nov 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Team Dynamics Work Culture Career development
  1. There are two main styles of engineering management: Safe and All-In. Safe managers stick to the rules and like a structured work environment while All-In managers push for change and challenge the status quo.
  2. All-In managers are seen as demanding and sometimes annoying by others, as they constantly seek improvement and advocate for their team's needs. They care deeply about their team's success and fight for resources.
  3. The big clash happens because Safe managers prefer a calm, methodical way of working, while All-In managers bring energy and chaos. Both styles can struggle to cooperate effectively.

What I wish somebody told me during my first year as a manager

59 implied HN points • 03 Dec 24
💼 Business Management Leadership Career development Team Dynamics Productivity
  1. Don’t try to control everything in your team. It’s important to let your team members take on responsibilities and grow.
  2. Stop complaining about others without taking action. It’s more effective to give direct feedback to those who need it instead of gossiping.
  3. Remember to take a step back and appreciate the progress you and your team are making. Self-reflection can help you see how far you've come.

Breaking the wall between teams

100 implied HN points • 22 Oct 24
💼 Business Organizational Behavior Knowledge Management Team Collaboration Employee engagement
  1. Encourage horizontal communication between teams to break down knowledge silos. This can be done through initiatives like Engineering Guilds where team members can share ideas and strategies.
  2. Develop a strong documentation culture to reduce redundancy and ensure important information is easily accessible. Using standardized formats can make documentation simpler and more effective.
  3. Focus on improving onboarding experiences by providing new employees with guides and introductions to other teams. This helps build connections and ensures they have the resources they need from the start.

Engineering management in the next unicorn app

65 implied HN points • 05 Nov 24
💼 Business Startup Management Leadership Remote work Product Development
  1. A great remote team relies on hiring independent and motivated people. This way, there's less need for management and everyone takes ownership of their work.
  2. Launching a product takes time and patience. It's important to experiment and iterate rather than rushing to get features out.
  3. Growing a startup doesn't mean you have to hire a lot of new people right away. Instead, focus on what the market needs before expanding your team.

How to make your team read your mind

204 implied HN points • 05 Dec 23
  1. Clearly communicate your expectations to your team to avoid frustration.
  2. Consider creating a Manager's ReadMe document to outline expectations and foster better communication.
  3. Encourage open communication with your team through regular 1:1s and feedback sessions.

How I almost quit because of $75

114 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
💼 Business Workplace Challenges Personal Growth Career decisions Company Culture Team Dynamics
  1. Throughout your career, there will be moments where you consider quitting. It's important to weigh the reasons behind your feelings and analyze your options before making a decision.
  2. Sometimes, finding new challenges and growth opportunities can be discovered outside of work. Exploring different avenues and testing your skills in various areas can provide valuable experiences.
  3. Building strong relationships with colleagues and having trust in your team and the direction of your company can be key factors in deciding to stay and overcome challenges at work.

You are hurting your team without even noticing

111 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
  1. When people are promoted, they may start to think they are better than others, leading to inflated egos.
  2. Having a big ego can lead to trying to control everything, not accepting feedback, and getting emotionally attached to ideas.
  3. Low ego leadership involves listening, being humble, embracing negative feedback, and empowering the team through delegation.

Why managers have more bad days

111 implied HN points • 26 Dec 23
  1. Everyone has good and bad days, but as a manager, the intensity of the feelings can be higher.
  2. Managing comes with challenges like guilt, more interactions, and less time for personal tasks like coding.
  3. To cope with tough days, consider taking time off, prioritize self-care, and reassess your situation if the bad days persist.

Why Team Leaders Give Up

128 implied HN points • 28 Aug 23
  1. Delegating work is crucial for team leaders to keep their sanity and enjoy their role.
  2. Delegating the day-to-day tasks and leading new projects can help team leaders maintain balance and efficiency.
  3. Sharing responsibilities with team members not only lightens the load but also promotes skill development and ownership within the team.

DevOps/Platform teams are the hardest to manage

89 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
  1. Managing DevOps or Platform teams is challenging due to fast-changing priorities
  2. Effective collaboration between customer-facing and developer-facing team leaders is crucial
  3. Connecting the team to the business and ensuring their efforts are recognized are essential tasks

How a 3rd Party API Can Ruin Your Weekend

84 implied HN points • 21 Nov 23
  1. Carefully research any 3rd party API you depend upon
  2. Share the load with your team (even the annoying stuff)
  3. When you are not sure what'll work - go in multiple directions in parallel (even at the risk of wasting time)

3 steps for a FAST promotion to management

43 implied HN points • 19 Mar 24
💼 Business Career growth Management Promotion Leadership Professional development
  1. Be the go-to person for your manager by taking ownership of important tasks and being proactive in asking for responsibilities.
  2. Become visible outside your team by working on critical projects for the organization, actively participating in Slack channels, and producing helpful content.
  3. When seeking a promotion, be respectful but firm in asking for what you want, setting concrete goals, and taking proactive steps to achieve them.

Becoming a sales-engineer

49 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
💼 Business Sales Management Career development Customer Relations Product Development
  1. Acquiring new skills through new challenges can be exciting and lead to unexpected career paths.
  2. Transitioning from a technical role to sales doesn't mean losing technical skills - understanding the product deeply remains crucial.
  3. Sales engineering roles offer variety, immediate value, and potential for lucrative rewards, but require strong communication and collaboration skills.

Getting the most out of your Software Architects

70 implied HN points • 14 Nov 23
  1. Software Architects are experienced engineers who can save time and prevent mistakes.
  2. Collaborate well with Architects by doing your part promptly, consulting with them, and showing appreciation for their work.
  3. Take ownership of your project, push for help when needed, and don't waste Architects' time on trivial matters.

Your team meetings don’t have to be boring

51 implied HN points • 02 Jan 24
  1. Team meetings are important for bonding and sharing information
  2. Creating a recurring team meeting may seem scary, but valuable insights can come from it
  3. Ideas for team meetings include project reviews, post-mortems, and sharing interesting projects

5 Questions to Help You Deal with Fake Urgency

65 implied HN points • 31 Oct 23
  1. Question the necessity of deadlines and understand the impact on quality.
  2. Consider who is the ideal team size for a project and avoid overstaffing.
  3. Find the right balance between working hard and maintaining team well-being.

How can developers become more business oriented

51 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
  1. Developers should care about the business side and understand the problems they are solving.
  2. To become more business oriented, developers should seek insider experience in various industries related to their work.
  3. Getting practical knowledge and experience in the industry from the inside helps developers speak the same language, gain respect, understand clients better, identify pain points, and open new doors for themselves.

The 4 Words that Will Drive Any Developer Crazy

51 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
  1. Be careful with phrases like 'I told you so' as they can drive developers crazy.
  2. Understand why people use such phrases: Validation of intelligence, desiring respect, and venting frustration.
  3. Instead of claiming credit or saying 'I told you so', focus on giving praise and encouragement.

What does your manager want from you?

51 implied HN points • 04 Sep 23
  1. Don't be afraid to step off the edge - talk about your fears with your manager
  2. Look up from the dance floor - understand what's happening at the company level
  3. Manage your manager - be intentional about it, think of how they can help you and what you need from them

How I destroyed the company's DB

35 HN points • 26 Sep 23
  1. Mistakes in work are often part of a chain of failures. Cut the chain early.
  2. Hold people accountable for mistakes but focus on learning and improvement.
  3. Encourage action, problem-solving, and accountability in your team for success.

The secret for effective code reviews

35 implied HN points • 07 Aug 23
  1. Code reviews are about people first, code second.
  2. There are different types of code reviewers like the perfectionists, gurus, skimmers, and ignorers.
  3. Team leaders should establish clear guidelines and facilitate efficient code review processes.

The Curse of Good Managers

32 implied HN points • 21 Aug 23
  1. Good managers may have hidden blind spots that they are unaware of.
  2. To get valuable feedback, try different angles like asking specific questions.
  3. Sharing your own difficulties can make others feel comfortable to share feedback.

Feature flags are ruining your codebase

3 HN points • 05 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Testing Product Management
  1. Feature flags can make codebases more complex and harder to maintain, especially when used as an excuse to avoid making hard decisions like completely removing a feature.
  2. Having too many feature flags can lead to wasted time on dead code, increased testing burden, and making testing a substitute for fixing issues.
  3. Different types of feature flags, like release toggles, experiment toggles, and permission toggles, require specific management approaches to prevent the codebase from becoming unmanageable.

Improve your SQL skills X2 in 5 minutes

3 HN points • 13 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Data Management SQL Data Analysis Programming
  1. SQL skills are crucial for managers because they can help answer business questions, understand technical designs, and provide a huge return on effort invested.
  2. Don't stop with just learning joins in SQL. Advancing to using CTEs, window functions, and partitions can greatly enhance your ability to write complex queries.
  3. Window functions in SQL, such as ranking functions, aggregation functions, and positional functions, can help in advanced query writing by allowing calculations across sets of rows or returning a single value from a specific row within partitions.

Becoming an Engineering Manager - Is It For You?

3 HN points • 16 Jan 24
  1. Engineering managers need more than just coding skills for success.
  2. Transitioning to an engineering management role means less coding and more focus on leadership and decision-making.
  3. Effective engineering managers should be able to handle chaos, communicate well, and make decisive decisions.