Knowledge shared by our community

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.

Achieving Closure on Projects and Avoiding the "bus factor" Effect

This article discusses the problem of small engineering teams having each engineer working in isolation, leading to a lack of capacity for new projects. The solution was to close projects with formal closure ceremonies, which enabled engineers to move on to new projects without being tied to the past. It also highlighted the importance of having a succession plan in place from the start.

Working yourself out of your role: the succession plan

In order to take on new opportunities and grow in their career, the author learned to create a succession plan to transition their current role to someone else. This enabled them to take on broader responsibilities and move on from their current role. The author recommends writing the succession plan as soon as possible, revisiting it regularly, and having a mutual understanding of each other's roles with their team of managers.

Empowering Employees by Promoting In-house

This article discusses the challenge of adding new roles in an organization. It outlines the steps taken by the author to understand the organization, identify potential internal candidates for the role, and gain executive buy-in. It emphasizes the importance of leveraging existing members, making sure roles are clear and well-understood, and providing ongoing support to ensure successful transition and growth.

The Value of Strategic Planning to Reach Product-Market Fit.

After joining an organization attempting to bring a product to market, the author noticed that the company lacked a realistic and cohesive product vision, roadmap, and plan to make it happen. To address this, the author held conversations with key people in the organization to surface concerns and form a plan forward. This included revising the product vision and MVP roadmap, finding partners to adopt the early phases of the product, and holding reviews with the engineering team to discuss the MVP roadmap. Through this process, the author was able to refine plans, secure additional funding, and adjust the team to be better equipped to execute against the problem. The lesson learned is that planning at every level is essential and flexibility to react to reality is critical.

Task Relevant Maturity - How to Best Enable Team Members to Become Highly Productive.

Managers should assess their team members on two dimensions (skill and will) and determine their level of task relevant maturity (low, medium, or high). Depending on the level, the manager should adjust the level of support and involvement required. This helps the team members progress to higher levels of maturity and enables the manager to allocate their time more effectively.

Dealing with a “Hero” Situation

The team was tasked to investigate and fix a performance issue on the website, but the Senior Engineer proposed a solution that was difficult to review. The manager stepped in and showed the engineer how to break up the code into smaller, more workable segments. The manager also discussed the importance of collaboration and included the matter in the engineer's quarterly review. The key lessons learned from this scenario are the importance of communication and collaboration, and the need for managers to understand what motivates a person or team in order to set them up for success.

Improving the Hiring Process by Engaging Your Team

This article outlines the steps taken to improve the hiring process by increasing the team's involvement. This included revisiting messaging to make it more personalized, creating more touchpoints and follow-ups, scaling up the process and getting more engineers involved in recruiting, and launching pair programming. The result was an improved candidate experience and higher success rate in hiring.

Solving Budget Problems by being Creative

When faced with budget constraints, such as hiring freezes or restrictions on buying or renting tools, creativity and a can-do attitude can help to find alternatives. Thinking outside the box and keeping the goal in mind can help to avoid being bogged down by budget constraints.

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.

Achieving Closure on Projects and Avoiding the "bus factor" Effect

This article discusses the problem of small engineering teams having each engineer working in isolation, leading to a lack of capacity for new projects. The solution was to close projects with formal closure ceremonies, which enabled engineers to move on to new projects without being tied to the past. It also highlighted the importance of having a succession plan in place from the start.

Working yourself out of your role: the succession plan

In order to take on new opportunities and grow in their career, the author learned to create a succession plan to transition their current role to someone else. This enabled them to take on broader responsibilities and move on from their current role. The author recommends writing the succession plan as soon as possible, revisiting it regularly, and having a mutual understanding of each other's roles with their team of managers.

Empowering Employees by Promoting In-house

This article discusses the challenge of adding new roles in an organization. It outlines the steps taken by the author to understand the organization, identify potential internal candidates for the role, and gain executive buy-in. It emphasizes the importance of leveraging existing members, making sure roles are clear and well-understood, and providing ongoing support to ensure successful transition and growth.

The Value of Strategic Planning to Reach Product-Market Fit.

After joining an organization attempting to bring a product to market, the author noticed that the company lacked a realistic and cohesive product vision, roadmap, and plan to make it happen. To address this, the author held conversations with key people in the organization to surface concerns and form a plan forward. This included revising the product vision and MVP roadmap, finding partners to adopt the early phases of the product, and holding reviews with the engineering team to discuss the MVP roadmap. Through this process, the author was able to refine plans, secure additional funding, and adjust the team to be better equipped to execute against the problem. The lesson learned is that planning at every level is essential and flexibility to react to reality is critical.

Task Relevant Maturity - How to Best Enable Team Members to Become Highly Productive.

Managers should assess their team members on two dimensions (skill and will) and determine their level of task relevant maturity (low, medium, or high). Depending on the level, the manager should adjust the level of support and involvement required. This helps the team members progress to higher levels of maturity and enables the manager to allocate their time more effectively.

Dealing with a “Hero” Situation

The team was tasked to investigate and fix a performance issue on the website, but the Senior Engineer proposed a solution that was difficult to review. The manager stepped in and showed the engineer how to break up the code into smaller, more workable segments. The manager also discussed the importance of collaboration and included the matter in the engineer's quarterly review. The key lessons learned from this scenario are the importance of communication and collaboration, and the need for managers to understand what motivates a person or team in order to set them up for success.

Improving the Hiring Process by Engaging Your Team

This article outlines the steps taken to improve the hiring process by increasing the team's involvement. This included revisiting messaging to make it more personalized, creating more touchpoints and follow-ups, scaling up the process and getting more engineers involved in recruiting, and launching pair programming. The result was an improved candidate experience and higher success rate in hiring.

Solving Budget Problems by being Creative

When faced with budget constraints, such as hiring freezes or restrictions on buying or renting tools, creativity and a can-do attitude can help to find alternatives. Thinking outside the box and keeping the goal in mind can help to avoid being bogged down by budget constraints.

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.

Achieving Closure on Projects and Avoiding the "bus factor" Effect

This article discusses the problem of small engineering teams having each engineer working in isolation, leading to a lack of capacity for new projects. The solution was to close projects with formal closure ceremonies, which enabled engineers to move on to new projects without being tied to the past. It also highlighted the importance of having a succession plan in place from the start.

Working yourself out of your role: the succession plan

In order to take on new opportunities and grow in their career, the author learned to create a succession plan to transition their current role to someone else. This enabled them to take on broader responsibilities and move on from their current role. The author recommends writing the succession plan as soon as possible, revisiting it regularly, and having a mutual understanding of each other's roles with their team of managers.

Empowering Employees by Promoting In-house

This article discusses the challenge of adding new roles in an organization. It outlines the steps taken by the author to understand the organization, identify potential internal candidates for the role, and gain executive buy-in. It emphasizes the importance of leveraging existing members, making sure roles are clear and well-understood, and providing ongoing support to ensure successful transition and growth.

The Value of Strategic Planning to Reach Product-Market Fit.

After joining an organization attempting to bring a product to market, the author noticed that the company lacked a realistic and cohesive product vision, roadmap, and plan to make it happen. To address this, the author held conversations with key people in the organization to surface concerns and form a plan forward. This included revising the product vision and MVP roadmap, finding partners to adopt the early phases of the product, and holding reviews with the engineering team to discuss the MVP roadmap. Through this process, the author was able to refine plans, secure additional funding, and adjust the team to be better equipped to execute against the problem. The lesson learned is that planning at every level is essential and flexibility to react to reality is critical.

Task Relevant Maturity - How to Best Enable Team Members to Become Highly Productive.

Managers should assess their team members on two dimensions (skill and will) and determine their level of task relevant maturity (low, medium, or high). Depending on the level, the manager should adjust the level of support and involvement required. This helps the team members progress to higher levels of maturity and enables the manager to allocate their time more effectively.

Dealing with a “Hero” Situation

The team was tasked to investigate and fix a performance issue on the website, but the Senior Engineer proposed a solution that was difficult to review. The manager stepped in and showed the engineer how to break up the code into smaller, more workable segments. The manager also discussed the importance of collaboration and included the matter in the engineer's quarterly review. The key lessons learned from this scenario are the importance of communication and collaboration, and the need for managers to understand what motivates a person or team in order to set them up for success.

Improving the Hiring Process by Engaging Your Team

This article outlines the steps taken to improve the hiring process by increasing the team's involvement. This included revisiting messaging to make it more personalized, creating more touchpoints and follow-ups, scaling up the process and getting more engineers involved in recruiting, and launching pair programming. The result was an improved candidate experience and higher success rate in hiring.

Solving Budget Problems by being Creative

When faced with budget constraints, such as hiring freezes or restrictions on buying or renting tools, creativity and a can-do attitude can help to find alternatives. Thinking outside the box and keeping the goal in mind can help to avoid being bogged down by budget constraints.

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.

Achieving Closure on Projects and Avoiding the "bus factor" Effect

This article discusses the problem of small engineering teams having each engineer working in isolation, leading to a lack of capacity for new projects. The solution was to close projects with formal closure ceremonies, which enabled engineers to move on to new projects without being tied to the past. It also highlighted the importance of having a succession plan in place from the start.

Working yourself out of your role: the succession plan

In order to take on new opportunities and grow in their career, the author learned to create a succession plan to transition their current role to someone else. This enabled them to take on broader responsibilities and move on from their current role. The author recommends writing the succession plan as soon as possible, revisiting it regularly, and having a mutual understanding of each other's roles with their team of managers.

Empowering Employees by Promoting In-house

This article discusses the challenge of adding new roles in an organization. It outlines the steps taken by the author to understand the organization, identify potential internal candidates for the role, and gain executive buy-in. It emphasizes the importance of leveraging existing members, making sure roles are clear and well-understood, and providing ongoing support to ensure successful transition and growth.

The Value of Strategic Planning to Reach Product-Market Fit.

After joining an organization attempting to bring a product to market, the author noticed that the company lacked a realistic and cohesive product vision, roadmap, and plan to make it happen. To address this, the author held conversations with key people in the organization to surface concerns and form a plan forward. This included revising the product vision and MVP roadmap, finding partners to adopt the early phases of the product, and holding reviews with the engineering team to discuss the MVP roadmap. Through this process, the author was able to refine plans, secure additional funding, and adjust the team to be better equipped to execute against the problem. The lesson learned is that planning at every level is essential and flexibility to react to reality is critical.

Task Relevant Maturity - How to Best Enable Team Members to Become Highly Productive.

Managers should assess their team members on two dimensions (skill and will) and determine their level of task relevant maturity (low, medium, or high). Depending on the level, the manager should adjust the level of support and involvement required. This helps the team members progress to higher levels of maturity and enables the manager to allocate their time more effectively.

Dealing with a “Hero” Situation

The team was tasked to investigate and fix a performance issue on the website, but the Senior Engineer proposed a solution that was difficult to review. The manager stepped in and showed the engineer how to break up the code into smaller, more workable segments. The manager also discussed the importance of collaboration and included the matter in the engineer's quarterly review. The key lessons learned from this scenario are the importance of communication and collaboration, and the need for managers to understand what motivates a person or team in order to set them up for success.

Improving the Hiring Process by Engaging Your Team

This article outlines the steps taken to improve the hiring process by increasing the team's involvement. This included revisiting messaging to make it more personalized, creating more touchpoints and follow-ups, scaling up the process and getting more engineers involved in recruiting, and launching pair programming. The result was an improved candidate experience and higher success rate in hiring.

Solving Budget Problems by being Creative

When faced with budget constraints, such as hiring freezes or restrictions on buying or renting tools, creativity and a can-do attitude can help to find alternatives. Thinking outside the box and keeping the goal in mind can help to avoid being bogged down by budget constraints.

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.

Achieving Closure on Projects and Avoiding the "bus factor" Effect

This article discusses the problem of small engineering teams having each engineer working in isolation, leading to a lack of capacity for new projects. The solution was to close projects with formal closure ceremonies, which enabled engineers to move on to new projects without being tied to the past. It also highlighted the importance of having a succession plan in place from the start.

Working yourself out of your role: the succession plan

In order to take on new opportunities and grow in their career, the author learned to create a succession plan to transition their current role to someone else. This enabled them to take on broader responsibilities and move on from their current role. The author recommends writing the succession plan as soon as possible, revisiting it regularly, and having a mutual understanding of each other's roles with their team of managers.

Empowering Employees by Promoting In-house

This article discusses the challenge of adding new roles in an organization. It outlines the steps taken by the author to understand the organization, identify potential internal candidates for the role, and gain executive buy-in. It emphasizes the importance of leveraging existing members, making sure roles are clear and well-understood, and providing ongoing support to ensure successful transition and growth.

The Value of Strategic Planning to Reach Product-Market Fit.

After joining an organization attempting to bring a product to market, the author noticed that the company lacked a realistic and cohesive product vision, roadmap, and plan to make it happen. To address this, the author held conversations with key people in the organization to surface concerns and form a plan forward. This included revising the product vision and MVP roadmap, finding partners to adopt the early phases of the product, and holding reviews with the engineering team to discuss the MVP roadmap. Through this process, the author was able to refine plans, secure additional funding, and adjust the team to be better equipped to execute against the problem. The lesson learned is that planning at every level is essential and flexibility to react to reality is critical.

Task Relevant Maturity - How to Best Enable Team Members to Become Highly Productive.

Managers should assess their team members on two dimensions (skill and will) and determine their level of task relevant maturity (low, medium, or high). Depending on the level, the manager should adjust the level of support and involvement required. This helps the team members progress to higher levels of maturity and enables the manager to allocate their time more effectively.

Dealing with a “Hero” Situation

The team was tasked to investigate and fix a performance issue on the website, but the Senior Engineer proposed a solution that was difficult to review. The manager stepped in and showed the engineer how to break up the code into smaller, more workable segments. The manager also discussed the importance of collaboration and included the matter in the engineer's quarterly review. The key lessons learned from this scenario are the importance of communication and collaboration, and the need for managers to understand what motivates a person or team in order to set them up for success.

Improving the Hiring Process by Engaging Your Team

This article outlines the steps taken to improve the hiring process by increasing the team's involvement. This included revisiting messaging to make it more personalized, creating more touchpoints and follow-ups, scaling up the process and getting more engineers involved in recruiting, and launching pair programming. The result was an improved candidate experience and higher success rate in hiring.

Solving Budget Problems by being Creative

When faced with budget constraints, such as hiring freezes or restrictions on buying or renting tools, creativity and a can-do attitude can help to find alternatives. Thinking outside the box and keeping the goal in mind can help to avoid being bogged down by budget constraints.

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.

Achieving Closure on Projects and Avoiding the "bus factor" Effect

This article discusses the problem of small engineering teams having each engineer working in isolation, leading to a lack of capacity for new projects. The solution was to close projects with formal closure ceremonies, which enabled engineers to move on to new projects without being tied to the past. It also highlighted the importance of having a succession plan in place from the start.

Working yourself out of your role: the succession plan

In order to take on new opportunities and grow in their career, the author learned to create a succession plan to transition their current role to someone else. This enabled them to take on broader responsibilities and move on from their current role. The author recommends writing the succession plan as soon as possible, revisiting it regularly, and having a mutual understanding of each other's roles with their team of managers.

Empowering Employees by Promoting In-house

This article discusses the challenge of adding new roles in an organization. It outlines the steps taken by the author to understand the organization, identify potential internal candidates for the role, and gain executive buy-in. It emphasizes the importance of leveraging existing members, making sure roles are clear and well-understood, and providing ongoing support to ensure successful transition and growth.

The Value of Strategic Planning to Reach Product-Market Fit.

After joining an organization attempting to bring a product to market, the author noticed that the company lacked a realistic and cohesive product vision, roadmap, and plan to make it happen. To address this, the author held conversations with key people in the organization to surface concerns and form a plan forward. This included revising the product vision and MVP roadmap, finding partners to adopt the early phases of the product, and holding reviews with the engineering team to discuss the MVP roadmap. Through this process, the author was able to refine plans, secure additional funding, and adjust the team to be better equipped to execute against the problem. The lesson learned is that planning at every level is essential and flexibility to react to reality is critical.

Task Relevant Maturity - How to Best Enable Team Members to Become Highly Productive.

Managers should assess their team members on two dimensions (skill and will) and determine their level of task relevant maturity (low, medium, or high). Depending on the level, the manager should adjust the level of support and involvement required. This helps the team members progress to higher levels of maturity and enables the manager to allocate their time more effectively.

Dealing with a “Hero” Situation

The team was tasked to investigate and fix a performance issue on the website, but the Senior Engineer proposed a solution that was difficult to review. The manager stepped in and showed the engineer how to break up the code into smaller, more workable segments. The manager also discussed the importance of collaboration and included the matter in the engineer's quarterly review. The key lessons learned from this scenario are the importance of communication and collaboration, and the need for managers to understand what motivates a person or team in order to set them up for success.

Improving the Hiring Process by Engaging Your Team

This article outlines the steps taken to improve the hiring process by increasing the team's involvement. This included revisiting messaging to make it more personalized, creating more touchpoints and follow-ups, scaling up the process and getting more engineers involved in recruiting, and launching pair programming. The result was an improved candidate experience and higher success rate in hiring.

Solving Budget Problems by being Creative

When faced with budget constraints, such as hiring freezes or restrictions on buying or renting tools, creativity and a can-do attitude can help to find alternatives. Thinking outside the box and keeping the goal in mind can help to avoid being bogged down by budget constraints.