VP of Engineering

Creating Focused Paths for Growth

In response to feedback from team members, the organization created three paths for career growth: a technical lead path, an architect path, and a manager path. This was supported by the TILES framework and a strategy document, as well as an engineering health framework. The implementation of these paths was adjusted to provide a softer transition for those crossing over to a manager role, and to separate tech leads from HR duties.

Taking the Initiative to Transition from Engineering to Product

A technical program manager wanted to transition into a product management role, but faced bias from their company. To prove themselves, they built a strong relationship with a VP of product, took on a small project, and studied for interviews. In the end, they received the offer to become a product manager. The lesson learned is that it is best to transfer internally and find a sponsor on the product team who will support you through the transition.

The Ambiguous Role of a CTO

The role of a CTO is often difficult to understand, as it can involve managing people, technology, or customers. It is important to understand the distinct approach to the role that is context-dependent and varies from company to company. It is possible to be good at all three, but it is impossible to be great. It is important to find an alignment between what you like and what you are good at, and to hire people to fill in the other positions or allocate those responsibilities to other managers. Introspection and understanding what kind of CTO you are/should be is key, and multitasking is never a good idea.

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.

Hiring Senior Leadership When Scaling Massively

As CTO of a company that grew from 140 to 800 engineers in two years, the author had to anticipate the size of the team and assess the existing leadership potential. It took nine months to hire six VPs and restructure the organization, and two years later the plan worked out. The author learned that it is important to anticipate growth and hire people in advance, rather than waiting until they are needed.

Planning Product Development

The VP of Engineering for Ernit was the first technical person to join the company and faced the challenge of creating a protocol for the device to communicate back to the servers. After questioning the founders and creating a blueprint of the communication flow, they were able to come up with a solution that allowed them to ship the product in the Kickstarter phase. The lesson learned was that even if people aren't technical, they should be able to provide blueprints with communication flows to ensure information is flowing in both directions.