Knowledge shared by our community

Creating and fostering a safe environment

Fostering a safe and empowering work environment for developers is essential for encouraging experimentation, increasing productivity, and retaining top talent. Engineering leaders can create such an environment by encouraging open communication, fostering a learning culture, and providing autonomy. To measure the success of creating a safe environment, metrics such as productivity, value delivered, employee turnover rate, and employee engagement surveys can be used.

The Power of influence inside software engineering

This post discusses the importance of influence in a software engineering career. It is not to undervalue the technical perspective, but to emphasize the need for visibility inside and outside the organization. It outlines several ways to increase visibility, such as company posts, personal posts, conferences, and open-source. The post emphasizes that investing time in being visible is essential for career growth.

Should You Quit Your Job to Pursue Your Business Idea?

Quitting your job to pursue a business idea is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Before making the leap, consider your financial situation, the demand for your product or service, the skills and resources you need, and the risks involved. Seek advice from experts and make sure you are passionate and committed to your idea. With the right preparation and mindset, you can turn your passion into a successful business.

4 E's of Leadership

Jack Welch developed a leadership assessment for GE that is easily transferable to other industries. The assessment is based on the 4Es of leadership - energy, energize, edge, and execution - and involves assessing a leader's energy, ability to energize others, edge in dealing with conflict and making tough decisions, and ability to execute strategies and achieve strategic plans. By assessing leaders based on the 4Es and working on an effective development plan, organizations can reach higher levels of success.

Performing Focused Work in a Distracted World

Deep Work is a state of distraction-free concentration for extended periods of time, allowing for enhanced productivity and unique output. To implement Deep Work, one must integrate it into their schedule, embrace boredom, quit social media, and limit shallow work. Deep Work will help manage time, increase productivity, and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Beware the Empathy Trap

Empathy in leadership is gaining attention due to its connection to employee engagement and well-being. However, it can be ineffective and even harmful if used incorrectly. It is important to understand the potential downside of empathy and find the right balance of support for team members. Pity, sympathy, and compassion are other emotions that can help empower team members without draining the leader's energy.

Applying The Rules of IKIGAI for a more fulfilled life!

The book "IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life" by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles distills 10 rules from the wisdom of the long-living residents of Ogimi, a small village in Okinawa, Japan. These rules, which could be interpreted as lifestyle habits that enable the senior residents of Ogami to live long and enjoy their ikigai, include staying active, taking it slow, not filling your stomach, surrounding yourself with good friends, getting in shape for your next birthday, smiling, reconnecting with nature, giving thanks to your ancestors and nature, living in the moment, and following your ikigai. These rules can be adopted to improve health and well-being and discover and live one's ikigai.

Relationships, like products, need to be designed.

Relationships are essential to great design work, and as SVP of Platform User Experience at Salesforce, the author has learned that design leaders are the designers of the relationships on their teams, with executives, and across their organization. To cultivate relationships to design better products, the author suggests prioritizing differences when building teams, extending the hand of collaboration across the organization, and advocating for the value of design with executives. These steps involve looking for hires with “less” experience, creating space for healthy discord, and telling stories that unlock the value of design for non-designers.

Inspiring Engineers with your Company's Vision

The author shares a personal story about their experience as an engineering lead on a Windows 8 application development project. They highlight the importance of having a clear Company Vision that motivates employees and aligns their work with the goals of the company. The author emphasizes the need for leaders to communicate the "why" behind their projects and provide opportunities for engineers to feel ownership and engagement. They also discuss the potential negative effects of a lack of alignment with the Company Vision, such as competing priorities and decreased productivity. The article concludes by emphasizing the ongoing nature of developing and communicating the Company Vision.

My experience shadowing an Engineering Director for a week

During the first week of February 2023, I shadowed Wayne Haber, the leader of the Secure, Govern, Data Science, and Growth teams at GitLab. GitLab is an open source, remote-first company, and Wayne opened up his Development Director Shadow Program to external participants. I had to sign an NDA and complete a checklist before my first day, and I followed Wayne's meetings and took notes. At the end of the week, I provided honest feedback and he welcomed and appreciated my suggestions. I found my shadowing experience worthwhile and highly recommend it to anyone interested in engineering management.

Effective Feedback Mechanism

Feedback is a powerful tool for Leaders, but it can be daunting for those who are new to it. To use it effectively, Leaders must have the right mindset, skillset, and toolset. This includes appreciating the good work of the individual, communicating what needs improvement and how to improve, delivering feedback in a positive way, building trust and rapport, and understanding the individual's career aspirations. With the right mindset, skillset, and toolset, Leaders can use feedback to help their team members grow and reach their goals.

Honesty in Leadership

Leaders should be honest and transparent with their team, even if it means admitting they don't know something or have made a mistake. Faking it will not build trust in the long run. Leaders should be open about their vulnerabilities and mistakes, and put in effort to learn and grow. People understand that no one is perfect, and will still trust and respect a leader who is trying to improve.

Providing Clarity to team

A leader should provide clear direction and guidance to their team in order to ensure effectiveness and innovation. If they are unable to provide 100% clarity, they should be transparent, humble and vulnerable in order to foster understanding. Giving confusing directions every week or even every other day can lead to anxiety and frustration among team members.

People, Process & Product

An Engineering Manager should prioritize People, Process, and Product in that order for optimal effectiveness. People should be empowered and provided with the right processes to build awesome products. Understanding the principles behind the practices helps the manager stay focused on the goal, measure the effectiveness of the practices, and course correct.

Hosting a successful internal hackathon with < $6k budget

This is a story about the successful implementation of an internal hackathon at a company with a limited budget of $6000. The hackathon was organized remotely and included 80 members from engineering, product and design teams. Preparations included setting specific goals, establishing project themes, facilitating matchmaking, designing a logo and merchandise, and seeking suggestions for a catchy hackathon name. The event was supported by regular check-ins from team leads and culminated in presentations of all projects to the entire company, an award ceremony with personalized awards, and networking opportunities.

"You don't care about quality" A story of single metric bias

This article discusses the importance of avoiding single metric bias when managing software projects, and suggests that customer and risk should be the two key concerns when thinking of quality. It tells the story of the author's mistake in not managing up and letting their frustration boil over into a rage. The article also highlights the dangers of single metric bias, which can lead to catastrophic results, and suggests that code quality should be measured with more than just test coverage. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of assessing best practices to determine which are important to the team, organization, and customer before agreeing to show evidence of improvement.

Ten quotes from Adam Grant relevant while dealing with layoff

This passage discusses the importance of knowing when to abandon treasured tools and parts of identity, the evolution of self-esteem in a career, how to take feedback, how anger can be a mirror for seeing core values more clearly, how to make big career decisions, how to support people who are down, and how to seek advice.

I was passed for Promotion. What now ?

Passing for promotion is not a guaranteed process, and managing disappointment and handling situations professionally when things don't pan out is an important life skill. To be successful in the promotion process, one must have a record of consistent delivery, develop trusted relationships with peers, earn the confidence of leadership, and be able to manage uncertainty.

People Oriented vs Task Oriented

Leadership is not about using people to build things, but rather building people while building things. To become a good leader, one must be both people-oriented and task-oriented. A great tool to assess one's current score is the Blake & Mouton Managerial Grid, and the book Bankable Leadership by Dr. Tasha Eurich provides actionable insights on how to improve both people and task-oriented skills. Experienced leaders can be observed to see how they balance both people and task-oriented goals.

15 Tips to improve profile discovery on LI

This article provides 15 tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile to help you get your dream job. Tips include uploading a profile picture, specifying the location of your target city, filling in the about section, connecting with recruiters, joining alumni networks, leveraging first and second level connections, following people in the industry, connecting with people who have similar jobs, checking LinkedIn multiple times a day, adding certifications, taking courses offered on LinkedIn, and completing assessments.

Creating and fostering a safe environment

Fostering a safe and empowering work environment for developers is essential for encouraging experimentation, increasing productivity, and retaining top talent. Engineering leaders can create such an environment by encouraging open communication, fostering a learning culture, and providing autonomy. To measure the success of creating a safe environment, metrics such as productivity, value delivered, employee turnover rate, and employee engagement surveys can be used.

The Power of influence inside software engineering

This post discusses the importance of influence in a software engineering career. It is not to undervalue the technical perspective, but to emphasize the need for visibility inside and outside the organization. It outlines several ways to increase visibility, such as company posts, personal posts, conferences, and open-source. The post emphasizes that investing time in being visible is essential for career growth.

Should You Quit Your Job to Pursue Your Business Idea?

Quitting your job to pursue a business idea is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Before making the leap, consider your financial situation, the demand for your product or service, the skills and resources you need, and the risks involved. Seek advice from experts and make sure you are passionate and committed to your idea. With the right preparation and mindset, you can turn your passion into a successful business.

4 E's of Leadership

Jack Welch developed a leadership assessment for GE that is easily transferable to other industries. The assessment is based on the 4Es of leadership - energy, energize, edge, and execution - and involves assessing a leader's energy, ability to energize others, edge in dealing with conflict and making tough decisions, and ability to execute strategies and achieve strategic plans. By assessing leaders based on the 4Es and working on an effective development plan, organizations can reach higher levels of success.

Performing Focused Work in a Distracted World

Deep Work is a state of distraction-free concentration for extended periods of time, allowing for enhanced productivity and unique output. To implement Deep Work, one must integrate it into their schedule, embrace boredom, quit social media, and limit shallow work. Deep Work will help manage time, increase productivity, and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Beware the Empathy Trap

Empathy in leadership is gaining attention due to its connection to employee engagement and well-being. However, it can be ineffective and even harmful if used incorrectly. It is important to understand the potential downside of empathy and find the right balance of support for team members. Pity, sympathy, and compassion are other emotions that can help empower team members without draining the leader's energy.

Applying The Rules of IKIGAI for a more fulfilled life!

The book "IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life" by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles distills 10 rules from the wisdom of the long-living residents of Ogimi, a small village in Okinawa, Japan. These rules, which could be interpreted as lifestyle habits that enable the senior residents of Ogami to live long and enjoy their ikigai, include staying active, taking it slow, not filling your stomach, surrounding yourself with good friends, getting in shape for your next birthday, smiling, reconnecting with nature, giving thanks to your ancestors and nature, living in the moment, and following your ikigai. These rules can be adopted to improve health and well-being and discover and live one's ikigai.

Relationships, like products, need to be designed.

Relationships are essential to great design work, and as SVP of Platform User Experience at Salesforce, the author has learned that design leaders are the designers of the relationships on their teams, with executives, and across their organization. To cultivate relationships to design better products, the author suggests prioritizing differences when building teams, extending the hand of collaboration across the organization, and advocating for the value of design with executives. These steps involve looking for hires with “less” experience, creating space for healthy discord, and telling stories that unlock the value of design for non-designers.

Inspiring Engineers with your Company's Vision

The author shares a personal story about their experience as an engineering lead on a Windows 8 application development project. They highlight the importance of having a clear Company Vision that motivates employees and aligns their work with the goals of the company. The author emphasizes the need for leaders to communicate the "why" behind their projects and provide opportunities for engineers to feel ownership and engagement. They also discuss the potential negative effects of a lack of alignment with the Company Vision, such as competing priorities and decreased productivity. The article concludes by emphasizing the ongoing nature of developing and communicating the Company Vision.

My experience shadowing an Engineering Director for a week

During the first week of February 2023, I shadowed Wayne Haber, the leader of the Secure, Govern, Data Science, and Growth teams at GitLab. GitLab is an open source, remote-first company, and Wayne opened up his Development Director Shadow Program to external participants. I had to sign an NDA and complete a checklist before my first day, and I followed Wayne's meetings and took notes. At the end of the week, I provided honest feedback and he welcomed and appreciated my suggestions. I found my shadowing experience worthwhile and highly recommend it to anyone interested in engineering management.

Effective Feedback Mechanism

Feedback is a powerful tool for Leaders, but it can be daunting for those who are new to it. To use it effectively, Leaders must have the right mindset, skillset, and toolset. This includes appreciating the good work of the individual, communicating what needs improvement and how to improve, delivering feedback in a positive way, building trust and rapport, and understanding the individual's career aspirations. With the right mindset, skillset, and toolset, Leaders can use feedback to help their team members grow and reach their goals.

Honesty in Leadership

Leaders should be honest and transparent with their team, even if it means admitting they don't know something or have made a mistake. Faking it will not build trust in the long run. Leaders should be open about their vulnerabilities and mistakes, and put in effort to learn and grow. People understand that no one is perfect, and will still trust and respect a leader who is trying to improve.

Providing Clarity to team

A leader should provide clear direction and guidance to their team in order to ensure effectiveness and innovation. If they are unable to provide 100% clarity, they should be transparent, humble and vulnerable in order to foster understanding. Giving confusing directions every week or even every other day can lead to anxiety and frustration among team members.

People, Process & Product

An Engineering Manager should prioritize People, Process, and Product in that order for optimal effectiveness. People should be empowered and provided with the right processes to build awesome products. Understanding the principles behind the practices helps the manager stay focused on the goal, measure the effectiveness of the practices, and course correct.

Hosting a successful internal hackathon with < $6k budget

This is a story about the successful implementation of an internal hackathon at a company with a limited budget of $6000. The hackathon was organized remotely and included 80 members from engineering, product and design teams. Preparations included setting specific goals, establishing project themes, facilitating matchmaking, designing a logo and merchandise, and seeking suggestions for a catchy hackathon name. The event was supported by regular check-ins from team leads and culminated in presentations of all projects to the entire company, an award ceremony with personalized awards, and networking opportunities.

"You don't care about quality" A story of single metric bias

This article discusses the importance of avoiding single metric bias when managing software projects, and suggests that customer and risk should be the two key concerns when thinking of quality. It tells the story of the author's mistake in not managing up and letting their frustration boil over into a rage. The article also highlights the dangers of single metric bias, which can lead to catastrophic results, and suggests that code quality should be measured with more than just test coverage. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of assessing best practices to determine which are important to the team, organization, and customer before agreeing to show evidence of improvement.

Ten quotes from Adam Grant relevant while dealing with layoff

This passage discusses the importance of knowing when to abandon treasured tools and parts of identity, the evolution of self-esteem in a career, how to take feedback, how anger can be a mirror for seeing core values more clearly, how to make big career decisions, how to support people who are down, and how to seek advice.

I was passed for Promotion. What now ?

Passing for promotion is not a guaranteed process, and managing disappointment and handling situations professionally when things don't pan out is an important life skill. To be successful in the promotion process, one must have a record of consistent delivery, develop trusted relationships with peers, earn the confidence of leadership, and be able to manage uncertainty.

People Oriented vs Task Oriented

Leadership is not about using people to build things, but rather building people while building things. To become a good leader, one must be both people-oriented and task-oriented. A great tool to assess one's current score is the Blake & Mouton Managerial Grid, and the book Bankable Leadership by Dr. Tasha Eurich provides actionable insights on how to improve both people and task-oriented skills. Experienced leaders can be observed to see how they balance both people and task-oriented goals.

15 Tips to improve profile discovery on LI

This article provides 15 tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile to help you get your dream job. Tips include uploading a profile picture, specifying the location of your target city, filling in the about section, connecting with recruiters, joining alumni networks, leveraging first and second level connections, following people in the industry, connecting with people who have similar jobs, checking LinkedIn multiple times a day, adding certifications, taking courses offered on LinkedIn, and completing assessments.

Creating and fostering a safe environment

Fostering a safe and empowering work environment for developers is essential for encouraging experimentation, increasing productivity, and retaining top talent. Engineering leaders can create such an environment by encouraging open communication, fostering a learning culture, and providing autonomy. To measure the success of creating a safe environment, metrics such as productivity, value delivered, employee turnover rate, and employee engagement surveys can be used.

The Power of influence inside software engineering

This post discusses the importance of influence in a software engineering career. It is not to undervalue the technical perspective, but to emphasize the need for visibility inside and outside the organization. It outlines several ways to increase visibility, such as company posts, personal posts, conferences, and open-source. The post emphasizes that investing time in being visible is essential for career growth.

Should You Quit Your Job to Pursue Your Business Idea?

Quitting your job to pursue a business idea is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Before making the leap, consider your financial situation, the demand for your product or service, the skills and resources you need, and the risks involved. Seek advice from experts and make sure you are passionate and committed to your idea. With the right preparation and mindset, you can turn your passion into a successful business.

4 E's of Leadership

Jack Welch developed a leadership assessment for GE that is easily transferable to other industries. The assessment is based on the 4Es of leadership - energy, energize, edge, and execution - and involves assessing a leader's energy, ability to energize others, edge in dealing with conflict and making tough decisions, and ability to execute strategies and achieve strategic plans. By assessing leaders based on the 4Es and working on an effective development plan, organizations can reach higher levels of success.

Performing Focused Work in a Distracted World

Deep Work is a state of distraction-free concentration for extended periods of time, allowing for enhanced productivity and unique output. To implement Deep Work, one must integrate it into their schedule, embrace boredom, quit social media, and limit shallow work. Deep Work will help manage time, increase productivity, and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Beware the Empathy Trap

Empathy in leadership is gaining attention due to its connection to employee engagement and well-being. However, it can be ineffective and even harmful if used incorrectly. It is important to understand the potential downside of empathy and find the right balance of support for team members. Pity, sympathy, and compassion are other emotions that can help empower team members without draining the leader's energy.

Applying The Rules of IKIGAI for a more fulfilled life!

The book "IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life" by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles distills 10 rules from the wisdom of the long-living residents of Ogimi, a small village in Okinawa, Japan. These rules, which could be interpreted as lifestyle habits that enable the senior residents of Ogami to live long and enjoy their ikigai, include staying active, taking it slow, not filling your stomach, surrounding yourself with good friends, getting in shape for your next birthday, smiling, reconnecting with nature, giving thanks to your ancestors and nature, living in the moment, and following your ikigai. These rules can be adopted to improve health and well-being and discover and live one's ikigai.

Relationships, like products, need to be designed.

Relationships are essential to great design work, and as SVP of Platform User Experience at Salesforce, the author has learned that design leaders are the designers of the relationships on their teams, with executives, and across their organization. To cultivate relationships to design better products, the author suggests prioritizing differences when building teams, extending the hand of collaboration across the organization, and advocating for the value of design with executives. These steps involve looking for hires with “less” experience, creating space for healthy discord, and telling stories that unlock the value of design for non-designers.

Inspiring Engineers with your Company's Vision

The author shares a personal story about their experience as an engineering lead on a Windows 8 application development project. They highlight the importance of having a clear Company Vision that motivates employees and aligns their work with the goals of the company. The author emphasizes the need for leaders to communicate the "why" behind their projects and provide opportunities for engineers to feel ownership and engagement. They also discuss the potential negative effects of a lack of alignment with the Company Vision, such as competing priorities and decreased productivity. The article concludes by emphasizing the ongoing nature of developing and communicating the Company Vision.

My experience shadowing an Engineering Director for a week

During the first week of February 2023, I shadowed Wayne Haber, the leader of the Secure, Govern, Data Science, and Growth teams at GitLab. GitLab is an open source, remote-first company, and Wayne opened up his Development Director Shadow Program to external participants. I had to sign an NDA and complete a checklist before my first day, and I followed Wayne's meetings and took notes. At the end of the week, I provided honest feedback and he welcomed and appreciated my suggestions. I found my shadowing experience worthwhile and highly recommend it to anyone interested in engineering management.

Effective Feedback Mechanism

Feedback is a powerful tool for Leaders, but it can be daunting for those who are new to it. To use it effectively, Leaders must have the right mindset, skillset, and toolset. This includes appreciating the good work of the individual, communicating what needs improvement and how to improve, delivering feedback in a positive way, building trust and rapport, and understanding the individual's career aspirations. With the right mindset, skillset, and toolset, Leaders can use feedback to help their team members grow and reach their goals.

Honesty in Leadership

Leaders should be honest and transparent with their team, even if it means admitting they don't know something or have made a mistake. Faking it will not build trust in the long run. Leaders should be open about their vulnerabilities and mistakes, and put in effort to learn and grow. People understand that no one is perfect, and will still trust and respect a leader who is trying to improve.

Providing Clarity to team

A leader should provide clear direction and guidance to their team in order to ensure effectiveness and innovation. If they are unable to provide 100% clarity, they should be transparent, humble and vulnerable in order to foster understanding. Giving confusing directions every week or even every other day can lead to anxiety and frustration among team members.

People, Process & Product

An Engineering Manager should prioritize People, Process, and Product in that order for optimal effectiveness. People should be empowered and provided with the right processes to build awesome products. Understanding the principles behind the practices helps the manager stay focused on the goal, measure the effectiveness of the practices, and course correct.

Hosting a successful internal hackathon with < $6k budget

This is a story about the successful implementation of an internal hackathon at a company with a limited budget of $6000. The hackathon was organized remotely and included 80 members from engineering, product and design teams. Preparations included setting specific goals, establishing project themes, facilitating matchmaking, designing a logo and merchandise, and seeking suggestions for a catchy hackathon name. The event was supported by regular check-ins from team leads and culminated in presentations of all projects to the entire company, an award ceremony with personalized awards, and networking opportunities.

"You don't care about quality" A story of single metric bias

This article discusses the importance of avoiding single metric bias when managing software projects, and suggests that customer and risk should be the two key concerns when thinking of quality. It tells the story of the author's mistake in not managing up and letting their frustration boil over into a rage. The article also highlights the dangers of single metric bias, which can lead to catastrophic results, and suggests that code quality should be measured with more than just test coverage. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of assessing best practices to determine which are important to the team, organization, and customer before agreeing to show evidence of improvement.

Ten quotes from Adam Grant relevant while dealing with layoff

This passage discusses the importance of knowing when to abandon treasured tools and parts of identity, the evolution of self-esteem in a career, how to take feedback, how anger can be a mirror for seeing core values more clearly, how to make big career decisions, how to support people who are down, and how to seek advice.

I was passed for Promotion. What now ?

Passing for promotion is not a guaranteed process, and managing disappointment and handling situations professionally when things don't pan out is an important life skill. To be successful in the promotion process, one must have a record of consistent delivery, develop trusted relationships with peers, earn the confidence of leadership, and be able to manage uncertainty.

People Oriented vs Task Oriented

Leadership is not about using people to build things, but rather building people while building things. To become a good leader, one must be both people-oriented and task-oriented. A great tool to assess one's current score is the Blake & Mouton Managerial Grid, and the book Bankable Leadership by Dr. Tasha Eurich provides actionable insights on how to improve both people and task-oriented skills. Experienced leaders can be observed to see how they balance both people and task-oriented goals.

15 Tips to improve profile discovery on LI

This article provides 15 tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile to help you get your dream job. Tips include uploading a profile picture, specifying the location of your target city, filling in the about section, connecting with recruiters, joining alumni networks, leveraging first and second level connections, following people in the industry, connecting with people who have similar jobs, checking LinkedIn multiple times a day, adding certifications, taking courses offered on LinkedIn, and completing assessments.

Creating and fostering a safe environment

Fostering a safe and empowering work environment for developers is essential for encouraging experimentation, increasing productivity, and retaining top talent. Engineering leaders can create such an environment by encouraging open communication, fostering a learning culture, and providing autonomy. To measure the success of creating a safe environment, metrics such as productivity, value delivered, employee turnover rate, and employee engagement surveys can be used.

The Power of influence inside software engineering

This post discusses the importance of influence in a software engineering career. It is not to undervalue the technical perspective, but to emphasize the need for visibility inside and outside the organization. It outlines several ways to increase visibility, such as company posts, personal posts, conferences, and open-source. The post emphasizes that investing time in being visible is essential for career growth.

Should You Quit Your Job to Pursue Your Business Idea?

Quitting your job to pursue a business idea is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Before making the leap, consider your financial situation, the demand for your product or service, the skills and resources you need, and the risks involved. Seek advice from experts and make sure you are passionate and committed to your idea. With the right preparation and mindset, you can turn your passion into a successful business.

4 E's of Leadership

Jack Welch developed a leadership assessment for GE that is easily transferable to other industries. The assessment is based on the 4Es of leadership - energy, energize, edge, and execution - and involves assessing a leader's energy, ability to energize others, edge in dealing with conflict and making tough decisions, and ability to execute strategies and achieve strategic plans. By assessing leaders based on the 4Es and working on an effective development plan, organizations can reach higher levels of success.

Performing Focused Work in a Distracted World

Deep Work is a state of distraction-free concentration for extended periods of time, allowing for enhanced productivity and unique output. To implement Deep Work, one must integrate it into their schedule, embrace boredom, quit social media, and limit shallow work. Deep Work will help manage time, increase productivity, and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Beware the Empathy Trap

Empathy in leadership is gaining attention due to its connection to employee engagement and well-being. However, it can be ineffective and even harmful if used incorrectly. It is important to understand the potential downside of empathy and find the right balance of support for team members. Pity, sympathy, and compassion are other emotions that can help empower team members without draining the leader's energy.

Applying The Rules of IKIGAI for a more fulfilled life!

The book "IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life" by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles distills 10 rules from the wisdom of the long-living residents of Ogimi, a small village in Okinawa, Japan. These rules, which could be interpreted as lifestyle habits that enable the senior residents of Ogami to live long and enjoy their ikigai, include staying active, taking it slow, not filling your stomach, surrounding yourself with good friends, getting in shape for your next birthday, smiling, reconnecting with nature, giving thanks to your ancestors and nature, living in the moment, and following your ikigai. These rules can be adopted to improve health and well-being and discover and live one's ikigai.

Relationships, like products, need to be designed.

Relationships are essential to great design work, and as SVP of Platform User Experience at Salesforce, the author has learned that design leaders are the designers of the relationships on their teams, with executives, and across their organization. To cultivate relationships to design better products, the author suggests prioritizing differences when building teams, extending the hand of collaboration across the organization, and advocating for the value of design with executives. These steps involve looking for hires with “less” experience, creating space for healthy discord, and telling stories that unlock the value of design for non-designers.

Inspiring Engineers with your Company's Vision

The author shares a personal story about their experience as an engineering lead on a Windows 8 application development project. They highlight the importance of having a clear Company Vision that motivates employees and aligns their work with the goals of the company. The author emphasizes the need for leaders to communicate the "why" behind their projects and provide opportunities for engineers to feel ownership and engagement. They also discuss the potential negative effects of a lack of alignment with the Company Vision, such as competing priorities and decreased productivity. The article concludes by emphasizing the ongoing nature of developing and communicating the Company Vision.

My experience shadowing an Engineering Director for a week

During the first week of February 2023, I shadowed Wayne Haber, the leader of the Secure, Govern, Data Science, and Growth teams at GitLab. GitLab is an open source, remote-first company, and Wayne opened up his Development Director Shadow Program to external participants. I had to sign an NDA and complete a checklist before my first day, and I followed Wayne's meetings and took notes. At the end of the week, I provided honest feedback and he welcomed and appreciated my suggestions. I found my shadowing experience worthwhile and highly recommend it to anyone interested in engineering management.

Effective Feedback Mechanism

Feedback is a powerful tool for Leaders, but it can be daunting for those who are new to it. To use it effectively, Leaders must have the right mindset, skillset, and toolset. This includes appreciating the good work of the individual, communicating what needs improvement and how to improve, delivering feedback in a positive way, building trust and rapport, and understanding the individual's career aspirations. With the right mindset, skillset, and toolset, Leaders can use feedback to help their team members grow and reach their goals.

Honesty in Leadership

Leaders should be honest and transparent with their team, even if it means admitting they don't know something or have made a mistake. Faking it will not build trust in the long run. Leaders should be open about their vulnerabilities and mistakes, and put in effort to learn and grow. People understand that no one is perfect, and will still trust and respect a leader who is trying to improve.

Providing Clarity to team

A leader should provide clear direction and guidance to their team in order to ensure effectiveness and innovation. If they are unable to provide 100% clarity, they should be transparent, humble and vulnerable in order to foster understanding. Giving confusing directions every week or even every other day can lead to anxiety and frustration among team members.

People, Process & Product

An Engineering Manager should prioritize People, Process, and Product in that order for optimal effectiveness. People should be empowered and provided with the right processes to build awesome products. Understanding the principles behind the practices helps the manager stay focused on the goal, measure the effectiveness of the practices, and course correct.

Hosting a successful internal hackathon with < $6k budget

This is a story about the successful implementation of an internal hackathon at a company with a limited budget of $6000. The hackathon was organized remotely and included 80 members from engineering, product and design teams. Preparations included setting specific goals, establishing project themes, facilitating matchmaking, designing a logo and merchandise, and seeking suggestions for a catchy hackathon name. The event was supported by regular check-ins from team leads and culminated in presentations of all projects to the entire company, an award ceremony with personalized awards, and networking opportunities.

"You don't care about quality" A story of single metric bias

This article discusses the importance of avoiding single metric bias when managing software projects, and suggests that customer and risk should be the two key concerns when thinking of quality. It tells the story of the author's mistake in not managing up and letting their frustration boil over into a rage. The article also highlights the dangers of single metric bias, which can lead to catastrophic results, and suggests that code quality should be measured with more than just test coverage. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of assessing best practices to determine which are important to the team, organization, and customer before agreeing to show evidence of improvement.

Ten quotes from Adam Grant relevant while dealing with layoff

This passage discusses the importance of knowing when to abandon treasured tools and parts of identity, the evolution of self-esteem in a career, how to take feedback, how anger can be a mirror for seeing core values more clearly, how to make big career decisions, how to support people who are down, and how to seek advice.

I was passed for Promotion. What now ?

Passing for promotion is not a guaranteed process, and managing disappointment and handling situations professionally when things don't pan out is an important life skill. To be successful in the promotion process, one must have a record of consistent delivery, develop trusted relationships with peers, earn the confidence of leadership, and be able to manage uncertainty.

People Oriented vs Task Oriented

Leadership is not about using people to build things, but rather building people while building things. To become a good leader, one must be both people-oriented and task-oriented. A great tool to assess one's current score is the Blake & Mouton Managerial Grid, and the book Bankable Leadership by Dr. Tasha Eurich provides actionable insights on how to improve both people and task-oriented skills. Experienced leaders can be observed to see how they balance both people and task-oriented goals.

15 Tips to improve profile discovery on LI

This article provides 15 tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile to help you get your dream job. Tips include uploading a profile picture, specifying the location of your target city, filling in the about section, connecting with recruiters, joining alumni networks, leveraging first and second level connections, following people in the industry, connecting with people who have similar jobs, checking LinkedIn multiple times a day, adding certifications, taking courses offered on LinkedIn, and completing assessments.

Creating and fostering a safe environment

Fostering a safe and empowering work environment for developers is essential for encouraging experimentation, increasing productivity, and retaining top talent. Engineering leaders can create such an environment by encouraging open communication, fostering a learning culture, and providing autonomy. To measure the success of creating a safe environment, metrics such as productivity, value delivered, employee turnover rate, and employee engagement surveys can be used.

The Power of influence inside software engineering

This post discusses the importance of influence in a software engineering career. It is not to undervalue the technical perspective, but to emphasize the need for visibility inside and outside the organization. It outlines several ways to increase visibility, such as company posts, personal posts, conferences, and open-source. The post emphasizes that investing time in being visible is essential for career growth.

Should You Quit Your Job to Pursue Your Business Idea?

Quitting your job to pursue a business idea is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Before making the leap, consider your financial situation, the demand for your product or service, the skills and resources you need, and the risks involved. Seek advice from experts and make sure you are passionate and committed to your idea. With the right preparation and mindset, you can turn your passion into a successful business.

4 E's of Leadership

Jack Welch developed a leadership assessment for GE that is easily transferable to other industries. The assessment is based on the 4Es of leadership - energy, energize, edge, and execution - and involves assessing a leader's energy, ability to energize others, edge in dealing with conflict and making tough decisions, and ability to execute strategies and achieve strategic plans. By assessing leaders based on the 4Es and working on an effective development plan, organizations can reach higher levels of success.

Performing Focused Work in a Distracted World

Deep Work is a state of distraction-free concentration for extended periods of time, allowing for enhanced productivity and unique output. To implement Deep Work, one must integrate it into their schedule, embrace boredom, quit social media, and limit shallow work. Deep Work will help manage time, increase productivity, and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Beware the Empathy Trap

Empathy in leadership is gaining attention due to its connection to employee engagement and well-being. However, it can be ineffective and even harmful if used incorrectly. It is important to understand the potential downside of empathy and find the right balance of support for team members. Pity, sympathy, and compassion are other emotions that can help empower team members without draining the leader's energy.

Applying The Rules of IKIGAI for a more fulfilled life!

The book "IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life" by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles distills 10 rules from the wisdom of the long-living residents of Ogimi, a small village in Okinawa, Japan. These rules, which could be interpreted as lifestyle habits that enable the senior residents of Ogami to live long and enjoy their ikigai, include staying active, taking it slow, not filling your stomach, surrounding yourself with good friends, getting in shape for your next birthday, smiling, reconnecting with nature, giving thanks to your ancestors and nature, living in the moment, and following your ikigai. These rules can be adopted to improve health and well-being and discover and live one's ikigai.

Relationships, like products, need to be designed.

Relationships are essential to great design work, and as SVP of Platform User Experience at Salesforce, the author has learned that design leaders are the designers of the relationships on their teams, with executives, and across their organization. To cultivate relationships to design better products, the author suggests prioritizing differences when building teams, extending the hand of collaboration across the organization, and advocating for the value of design with executives. These steps involve looking for hires with “less” experience, creating space for healthy discord, and telling stories that unlock the value of design for non-designers.

Inspiring Engineers with your Company's Vision

The author shares a personal story about their experience as an engineering lead on a Windows 8 application development project. They highlight the importance of having a clear Company Vision that motivates employees and aligns their work with the goals of the company. The author emphasizes the need for leaders to communicate the "why" behind their projects and provide opportunities for engineers to feel ownership and engagement. They also discuss the potential negative effects of a lack of alignment with the Company Vision, such as competing priorities and decreased productivity. The article concludes by emphasizing the ongoing nature of developing and communicating the Company Vision.

My experience shadowing an Engineering Director for a week

During the first week of February 2023, I shadowed Wayne Haber, the leader of the Secure, Govern, Data Science, and Growth teams at GitLab. GitLab is an open source, remote-first company, and Wayne opened up his Development Director Shadow Program to external participants. I had to sign an NDA and complete a checklist before my first day, and I followed Wayne's meetings and took notes. At the end of the week, I provided honest feedback and he welcomed and appreciated my suggestions. I found my shadowing experience worthwhile and highly recommend it to anyone interested in engineering management.

Effective Feedback Mechanism

Feedback is a powerful tool for Leaders, but it can be daunting for those who are new to it. To use it effectively, Leaders must have the right mindset, skillset, and toolset. This includes appreciating the good work of the individual, communicating what needs improvement and how to improve, delivering feedback in a positive way, building trust and rapport, and understanding the individual's career aspirations. With the right mindset, skillset, and toolset, Leaders can use feedback to help their team members grow and reach their goals.

Honesty in Leadership

Leaders should be honest and transparent with their team, even if it means admitting they don't know something or have made a mistake. Faking it will not build trust in the long run. Leaders should be open about their vulnerabilities and mistakes, and put in effort to learn and grow. People understand that no one is perfect, and will still trust and respect a leader who is trying to improve.

Providing Clarity to team

A leader should provide clear direction and guidance to their team in order to ensure effectiveness and innovation. If they are unable to provide 100% clarity, they should be transparent, humble and vulnerable in order to foster understanding. Giving confusing directions every week or even every other day can lead to anxiety and frustration among team members.

People, Process & Product

An Engineering Manager should prioritize People, Process, and Product in that order for optimal effectiveness. People should be empowered and provided with the right processes to build awesome products. Understanding the principles behind the practices helps the manager stay focused on the goal, measure the effectiveness of the practices, and course correct.

Hosting a successful internal hackathon with < $6k budget

This is a story about the successful implementation of an internal hackathon at a company with a limited budget of $6000. The hackathon was organized remotely and included 80 members from engineering, product and design teams. Preparations included setting specific goals, establishing project themes, facilitating matchmaking, designing a logo and merchandise, and seeking suggestions for a catchy hackathon name. The event was supported by regular check-ins from team leads and culminated in presentations of all projects to the entire company, an award ceremony with personalized awards, and networking opportunities.

"You don't care about quality" A story of single metric bias

This article discusses the importance of avoiding single metric bias when managing software projects, and suggests that customer and risk should be the two key concerns when thinking of quality. It tells the story of the author's mistake in not managing up and letting their frustration boil over into a rage. The article also highlights the dangers of single metric bias, which can lead to catastrophic results, and suggests that code quality should be measured with more than just test coverage. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of assessing best practices to determine which are important to the team, organization, and customer before agreeing to show evidence of improvement.

Ten quotes from Adam Grant relevant while dealing with layoff

This passage discusses the importance of knowing when to abandon treasured tools and parts of identity, the evolution of self-esteem in a career, how to take feedback, how anger can be a mirror for seeing core values more clearly, how to make big career decisions, how to support people who are down, and how to seek advice.

I was passed for Promotion. What now ?

Passing for promotion is not a guaranteed process, and managing disappointment and handling situations professionally when things don't pan out is an important life skill. To be successful in the promotion process, one must have a record of consistent delivery, develop trusted relationships with peers, earn the confidence of leadership, and be able to manage uncertainty.

People Oriented vs Task Oriented

Leadership is not about using people to build things, but rather building people while building things. To become a good leader, one must be both people-oriented and task-oriented. A great tool to assess one's current score is the Blake & Mouton Managerial Grid, and the book Bankable Leadership by Dr. Tasha Eurich provides actionable insights on how to improve both people and task-oriented skills. Experienced leaders can be observed to see how they balance both people and task-oriented goals.

15 Tips to improve profile discovery on LI

This article provides 15 tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile to help you get your dream job. Tips include uploading a profile picture, specifying the location of your target city, filling in the about section, connecting with recruiters, joining alumni networks, leveraging first and second level connections, following people in the industry, connecting with people who have similar jobs, checking LinkedIn multiple times a day, adding certifications, taking courses offered on LinkedIn, and completing assessments.

Creating and fostering a safe environment

Fostering a safe and empowering work environment for developers is essential for encouraging experimentation, increasing productivity, and retaining top talent. Engineering leaders can create such an environment by encouraging open communication, fostering a learning culture, and providing autonomy. To measure the success of creating a safe environment, metrics such as productivity, value delivered, employee turnover rate, and employee engagement surveys can be used.

The Power of influence inside software engineering

This post discusses the importance of influence in a software engineering career. It is not to undervalue the technical perspective, but to emphasize the need for visibility inside and outside the organization. It outlines several ways to increase visibility, such as company posts, personal posts, conferences, and open-source. The post emphasizes that investing time in being visible is essential for career growth.

Should You Quit Your Job to Pursue Your Business Idea?

Quitting your job to pursue a business idea is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. Before making the leap, consider your financial situation, the demand for your product or service, the skills and resources you need, and the risks involved. Seek advice from experts and make sure you are passionate and committed to your idea. With the right preparation and mindset, you can turn your passion into a successful business.

4 E's of Leadership

Jack Welch developed a leadership assessment for GE that is easily transferable to other industries. The assessment is based on the 4Es of leadership - energy, energize, edge, and execution - and involves assessing a leader's energy, ability to energize others, edge in dealing with conflict and making tough decisions, and ability to execute strategies and achieve strategic plans. By assessing leaders based on the 4Es and working on an effective development plan, organizations can reach higher levels of success.

Performing Focused Work in a Distracted World

Deep Work is a state of distraction-free concentration for extended periods of time, allowing for enhanced productivity and unique output. To implement Deep Work, one must integrate it into their schedule, embrace boredom, quit social media, and limit shallow work. Deep Work will help manage time, increase productivity, and provide a sense of fulfillment.

Beware the Empathy Trap

Empathy in leadership is gaining attention due to its connection to employee engagement and well-being. However, it can be ineffective and even harmful if used incorrectly. It is important to understand the potential downside of empathy and find the right balance of support for team members. Pity, sympathy, and compassion are other emotions that can help empower team members without draining the leader's energy.

Applying The Rules of IKIGAI for a more fulfilled life!

The book "IKIGAI: The Japanese Secret To a Long and Happy Life" by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles distills 10 rules from the wisdom of the long-living residents of Ogimi, a small village in Okinawa, Japan. These rules, which could be interpreted as lifestyle habits that enable the senior residents of Ogami to live long and enjoy their ikigai, include staying active, taking it slow, not filling your stomach, surrounding yourself with good friends, getting in shape for your next birthday, smiling, reconnecting with nature, giving thanks to your ancestors and nature, living in the moment, and following your ikigai. These rules can be adopted to improve health and well-being and discover and live one's ikigai.

Relationships, like products, need to be designed.

Relationships are essential to great design work, and as SVP of Platform User Experience at Salesforce, the author has learned that design leaders are the designers of the relationships on their teams, with executives, and across their organization. To cultivate relationships to design better products, the author suggests prioritizing differences when building teams, extending the hand of collaboration across the organization, and advocating for the value of design with executives. These steps involve looking for hires with “less” experience, creating space for healthy discord, and telling stories that unlock the value of design for non-designers.

Inspiring Engineers with your Company's Vision

The author shares a personal story about their experience as an engineering lead on a Windows 8 application development project. They highlight the importance of having a clear Company Vision that motivates employees and aligns their work with the goals of the company. The author emphasizes the need for leaders to communicate the "why" behind their projects and provide opportunities for engineers to feel ownership and engagement. They also discuss the potential negative effects of a lack of alignment with the Company Vision, such as competing priorities and decreased productivity. The article concludes by emphasizing the ongoing nature of developing and communicating the Company Vision.

My experience shadowing an Engineering Director for a week

During the first week of February 2023, I shadowed Wayne Haber, the leader of the Secure, Govern, Data Science, and Growth teams at GitLab. GitLab is an open source, remote-first company, and Wayne opened up his Development Director Shadow Program to external participants. I had to sign an NDA and complete a checklist before my first day, and I followed Wayne's meetings and took notes. At the end of the week, I provided honest feedback and he welcomed and appreciated my suggestions. I found my shadowing experience worthwhile and highly recommend it to anyone interested in engineering management.

Effective Feedback Mechanism

Feedback is a powerful tool for Leaders, but it can be daunting for those who are new to it. To use it effectively, Leaders must have the right mindset, skillset, and toolset. This includes appreciating the good work of the individual, communicating what needs improvement and how to improve, delivering feedback in a positive way, building trust and rapport, and understanding the individual's career aspirations. With the right mindset, skillset, and toolset, Leaders can use feedback to help their team members grow and reach their goals.

Honesty in Leadership

Leaders should be honest and transparent with their team, even if it means admitting they don't know something or have made a mistake. Faking it will not build trust in the long run. Leaders should be open about their vulnerabilities and mistakes, and put in effort to learn and grow. People understand that no one is perfect, and will still trust and respect a leader who is trying to improve.

Providing Clarity to team

A leader should provide clear direction and guidance to their team in order to ensure effectiveness and innovation. If they are unable to provide 100% clarity, they should be transparent, humble and vulnerable in order to foster understanding. Giving confusing directions every week or even every other day can lead to anxiety and frustration among team members.

People, Process & Product

An Engineering Manager should prioritize People, Process, and Product in that order for optimal effectiveness. People should be empowered and provided with the right processes to build awesome products. Understanding the principles behind the practices helps the manager stay focused on the goal, measure the effectiveness of the practices, and course correct.

Hosting a successful internal hackathon with < $6k budget

This is a story about the successful implementation of an internal hackathon at a company with a limited budget of $6000. The hackathon was organized remotely and included 80 members from engineering, product and design teams. Preparations included setting specific goals, establishing project themes, facilitating matchmaking, designing a logo and merchandise, and seeking suggestions for a catchy hackathon name. The event was supported by regular check-ins from team leads and culminated in presentations of all projects to the entire company, an award ceremony with personalized awards, and networking opportunities.

"You don't care about quality" A story of single metric bias

This article discusses the importance of avoiding single metric bias when managing software projects, and suggests that customer and risk should be the two key concerns when thinking of quality. It tells the story of the author's mistake in not managing up and letting their frustration boil over into a rage. The article also highlights the dangers of single metric bias, which can lead to catastrophic results, and suggests that code quality should be measured with more than just test coverage. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of assessing best practices to determine which are important to the team, organization, and customer before agreeing to show evidence of improvement.

Ten quotes from Adam Grant relevant while dealing with layoff

This passage discusses the importance of knowing when to abandon treasured tools and parts of identity, the evolution of self-esteem in a career, how to take feedback, how anger can be a mirror for seeing core values more clearly, how to make big career decisions, how to support people who are down, and how to seek advice.

I was passed for Promotion. What now ?

Passing for promotion is not a guaranteed process, and managing disappointment and handling situations professionally when things don't pan out is an important life skill. To be successful in the promotion process, one must have a record of consistent delivery, develop trusted relationships with peers, earn the confidence of leadership, and be able to manage uncertainty.

People Oriented vs Task Oriented

Leadership is not about using people to build things, but rather building people while building things. To become a good leader, one must be both people-oriented and task-oriented. A great tool to assess one's current score is the Blake & Mouton Managerial Grid, and the book Bankable Leadership by Dr. Tasha Eurich provides actionable insights on how to improve both people and task-oriented skills. Experienced leaders can be observed to see how they balance both people and task-oriented goals.

15 Tips to improve profile discovery on LI

This article provides 15 tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile to help you get your dream job. Tips include uploading a profile picture, specifying the location of your target city, filling in the about section, connecting with recruiters, joining alumni networks, leveraging first and second level connections, following people in the industry, connecting with people who have similar jobs, checking LinkedIn multiple times a day, adding certifications, taking courses offered on LinkedIn, and completing assessments.