Knowledge shared by our community

7 Attributes of a Great Manager

After 6 years of managing a company that grew from 20 to 200 employees, the author wanted to know what attributes of their management style had been positively received. Through individual and group conversations with their former reports, they identified 7 areas of their management style that were generally well-received. These included getting to know people personally, oversharing information, understanding pain points, avoiding micromanagement, showing genuine care, having technical knowledge and strength, and having their reports' backs.

Why We Should Transform Performance Reviews

To improve performance reviews, a periodic compensation review system was introduced that decoupled performance and compensation. A judgment-free coaching system was also implemented, giving team members ownership of their own goals, progress, and results. This created a more motivating environment and showed a clear difference between proactive and reactive individuals. Judging people based on performance is counterproductive and does not motivate anyone.

Fostering Healthy Collaboration Between Teams in Different Locations

As a product manager, the author experienced tension between the offshore developers and onsite tech leads due to personality issues and competition. To resolve the situation, the author took on the role of mediator, being present and reframing conversations to focus on the company's goals. They also discussed the importance of respecting tech leads and trusting their decisions, even if it means failing as a team. Finally, they prioritized cam conferences and bringing team leads together to build relationships and trust. The author learned the importance of objectivity, honest communication, and respect in order to bring teams together and push forward.

Starting an Engineering Blog

This article discusses the actions taken by two companies to create more credibility among developers and introduce themselves to potential candidates. These actions included creating a blog, targeting roughly one blog entry per month, and brainstorming and writing introductory posts about the company and its engineering challenges. The article also outlines the lessons learned from this experience, such as the importance of planning and editing schedules, offering editing services, and using the blog to attract customers. Finally, the blog is a great way to store knowledge and save time with potential candidates.

Advocating for Major Refactoring focused on Technical Debt.

The head of engineering at a series B startup faced the challenge of improving the company's data platform, which was not designed for its current use case. After brainstorming with senior engineers and architects, they created a plan that would take two months and reduce risk. The CEO and Head of Product were kept appraised, and the plan was approved. The project was successful, though there were some delays due to unexpected data migration issues. Lessons learned included the importance of involving all stakeholders, having a clear process for decision making, communicating benefits, giving the team time to think through options, and prototyping.

Don’t Let an Inter-Team Crisis Go to Waste

When a senior engineer on one of the teams managed by the author committed a piece of code that touched another team's code base, the other team was incredibly angry. After talking to the engineers and manager of the other team, the author realized that the incident was a mere spark for some long-standing frustrations. The author took action by listening to the other team's perspective and making changes to reduce dependencies between code modules. After a few months, the engineer that was originally the most upset told the author that the teams were now working better together. The author learned that sometimes when someone over-reacts, it's an indication of latent problems, and that truly listening to people to understand their concerns can help alleviate tension.

How to Frequently Adapt Your Teams to Your Growing Business

In order to successfully manage growth, managers must find ways to help teams embrace frequent changes. This can be done by describing the problem to all involved, asking for volunteers to test the proposed changes, and allowing employees to hear from their peers why a change is for the best. By recognizing the importance of making employees a part of the decision-making process, managers can gain their trust and willingness to try something new.

How to Keep Expertise in a Feature Team

A manager implemented 'chapters' to help feature team members stay in touch with their peers and maintain their skills. In these meetings, members shared what they had learned and helped each other improve their skills. The manager learned that it is important to dedicate time for people to meet and learn from each other, but also that it is important to ensure someone with organizational skills is included in each chapter to help the meetings run more smoothly.

Making yourself capable of handling a technical management role for the first time.

In his first technical management role, the author had to quickly learn both business and technical skills to be successful. He enrolled in an Executive MBA program and earned the credibility of his team by coming from Bell Labs. He learned that breadth of knowledge was more important than depth and that learning should be tailored to the situation. After 6 months, he was promoted to a manufacturing CIO position.

Using “Duck alignment” to Make Organizational Changes

In order to make organizational changes in a way that would be transparent and take into account the needs and wants of the team, the author used the duck alignment approach. This involved spending 30 minutes on their own to come up with scenarios and then discussing them in 1-1's with the team. After two weeks of this process, the author was able to make decisions with everyone's buy-in. This exercise was a valuable experience and the team appreciated the transparency.

Managing Promotion Expectations

During a performance review, two individuals on the team expressed resentment at their proposed level and felt they should be higher. After considering the implications of the situation, the manager decided to give them the levels they asked for. The main deciding factor was ensuring strong trust between manager and direct report, and setting clear expectations going forward.

Defining OKRs - what really matters.

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help to improve productivity and wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and making time for yourself. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance, such as setting realistic goals, taking time for yourself, and creating a schedule.

How to Make a Well-Established Company Become More Product-Oriented

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help improve productivity and overall wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and creating a healthy work environment. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance between work and personal life.

Applying Structure to Hiring Processes is Essential to an Organization’s Success

Kean, with 14 years of experience in hiring, joined Facebook and learned more about the process in the first month than he had in the previous 14 years. He then adapted the structured style of process he'd observed at Facebook when he joined Pebble. He identified the shortcomings of common interviewing techniques and realized the importance of having a well-thought out and consistent structure to the hiring process. This structured process has resulted in a 90% long-term success rate for hires at Pebble.

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.

How to Gain Credibility and Build Relationships When Joining a High Performing Team

When the VP of SW Engineering joined Pebble, a smartwatch startup, he needed to quickly establish credibility with the existing engineering organization. He achieved this by aligning his goals to the company's vision and culture, being hands-on in the code base and shipping production software, and helping manage problems during a major product release. This approach enabled him to successfully grow the organization to 100 SW engineers, while maintaining a harmonious team environment. He was able to institute his organizational and infrastructural vision with minimal friction, and still keeps in touch with the team even after the company shut down.

Resolving Conflicts in a Non-Work Setting

A manager stepped in to diffuse a conflict between a team lead and junior IC at a happy hour. The manager took the junior IC aside and suggested they take the weekend to cool off and come back on Monday to discuss solutions. The manager also called their own manager and the junior IC to ensure the situation was handled properly. The manager learned that it is important to address individual concerns early and to step in to prevent conflict from escalating. Celebrating in moderation is also important.

Addressing communication skill challenges as an IC Transitions to Manager

This case study outlines the steps taken by a manager to help an IC improve their communication skills. Through analyzing feedback, discussing the IC's thought process, and creating a strategy for responding to questions, the IC was able to improve their communication. The IC also learned the importance of self-evaluating and the manager learned the importance of creating a learning structure to help employees grow.

Free Alternatives for Sourcing Technical/Engineering Candidates

This article discusses the creative sourcing methods used by the author when their company was unable to hire a 3rd party recruiter. These methods included AngelList, Slack spaces, and engineering blogs. The author found great candidates through these alternative sources and recommends them to others who don't have the resources to pay 3rd party channels.

Strategies You can Use to Convince Your Leadership about Promotion and Salary Upgrades

The author faced two challenges in their company: managing eighteen direct reports and working for founders who were not open to spending for salaries. To resolve these issues, the author conducted weekly one-on-ones with their direct reports, identified two engineers as team leaders, and consulted with a 3rd party HR company to come up with a pay scale structure. The key lesson learned was the importance of educating founders on fair compensation and pursuing this cause even if there was push back.

7 Attributes of a Great Manager

After 6 years of managing a company that grew from 20 to 200 employees, the author wanted to know what attributes of their management style had been positively received. Through individual and group conversations with their former reports, they identified 7 areas of their management style that were generally well-received. These included getting to know people personally, oversharing information, understanding pain points, avoiding micromanagement, showing genuine care, having technical knowledge and strength, and having their reports' backs.

Why We Should Transform Performance Reviews

To improve performance reviews, a periodic compensation review system was introduced that decoupled performance and compensation. A judgment-free coaching system was also implemented, giving team members ownership of their own goals, progress, and results. This created a more motivating environment and showed a clear difference between proactive and reactive individuals. Judging people based on performance is counterproductive and does not motivate anyone.

Fostering Healthy Collaboration Between Teams in Different Locations

As a product manager, the author experienced tension between the offshore developers and onsite tech leads due to personality issues and competition. To resolve the situation, the author took on the role of mediator, being present and reframing conversations to focus on the company's goals. They also discussed the importance of respecting tech leads and trusting their decisions, even if it means failing as a team. Finally, they prioritized cam conferences and bringing team leads together to build relationships and trust. The author learned the importance of objectivity, honest communication, and respect in order to bring teams together and push forward.

Starting an Engineering Blog

This article discusses the actions taken by two companies to create more credibility among developers and introduce themselves to potential candidates. These actions included creating a blog, targeting roughly one blog entry per month, and brainstorming and writing introductory posts about the company and its engineering challenges. The article also outlines the lessons learned from this experience, such as the importance of planning and editing schedules, offering editing services, and using the blog to attract customers. Finally, the blog is a great way to store knowledge and save time with potential candidates.

Advocating for Major Refactoring focused on Technical Debt.

The head of engineering at a series B startup faced the challenge of improving the company's data platform, which was not designed for its current use case. After brainstorming with senior engineers and architects, they created a plan that would take two months and reduce risk. The CEO and Head of Product were kept appraised, and the plan was approved. The project was successful, though there were some delays due to unexpected data migration issues. Lessons learned included the importance of involving all stakeholders, having a clear process for decision making, communicating benefits, giving the team time to think through options, and prototyping.

Don’t Let an Inter-Team Crisis Go to Waste

When a senior engineer on one of the teams managed by the author committed a piece of code that touched another team's code base, the other team was incredibly angry. After talking to the engineers and manager of the other team, the author realized that the incident was a mere spark for some long-standing frustrations. The author took action by listening to the other team's perspective and making changes to reduce dependencies between code modules. After a few months, the engineer that was originally the most upset told the author that the teams were now working better together. The author learned that sometimes when someone over-reacts, it's an indication of latent problems, and that truly listening to people to understand their concerns can help alleviate tension.

How to Frequently Adapt Your Teams to Your Growing Business

In order to successfully manage growth, managers must find ways to help teams embrace frequent changes. This can be done by describing the problem to all involved, asking for volunteers to test the proposed changes, and allowing employees to hear from their peers why a change is for the best. By recognizing the importance of making employees a part of the decision-making process, managers can gain their trust and willingness to try something new.

How to Keep Expertise in a Feature Team

A manager implemented 'chapters' to help feature team members stay in touch with their peers and maintain their skills. In these meetings, members shared what they had learned and helped each other improve their skills. The manager learned that it is important to dedicate time for people to meet and learn from each other, but also that it is important to ensure someone with organizational skills is included in each chapter to help the meetings run more smoothly.

Making yourself capable of handling a technical management role for the first time.

In his first technical management role, the author had to quickly learn both business and technical skills to be successful. He enrolled in an Executive MBA program and earned the credibility of his team by coming from Bell Labs. He learned that breadth of knowledge was more important than depth and that learning should be tailored to the situation. After 6 months, he was promoted to a manufacturing CIO position.

Using “Duck alignment” to Make Organizational Changes

In order to make organizational changes in a way that would be transparent and take into account the needs and wants of the team, the author used the duck alignment approach. This involved spending 30 minutes on their own to come up with scenarios and then discussing them in 1-1's with the team. After two weeks of this process, the author was able to make decisions with everyone's buy-in. This exercise was a valuable experience and the team appreciated the transparency.

Managing Promotion Expectations

During a performance review, two individuals on the team expressed resentment at their proposed level and felt they should be higher. After considering the implications of the situation, the manager decided to give them the levels they asked for. The main deciding factor was ensuring strong trust between manager and direct report, and setting clear expectations going forward.

Defining OKRs - what really matters.

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help to improve productivity and wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and making time for yourself. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance, such as setting realistic goals, taking time for yourself, and creating a schedule.

How to Make a Well-Established Company Become More Product-Oriented

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help improve productivity and overall wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and creating a healthy work environment. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance between work and personal life.

Applying Structure to Hiring Processes is Essential to an Organization’s Success

Kean, with 14 years of experience in hiring, joined Facebook and learned more about the process in the first month than he had in the previous 14 years. He then adapted the structured style of process he'd observed at Facebook when he joined Pebble. He identified the shortcomings of common interviewing techniques and realized the importance of having a well-thought out and consistent structure to the hiring process. This structured process has resulted in a 90% long-term success rate for hires at Pebble.

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.

How to Gain Credibility and Build Relationships When Joining a High Performing Team

When the VP of SW Engineering joined Pebble, a smartwatch startup, he needed to quickly establish credibility with the existing engineering organization. He achieved this by aligning his goals to the company's vision and culture, being hands-on in the code base and shipping production software, and helping manage problems during a major product release. This approach enabled him to successfully grow the organization to 100 SW engineers, while maintaining a harmonious team environment. He was able to institute his organizational and infrastructural vision with minimal friction, and still keeps in touch with the team even after the company shut down.

Resolving Conflicts in a Non-Work Setting

A manager stepped in to diffuse a conflict between a team lead and junior IC at a happy hour. The manager took the junior IC aside and suggested they take the weekend to cool off and come back on Monday to discuss solutions. The manager also called their own manager and the junior IC to ensure the situation was handled properly. The manager learned that it is important to address individual concerns early and to step in to prevent conflict from escalating. Celebrating in moderation is also important.

Addressing communication skill challenges as an IC Transitions to Manager

This case study outlines the steps taken by a manager to help an IC improve their communication skills. Through analyzing feedback, discussing the IC's thought process, and creating a strategy for responding to questions, the IC was able to improve their communication. The IC also learned the importance of self-evaluating and the manager learned the importance of creating a learning structure to help employees grow.

Free Alternatives for Sourcing Technical/Engineering Candidates

This article discusses the creative sourcing methods used by the author when their company was unable to hire a 3rd party recruiter. These methods included AngelList, Slack spaces, and engineering blogs. The author found great candidates through these alternative sources and recommends them to others who don't have the resources to pay 3rd party channels.

Strategies You can Use to Convince Your Leadership about Promotion and Salary Upgrades

The author faced two challenges in their company: managing eighteen direct reports and working for founders who were not open to spending for salaries. To resolve these issues, the author conducted weekly one-on-ones with their direct reports, identified two engineers as team leaders, and consulted with a 3rd party HR company to come up with a pay scale structure. The key lesson learned was the importance of educating founders on fair compensation and pursuing this cause even if there was push back.

7 Attributes of a Great Manager

After 6 years of managing a company that grew from 20 to 200 employees, the author wanted to know what attributes of their management style had been positively received. Through individual and group conversations with their former reports, they identified 7 areas of their management style that were generally well-received. These included getting to know people personally, oversharing information, understanding pain points, avoiding micromanagement, showing genuine care, having technical knowledge and strength, and having their reports' backs.

Why We Should Transform Performance Reviews

To improve performance reviews, a periodic compensation review system was introduced that decoupled performance and compensation. A judgment-free coaching system was also implemented, giving team members ownership of their own goals, progress, and results. This created a more motivating environment and showed a clear difference between proactive and reactive individuals. Judging people based on performance is counterproductive and does not motivate anyone.

Fostering Healthy Collaboration Between Teams in Different Locations

As a product manager, the author experienced tension between the offshore developers and onsite tech leads due to personality issues and competition. To resolve the situation, the author took on the role of mediator, being present and reframing conversations to focus on the company's goals. They also discussed the importance of respecting tech leads and trusting their decisions, even if it means failing as a team. Finally, they prioritized cam conferences and bringing team leads together to build relationships and trust. The author learned the importance of objectivity, honest communication, and respect in order to bring teams together and push forward.

Starting an Engineering Blog

This article discusses the actions taken by two companies to create more credibility among developers and introduce themselves to potential candidates. These actions included creating a blog, targeting roughly one blog entry per month, and brainstorming and writing introductory posts about the company and its engineering challenges. The article also outlines the lessons learned from this experience, such as the importance of planning and editing schedules, offering editing services, and using the blog to attract customers. Finally, the blog is a great way to store knowledge and save time with potential candidates.

Advocating for Major Refactoring focused on Technical Debt.

The head of engineering at a series B startup faced the challenge of improving the company's data platform, which was not designed for its current use case. After brainstorming with senior engineers and architects, they created a plan that would take two months and reduce risk. The CEO and Head of Product were kept appraised, and the plan was approved. The project was successful, though there were some delays due to unexpected data migration issues. Lessons learned included the importance of involving all stakeholders, having a clear process for decision making, communicating benefits, giving the team time to think through options, and prototyping.

Don’t Let an Inter-Team Crisis Go to Waste

When a senior engineer on one of the teams managed by the author committed a piece of code that touched another team's code base, the other team was incredibly angry. After talking to the engineers and manager of the other team, the author realized that the incident was a mere spark for some long-standing frustrations. The author took action by listening to the other team's perspective and making changes to reduce dependencies between code modules. After a few months, the engineer that was originally the most upset told the author that the teams were now working better together. The author learned that sometimes when someone over-reacts, it's an indication of latent problems, and that truly listening to people to understand their concerns can help alleviate tension.

How to Frequently Adapt Your Teams to Your Growing Business

In order to successfully manage growth, managers must find ways to help teams embrace frequent changes. This can be done by describing the problem to all involved, asking for volunteers to test the proposed changes, and allowing employees to hear from their peers why a change is for the best. By recognizing the importance of making employees a part of the decision-making process, managers can gain their trust and willingness to try something new.

How to Keep Expertise in a Feature Team

A manager implemented 'chapters' to help feature team members stay in touch with their peers and maintain their skills. In these meetings, members shared what they had learned and helped each other improve their skills. The manager learned that it is important to dedicate time for people to meet and learn from each other, but also that it is important to ensure someone with organizational skills is included in each chapter to help the meetings run more smoothly.

Making yourself capable of handling a technical management role for the first time.

In his first technical management role, the author had to quickly learn both business and technical skills to be successful. He enrolled in an Executive MBA program and earned the credibility of his team by coming from Bell Labs. He learned that breadth of knowledge was more important than depth and that learning should be tailored to the situation. After 6 months, he was promoted to a manufacturing CIO position.

Using “Duck alignment” to Make Organizational Changes

In order to make organizational changes in a way that would be transparent and take into account the needs and wants of the team, the author used the duck alignment approach. This involved spending 30 minutes on their own to come up with scenarios and then discussing them in 1-1's with the team. After two weeks of this process, the author was able to make decisions with everyone's buy-in. This exercise was a valuable experience and the team appreciated the transparency.

Managing Promotion Expectations

During a performance review, two individuals on the team expressed resentment at their proposed level and felt they should be higher. After considering the implications of the situation, the manager decided to give them the levels they asked for. The main deciding factor was ensuring strong trust between manager and direct report, and setting clear expectations going forward.

Defining OKRs - what really matters.

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help to improve productivity and wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and making time for yourself. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance, such as setting realistic goals, taking time for yourself, and creating a schedule.

How to Make a Well-Established Company Become More Product-Oriented

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help improve productivity and overall wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and creating a healthy work environment. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance between work and personal life.

Applying Structure to Hiring Processes is Essential to an Organization’s Success

Kean, with 14 years of experience in hiring, joined Facebook and learned more about the process in the first month than he had in the previous 14 years. He then adapted the structured style of process he'd observed at Facebook when he joined Pebble. He identified the shortcomings of common interviewing techniques and realized the importance of having a well-thought out and consistent structure to the hiring process. This structured process has resulted in a 90% long-term success rate for hires at Pebble.

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.

How to Gain Credibility and Build Relationships When Joining a High Performing Team

When the VP of SW Engineering joined Pebble, a smartwatch startup, he needed to quickly establish credibility with the existing engineering organization. He achieved this by aligning his goals to the company's vision and culture, being hands-on in the code base and shipping production software, and helping manage problems during a major product release. This approach enabled him to successfully grow the organization to 100 SW engineers, while maintaining a harmonious team environment. He was able to institute his organizational and infrastructural vision with minimal friction, and still keeps in touch with the team even after the company shut down.

Resolving Conflicts in a Non-Work Setting

A manager stepped in to diffuse a conflict between a team lead and junior IC at a happy hour. The manager took the junior IC aside and suggested they take the weekend to cool off and come back on Monday to discuss solutions. The manager also called their own manager and the junior IC to ensure the situation was handled properly. The manager learned that it is important to address individual concerns early and to step in to prevent conflict from escalating. Celebrating in moderation is also important.

Addressing communication skill challenges as an IC Transitions to Manager

This case study outlines the steps taken by a manager to help an IC improve their communication skills. Through analyzing feedback, discussing the IC's thought process, and creating a strategy for responding to questions, the IC was able to improve their communication. The IC also learned the importance of self-evaluating and the manager learned the importance of creating a learning structure to help employees grow.

Free Alternatives for Sourcing Technical/Engineering Candidates

This article discusses the creative sourcing methods used by the author when their company was unable to hire a 3rd party recruiter. These methods included AngelList, Slack spaces, and engineering blogs. The author found great candidates through these alternative sources and recommends them to others who don't have the resources to pay 3rd party channels.

Strategies You can Use to Convince Your Leadership about Promotion and Salary Upgrades

The author faced two challenges in their company: managing eighteen direct reports and working for founders who were not open to spending for salaries. To resolve these issues, the author conducted weekly one-on-ones with their direct reports, identified two engineers as team leaders, and consulted with a 3rd party HR company to come up with a pay scale structure. The key lesson learned was the importance of educating founders on fair compensation and pursuing this cause even if there was push back.

7 Attributes of a Great Manager

After 6 years of managing a company that grew from 20 to 200 employees, the author wanted to know what attributes of their management style had been positively received. Through individual and group conversations with their former reports, they identified 7 areas of their management style that were generally well-received. These included getting to know people personally, oversharing information, understanding pain points, avoiding micromanagement, showing genuine care, having technical knowledge and strength, and having their reports' backs.

Why We Should Transform Performance Reviews

To improve performance reviews, a periodic compensation review system was introduced that decoupled performance and compensation. A judgment-free coaching system was also implemented, giving team members ownership of their own goals, progress, and results. This created a more motivating environment and showed a clear difference between proactive and reactive individuals. Judging people based on performance is counterproductive and does not motivate anyone.

Fostering Healthy Collaboration Between Teams in Different Locations

As a product manager, the author experienced tension between the offshore developers and onsite tech leads due to personality issues and competition. To resolve the situation, the author took on the role of mediator, being present and reframing conversations to focus on the company's goals. They also discussed the importance of respecting tech leads and trusting their decisions, even if it means failing as a team. Finally, they prioritized cam conferences and bringing team leads together to build relationships and trust. The author learned the importance of objectivity, honest communication, and respect in order to bring teams together and push forward.

Starting an Engineering Blog

This article discusses the actions taken by two companies to create more credibility among developers and introduce themselves to potential candidates. These actions included creating a blog, targeting roughly one blog entry per month, and brainstorming and writing introductory posts about the company and its engineering challenges. The article also outlines the lessons learned from this experience, such as the importance of planning and editing schedules, offering editing services, and using the blog to attract customers. Finally, the blog is a great way to store knowledge and save time with potential candidates.

Advocating for Major Refactoring focused on Technical Debt.

The head of engineering at a series B startup faced the challenge of improving the company's data platform, which was not designed for its current use case. After brainstorming with senior engineers and architects, they created a plan that would take two months and reduce risk. The CEO and Head of Product were kept appraised, and the plan was approved. The project was successful, though there were some delays due to unexpected data migration issues. Lessons learned included the importance of involving all stakeholders, having a clear process for decision making, communicating benefits, giving the team time to think through options, and prototyping.

Don’t Let an Inter-Team Crisis Go to Waste

When a senior engineer on one of the teams managed by the author committed a piece of code that touched another team's code base, the other team was incredibly angry. After talking to the engineers and manager of the other team, the author realized that the incident was a mere spark for some long-standing frustrations. The author took action by listening to the other team's perspective and making changes to reduce dependencies between code modules. After a few months, the engineer that was originally the most upset told the author that the teams were now working better together. The author learned that sometimes when someone over-reacts, it's an indication of latent problems, and that truly listening to people to understand their concerns can help alleviate tension.

How to Frequently Adapt Your Teams to Your Growing Business

In order to successfully manage growth, managers must find ways to help teams embrace frequent changes. This can be done by describing the problem to all involved, asking for volunteers to test the proposed changes, and allowing employees to hear from their peers why a change is for the best. By recognizing the importance of making employees a part of the decision-making process, managers can gain their trust and willingness to try something new.

How to Keep Expertise in a Feature Team

A manager implemented 'chapters' to help feature team members stay in touch with their peers and maintain their skills. In these meetings, members shared what they had learned and helped each other improve their skills. The manager learned that it is important to dedicate time for people to meet and learn from each other, but also that it is important to ensure someone with organizational skills is included in each chapter to help the meetings run more smoothly.

Making yourself capable of handling a technical management role for the first time.

In his first technical management role, the author had to quickly learn both business and technical skills to be successful. He enrolled in an Executive MBA program and earned the credibility of his team by coming from Bell Labs. He learned that breadth of knowledge was more important than depth and that learning should be tailored to the situation. After 6 months, he was promoted to a manufacturing CIO position.

Using “Duck alignment” to Make Organizational Changes

In order to make organizational changes in a way that would be transparent and take into account the needs and wants of the team, the author used the duck alignment approach. This involved spending 30 minutes on their own to come up with scenarios and then discussing them in 1-1's with the team. After two weeks of this process, the author was able to make decisions with everyone's buy-in. This exercise was a valuable experience and the team appreciated the transparency.

Managing Promotion Expectations

During a performance review, two individuals on the team expressed resentment at their proposed level and felt they should be higher. After considering the implications of the situation, the manager decided to give them the levels they asked for. The main deciding factor was ensuring strong trust between manager and direct report, and setting clear expectations going forward.

Defining OKRs - what really matters.

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help to improve productivity and wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and making time for yourself. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance, such as setting realistic goals, taking time for yourself, and creating a schedule.

How to Make a Well-Established Company Become More Product-Oriented

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help improve productivity and overall wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and creating a healthy work environment. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance between work and personal life.

Applying Structure to Hiring Processes is Essential to an Organization’s Success

Kean, with 14 years of experience in hiring, joined Facebook and learned more about the process in the first month than he had in the previous 14 years. He then adapted the structured style of process he'd observed at Facebook when he joined Pebble. He identified the shortcomings of common interviewing techniques and realized the importance of having a well-thought out and consistent structure to the hiring process. This structured process has resulted in a 90% long-term success rate for hires at Pebble.

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.

How to Gain Credibility and Build Relationships When Joining a High Performing Team

When the VP of SW Engineering joined Pebble, a smartwatch startup, he needed to quickly establish credibility with the existing engineering organization. He achieved this by aligning his goals to the company's vision and culture, being hands-on in the code base and shipping production software, and helping manage problems during a major product release. This approach enabled him to successfully grow the organization to 100 SW engineers, while maintaining a harmonious team environment. He was able to institute his organizational and infrastructural vision with minimal friction, and still keeps in touch with the team even after the company shut down.

Resolving Conflicts in a Non-Work Setting

A manager stepped in to diffuse a conflict between a team lead and junior IC at a happy hour. The manager took the junior IC aside and suggested they take the weekend to cool off and come back on Monday to discuss solutions. The manager also called their own manager and the junior IC to ensure the situation was handled properly. The manager learned that it is important to address individual concerns early and to step in to prevent conflict from escalating. Celebrating in moderation is also important.

Addressing communication skill challenges as an IC Transitions to Manager

This case study outlines the steps taken by a manager to help an IC improve their communication skills. Through analyzing feedback, discussing the IC's thought process, and creating a strategy for responding to questions, the IC was able to improve their communication. The IC also learned the importance of self-evaluating and the manager learned the importance of creating a learning structure to help employees grow.

Free Alternatives for Sourcing Technical/Engineering Candidates

This article discusses the creative sourcing methods used by the author when their company was unable to hire a 3rd party recruiter. These methods included AngelList, Slack spaces, and engineering blogs. The author found great candidates through these alternative sources and recommends them to others who don't have the resources to pay 3rd party channels.

Strategies You can Use to Convince Your Leadership about Promotion and Salary Upgrades

The author faced two challenges in their company: managing eighteen direct reports and working for founders who were not open to spending for salaries. To resolve these issues, the author conducted weekly one-on-ones with their direct reports, identified two engineers as team leaders, and consulted with a 3rd party HR company to come up with a pay scale structure. The key lesson learned was the importance of educating founders on fair compensation and pursuing this cause even if there was push back.

7 Attributes of a Great Manager

After 6 years of managing a company that grew from 20 to 200 employees, the author wanted to know what attributes of their management style had been positively received. Through individual and group conversations with their former reports, they identified 7 areas of their management style that were generally well-received. These included getting to know people personally, oversharing information, understanding pain points, avoiding micromanagement, showing genuine care, having technical knowledge and strength, and having their reports' backs.

Why We Should Transform Performance Reviews

To improve performance reviews, a periodic compensation review system was introduced that decoupled performance and compensation. A judgment-free coaching system was also implemented, giving team members ownership of their own goals, progress, and results. This created a more motivating environment and showed a clear difference between proactive and reactive individuals. Judging people based on performance is counterproductive and does not motivate anyone.

Fostering Healthy Collaboration Between Teams in Different Locations

As a product manager, the author experienced tension between the offshore developers and onsite tech leads due to personality issues and competition. To resolve the situation, the author took on the role of mediator, being present and reframing conversations to focus on the company's goals. They also discussed the importance of respecting tech leads and trusting their decisions, even if it means failing as a team. Finally, they prioritized cam conferences and bringing team leads together to build relationships and trust. The author learned the importance of objectivity, honest communication, and respect in order to bring teams together and push forward.

Starting an Engineering Blog

This article discusses the actions taken by two companies to create more credibility among developers and introduce themselves to potential candidates. These actions included creating a blog, targeting roughly one blog entry per month, and brainstorming and writing introductory posts about the company and its engineering challenges. The article also outlines the lessons learned from this experience, such as the importance of planning and editing schedules, offering editing services, and using the blog to attract customers. Finally, the blog is a great way to store knowledge and save time with potential candidates.

Advocating for Major Refactoring focused on Technical Debt.

The head of engineering at a series B startup faced the challenge of improving the company's data platform, which was not designed for its current use case. After brainstorming with senior engineers and architects, they created a plan that would take two months and reduce risk. The CEO and Head of Product were kept appraised, and the plan was approved. The project was successful, though there were some delays due to unexpected data migration issues. Lessons learned included the importance of involving all stakeholders, having a clear process for decision making, communicating benefits, giving the team time to think through options, and prototyping.

Don’t Let an Inter-Team Crisis Go to Waste

When a senior engineer on one of the teams managed by the author committed a piece of code that touched another team's code base, the other team was incredibly angry. After talking to the engineers and manager of the other team, the author realized that the incident was a mere spark for some long-standing frustrations. The author took action by listening to the other team's perspective and making changes to reduce dependencies between code modules. After a few months, the engineer that was originally the most upset told the author that the teams were now working better together. The author learned that sometimes when someone over-reacts, it's an indication of latent problems, and that truly listening to people to understand their concerns can help alleviate tension.

How to Frequently Adapt Your Teams to Your Growing Business

In order to successfully manage growth, managers must find ways to help teams embrace frequent changes. This can be done by describing the problem to all involved, asking for volunteers to test the proposed changes, and allowing employees to hear from their peers why a change is for the best. By recognizing the importance of making employees a part of the decision-making process, managers can gain their trust and willingness to try something new.

How to Keep Expertise in a Feature Team

A manager implemented 'chapters' to help feature team members stay in touch with their peers and maintain their skills. In these meetings, members shared what they had learned and helped each other improve their skills. The manager learned that it is important to dedicate time for people to meet and learn from each other, but also that it is important to ensure someone with organizational skills is included in each chapter to help the meetings run more smoothly.

Making yourself capable of handling a technical management role for the first time.

In his first technical management role, the author had to quickly learn both business and technical skills to be successful. He enrolled in an Executive MBA program and earned the credibility of his team by coming from Bell Labs. He learned that breadth of knowledge was more important than depth and that learning should be tailored to the situation. After 6 months, he was promoted to a manufacturing CIO position.

Using “Duck alignment” to Make Organizational Changes

In order to make organizational changes in a way that would be transparent and take into account the needs and wants of the team, the author used the duck alignment approach. This involved spending 30 minutes on their own to come up with scenarios and then discussing them in 1-1's with the team. After two weeks of this process, the author was able to make decisions with everyone's buy-in. This exercise was a valuable experience and the team appreciated the transparency.

Managing Promotion Expectations

During a performance review, two individuals on the team expressed resentment at their proposed level and felt they should be higher. After considering the implications of the situation, the manager decided to give them the levels they asked for. The main deciding factor was ensuring strong trust between manager and direct report, and setting clear expectations going forward.

Defining OKRs - what really matters.

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help to improve productivity and wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and making time for yourself. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance, such as setting realistic goals, taking time for yourself, and creating a schedule.

How to Make a Well-Established Company Become More Product-Oriented

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help improve productivity and overall wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and creating a healthy work environment. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance between work and personal life.

Applying Structure to Hiring Processes is Essential to an Organization’s Success

Kean, with 14 years of experience in hiring, joined Facebook and learned more about the process in the first month than he had in the previous 14 years. He then adapted the structured style of process he'd observed at Facebook when he joined Pebble. He identified the shortcomings of common interviewing techniques and realized the importance of having a well-thought out and consistent structure to the hiring process. This structured process has resulted in a 90% long-term success rate for hires at Pebble.

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.

How to Gain Credibility and Build Relationships When Joining a High Performing Team

When the VP of SW Engineering joined Pebble, a smartwatch startup, he needed to quickly establish credibility with the existing engineering organization. He achieved this by aligning his goals to the company's vision and culture, being hands-on in the code base and shipping production software, and helping manage problems during a major product release. This approach enabled him to successfully grow the organization to 100 SW engineers, while maintaining a harmonious team environment. He was able to institute his organizational and infrastructural vision with minimal friction, and still keeps in touch with the team even after the company shut down.

Resolving Conflicts in a Non-Work Setting

A manager stepped in to diffuse a conflict between a team lead and junior IC at a happy hour. The manager took the junior IC aside and suggested they take the weekend to cool off and come back on Monday to discuss solutions. The manager also called their own manager and the junior IC to ensure the situation was handled properly. The manager learned that it is important to address individual concerns early and to step in to prevent conflict from escalating. Celebrating in moderation is also important.

Addressing communication skill challenges as an IC Transitions to Manager

This case study outlines the steps taken by a manager to help an IC improve their communication skills. Through analyzing feedback, discussing the IC's thought process, and creating a strategy for responding to questions, the IC was able to improve their communication. The IC also learned the importance of self-evaluating and the manager learned the importance of creating a learning structure to help employees grow.

Free Alternatives for Sourcing Technical/Engineering Candidates

This article discusses the creative sourcing methods used by the author when their company was unable to hire a 3rd party recruiter. These methods included AngelList, Slack spaces, and engineering blogs. The author found great candidates through these alternative sources and recommends them to others who don't have the resources to pay 3rd party channels.

Strategies You can Use to Convince Your Leadership about Promotion and Salary Upgrades

The author faced two challenges in their company: managing eighteen direct reports and working for founders who were not open to spending for salaries. To resolve these issues, the author conducted weekly one-on-ones with their direct reports, identified two engineers as team leaders, and consulted with a 3rd party HR company to come up with a pay scale structure. The key lesson learned was the importance of educating founders on fair compensation and pursuing this cause even if there was push back.

7 Attributes of a Great Manager

After 6 years of managing a company that grew from 20 to 200 employees, the author wanted to know what attributes of their management style had been positively received. Through individual and group conversations with their former reports, they identified 7 areas of their management style that were generally well-received. These included getting to know people personally, oversharing information, understanding pain points, avoiding micromanagement, showing genuine care, having technical knowledge and strength, and having their reports' backs.

Why We Should Transform Performance Reviews

To improve performance reviews, a periodic compensation review system was introduced that decoupled performance and compensation. A judgment-free coaching system was also implemented, giving team members ownership of their own goals, progress, and results. This created a more motivating environment and showed a clear difference between proactive and reactive individuals. Judging people based on performance is counterproductive and does not motivate anyone.

Fostering Healthy Collaboration Between Teams in Different Locations

As a product manager, the author experienced tension between the offshore developers and onsite tech leads due to personality issues and competition. To resolve the situation, the author took on the role of mediator, being present and reframing conversations to focus on the company's goals. They also discussed the importance of respecting tech leads and trusting their decisions, even if it means failing as a team. Finally, they prioritized cam conferences and bringing team leads together to build relationships and trust. The author learned the importance of objectivity, honest communication, and respect in order to bring teams together and push forward.

Starting an Engineering Blog

This article discusses the actions taken by two companies to create more credibility among developers and introduce themselves to potential candidates. These actions included creating a blog, targeting roughly one blog entry per month, and brainstorming and writing introductory posts about the company and its engineering challenges. The article also outlines the lessons learned from this experience, such as the importance of planning and editing schedules, offering editing services, and using the blog to attract customers. Finally, the blog is a great way to store knowledge and save time with potential candidates.

Advocating for Major Refactoring focused on Technical Debt.

The head of engineering at a series B startup faced the challenge of improving the company's data platform, which was not designed for its current use case. After brainstorming with senior engineers and architects, they created a plan that would take two months and reduce risk. The CEO and Head of Product were kept appraised, and the plan was approved. The project was successful, though there were some delays due to unexpected data migration issues. Lessons learned included the importance of involving all stakeholders, having a clear process for decision making, communicating benefits, giving the team time to think through options, and prototyping.

Don’t Let an Inter-Team Crisis Go to Waste

When a senior engineer on one of the teams managed by the author committed a piece of code that touched another team's code base, the other team was incredibly angry. After talking to the engineers and manager of the other team, the author realized that the incident was a mere spark for some long-standing frustrations. The author took action by listening to the other team's perspective and making changes to reduce dependencies between code modules. After a few months, the engineer that was originally the most upset told the author that the teams were now working better together. The author learned that sometimes when someone over-reacts, it's an indication of latent problems, and that truly listening to people to understand their concerns can help alleviate tension.

How to Frequently Adapt Your Teams to Your Growing Business

In order to successfully manage growth, managers must find ways to help teams embrace frequent changes. This can be done by describing the problem to all involved, asking for volunteers to test the proposed changes, and allowing employees to hear from their peers why a change is for the best. By recognizing the importance of making employees a part of the decision-making process, managers can gain their trust and willingness to try something new.

How to Keep Expertise in a Feature Team

A manager implemented 'chapters' to help feature team members stay in touch with their peers and maintain their skills. In these meetings, members shared what they had learned and helped each other improve their skills. The manager learned that it is important to dedicate time for people to meet and learn from each other, but also that it is important to ensure someone with organizational skills is included in each chapter to help the meetings run more smoothly.

Making yourself capable of handling a technical management role for the first time.

In his first technical management role, the author had to quickly learn both business and technical skills to be successful. He enrolled in an Executive MBA program and earned the credibility of his team by coming from Bell Labs. He learned that breadth of knowledge was more important than depth and that learning should be tailored to the situation. After 6 months, he was promoted to a manufacturing CIO position.

Using “Duck alignment” to Make Organizational Changes

In order to make organizational changes in a way that would be transparent and take into account the needs and wants of the team, the author used the duck alignment approach. This involved spending 30 minutes on their own to come up with scenarios and then discussing them in 1-1's with the team. After two weeks of this process, the author was able to make decisions with everyone's buy-in. This exercise was a valuable experience and the team appreciated the transparency.

Managing Promotion Expectations

During a performance review, two individuals on the team expressed resentment at their proposed level and felt they should be higher. After considering the implications of the situation, the manager decided to give them the levels they asked for. The main deciding factor was ensuring strong trust between manager and direct report, and setting clear expectations going forward.

Defining OKRs - what really matters.

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help to improve productivity and wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and making time for yourself. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance, such as setting realistic goals, taking time for yourself, and creating a schedule.

How to Make a Well-Established Company Become More Product-Oriented

This article discusses the importance of having a good work-life balance and how it can help improve productivity and overall wellbeing. It outlines the benefits of taking regular breaks, setting boundaries, and creating a healthy work environment. It also provides tips on how to achieve a better balance between work and personal life.

Applying Structure to Hiring Processes is Essential to an Organization’s Success

Kean, with 14 years of experience in hiring, joined Facebook and learned more about the process in the first month than he had in the previous 14 years. He then adapted the structured style of process he'd observed at Facebook when he joined Pebble. He identified the shortcomings of common interviewing techniques and realized the importance of having a well-thought out and consistent structure to the hiring process. This structured process has resulted in a 90% long-term success rate for hires at Pebble.

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.

How to Gain Credibility and Build Relationships When Joining a High Performing Team

When the VP of SW Engineering joined Pebble, a smartwatch startup, he needed to quickly establish credibility with the existing engineering organization. He achieved this by aligning his goals to the company's vision and culture, being hands-on in the code base and shipping production software, and helping manage problems during a major product release. This approach enabled him to successfully grow the organization to 100 SW engineers, while maintaining a harmonious team environment. He was able to institute his organizational and infrastructural vision with minimal friction, and still keeps in touch with the team even after the company shut down.

Resolving Conflicts in a Non-Work Setting

A manager stepped in to diffuse a conflict between a team lead and junior IC at a happy hour. The manager took the junior IC aside and suggested they take the weekend to cool off and come back on Monday to discuss solutions. The manager also called their own manager and the junior IC to ensure the situation was handled properly. The manager learned that it is important to address individual concerns early and to step in to prevent conflict from escalating. Celebrating in moderation is also important.

Addressing communication skill challenges as an IC Transitions to Manager

This case study outlines the steps taken by a manager to help an IC improve their communication skills. Through analyzing feedback, discussing the IC's thought process, and creating a strategy for responding to questions, the IC was able to improve their communication. The IC also learned the importance of self-evaluating and the manager learned the importance of creating a learning structure to help employees grow.

Free Alternatives for Sourcing Technical/Engineering Candidates

This article discusses the creative sourcing methods used by the author when their company was unable to hire a 3rd party recruiter. These methods included AngelList, Slack spaces, and engineering blogs. The author found great candidates through these alternative sources and recommends them to others who don't have the resources to pay 3rd party channels.

Strategies You can Use to Convince Your Leadership about Promotion and Salary Upgrades

The author faced two challenges in their company: managing eighteen direct reports and working for founders who were not open to spending for salaries. To resolve these issues, the author conducted weekly one-on-ones with their direct reports, identified two engineers as team leaders, and consulted with a 3rd party HR company to come up with a pay scale structure. The key lesson learned was the importance of educating founders on fair compensation and pursuing this cause even if there was push back.