Engineering Manager

Looking back on my switch from IC to management

This article discusses the transition from individual contributor (IC) to manager. It emphasizes the importance of accepting the shift in priorities and recognizing that management is a skill that requires dedication and learning. It suggests finding mentors and role models, setting goals for both yourself and your team, and keeping yourself off of the critical path of development. Ultimately, the article encourages managers to take the best parts of what they have seen from other managers and mentors and apply them to their own role.

Lessons From Allowing Remote Work

This article discusses the lessons learned from two cases where employees whose performance was unproven wanted to work remotely. Ultimately, it was agreed to, but the employees ended up parting ways three to six months later. It was difficult to determine whether the employees were producing productive code, but it was noticed that those who were underperforming never produced much code. The article concludes that remote work works well for employees who have already been working well in the office, as they know what quality work looks like, have relationships with others, and can easily communicate with others.

Helping Your Reports Grow in Their Careers

This article discusses a management philosophy that focuses on building upon people's strengths and helping them become the best version of themselves. It also emphasizes the importance of understanding what the individual wants and what the company needs in order to create the best path for them. The article also provides lessons learned, such as not having a template to follow for guiding someone on their career path and getting comfortable with the fact that neither the manager nor the direct report knows the definitive answer on the best way to develop and grow.

Become a Manager on My Own: A Classic Tale of Being Thrown into a Management Role

This article is about the transition of an iOS engineer to a manager, and the lessons learned along the way. The author discusses the importance of understanding the company's higher-level vision, building trust with the team, delegating work, and finding mentors to help broaden their horizon. They also recommend three books to read to help with the transition. The author emphasizes the importance of patience and trust when shifting from maker to manager.

How to Attain Alignment of Vision and Strategy in the Engineering Organization

The VP of SW Engineering at Pebble had to influence the center of gravity of the engineering organization to achieve alignment and singularity of actions toward a set of common objectives. To do this, he used a methodical approach to get buy-in from the CEO, surface and highlight issues with existing processes and tools, communicate his overall vision and goals, allocate time for technical team members to explore options, and drive to a decision. He also used a layered approach to disclose and execute his vision to the CEO and technical staff, adjusting the communication style to the sensitivities of each team member. The lesson learned is that transparency and engagement from team leaders is important for changes in practices and tools, and empowering the team to collaborate and get to the right solution works better than directing them.

Building and Formalizing a Career Ladder in a Startup

Small startups often lack career ladders, but formalizing them is not recommended for teams with less than 30 employees. To help engineers grow their skills, managers should identify the skill sets they lack and line up appropriate training and incentives. For those on the management track, they should be given function, task, client, and project management responsibilities to master before taking on human management. Soft skills and training courses should also be lined up to help organize and structure employee progress. Ultimately, it is important to remember that every person is an individual and requires an individual approach.