Tech Lead

Understanding What Drives People Can Help You Seduce Senior Engineers to Join Your Company

Companies need to be aware that senior engineers are more likely to choose purpose and passion over a high salary. To attract them, companies should look for experienced professionals at career fairs and networking events, have honest conversations outside the office, and tailor benefits to their specific needs. Two main motives that drive senior engineers are personal growth and mentoring possibilities, so companies should offer trainings and the chance to mentor junior colleagues.

Handling the Stress of Working Two Leadership Positions

The author was placed in a dual role of management and tech lead, which became too difficult to balance. After discussing the issue with their manager, the roles were split into two individual positions and the author chose to focus on management. The author learned the importance of good communication and not dragging oneself along in a situation that is not working.

Restructuring a Team in Order to Allow for Scale

A team was spread thin due to rapid growth, so the team leader restructured the team to better align with product roadmaps and give individuals more ownership. The team was involved in the process and the changes allowed for more hiring and projects. The leader learned that it is important to get ahead of problems and involve the team early on.

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.

Engaging With a Candidate During the Interview

The hiring manager discusses the problem of feeling underprepared when selling a position to potential candidates and shares the actions they have taken to improve their approach. They have developed a template to focus on what is important to the company and the candidate, and come prepared with more information about the company and the team. They also emphasize the importance of stretching new managers and providing growth opportunities. The lessons learned include the value of being prepared, considering long-term success, and being authentic and transparent in the hiring process.

Reasons Promoting From Within Is Better for Growing Your Business

When a principal engineer left a team without a backup plan, the Associate Director had to decide whether to groom a senior engineer to the next level or hire a Lead engineer from outside. The Associate Director chose to groom the senior engineer, giving him more ownership and products, and dividing the project lifecycle into three phases. The Associate Director invested a lot of time with the senior engineer, providing feedback and 1:1s, and after two quarters the senior engineer was ready to lead independently. The lessons learned from this experience were to invest in the internal team, be tactful in choosing and nurturing second-line leaders, and lead by example.