The more I think about why organizational changes happen, the more I see that it’s merely an adjustment to the environment. The world is changing all the time. If you don’t adjust and evolve your organization with it, you’re practically falling behind and will eventually go out of business. You have to keep the...
During one-on-ones or team meetings, people sometimes complain endlessly. Managers struggle to understand how to respond to their direct reports’ complaints. They become people’s venting sponges, having no idea how to react or take action on most complaints. I’ve been in that place, and I know I’m not alone. I’ve...
In February, I gave a talk at the DecompileD Conference in Dresden, Germany, titled “Building Incident Management Skills.” I shared how we built and implemented the Incident Coordinator Role, which is focused on reducing the pressure from first responder engineers and coordinating the incident, allowing engineers to...
“Act as if…” When you’re trying to get buy-in, share information and drive decisions, always put yourself in your audience’s seats while preparing. Ask yourself what they would expect from your presentation, as well as your strategy and approach. Act as if you’re in their seats and give yourself feedback. Look for...
People model you as a leader. How you do anything is how you do everything. People observe you and look up to you all the time. How you behave in a meeting, how you approach a problem, and how you resolve an issue will be reflected in people. Even when you want the least, like when you take a wrong action, it can...
Many job descriptions, company websites, and leaders mention “having a high bar in performance.” Everyone talks about it, but few define it. Nobody is transparent and doesn’t explain what they think. Defining the high bar isn’t just an intellectual exercise—it’s about setting expectations for ourselves and those we...
In uncertainty, don’t seek or move with a map but with a compass. You need to be alert to your surroundings more than relying on external guidance. With a compass, you have a direction to go and must adjust yourself depending on what you find on the way. You have to discover the territory yourself. A map does not...
As an engineering director (or executive), compartmentalize your teams around visions. What’s your vision for the group? You’ll not have full context on anything about these teams. Don’t try gaining too deep context unless it’s absolutely needed. Once the teams are built around a vision, the group can create context...
Managing workarounds in complex situations is tricky. If an engineer negotiates about building a workaround (to avoid it), you’ll always have to pay the price sooner or later. As a manager (and also a software engineer), focus on how you can contain this workaround’s impact on the project and product. Try not to...
“Tears fall for a reason, and they are your strength, not weakness.” — The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse Make your weakness your strength. If you cry, that doesn’t show that you’re weak. It shows that you deeply care about something. When you cry, look for what exactly you are crying for. Once you find it,...
In recent years, I feel like we’ve been constantly forced to choose—agree or disagree, take a side, make a decision. Silence is often interpreted as agreement. But what about when we simply can’t decide? What about the time we deliberately step back and choose the third way, the forgotten one—withholding judgment?...
️️️You can’t have an organization made up entirely of top-of-the-top performers. While this is feasible in a small startup, larger organizations must hire a mix of average individuals and will definitely end up with lower-performing individuals. It’s crucial to understand how to develop these employees and enhance...
