Tag Archives: Engineering Management

Book Reviews

Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager – Book Review

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Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager is an essential guide for learning to grow and lead engineers.

This is the single best book I’ve read on what it means to be a great Engineer Manger. It’s an enjoyable and honest read.

Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager Book Cover

Rating

(Higher is better, 5 is neutral)

  • Would I recommend? 10 / 10
  • Did I learn anything? 10 / 10
  • Did I learn anything I can apply? 9 / 10
  • High Information density? 8 / 10
  • Would I re-read? 9/10

Buy Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager on Amazon

Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager Overview

The author will take you on a journey from day one to being a central influencing helping your team be the effective and impactful.

The book is broken down into 3 major sections: Managing Yourself, Working with and Managing others, Working with Teams and the Organization at Large.

Who should read Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager?

Certainly every Engineering Manager and Head of Engineering. This could be a playbook for creating a philosophy around great management.

Senior Engineers who are considering Engineer Manager route or want to build empathy with an Engineer Manager’s role.

My main takeaways

Being organized is very key to being a great manager. Use your calendar, email, reminders, and notes effectively. Specifically automated reminders will give you super powers.

You have two options for leading: The Stick or The Carrot. The Stick driving everyone forward with pressure & deadlines. The Carrot by motivating & aligning on mission.

There is a hierarchy of needs in the workplace. First two are Physiological (pay & benefits) and Safety (job security & environment. These two we have control over as manager, but don’t lead to long term job satisfaction. The next three are Belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization. As managers we can contribute to these fulfilling items by finding opportunities that align with a reports interests.

There tends to be two developer archetypes: Cathedra Builders and Bazaar Browsers. Those that want to go deep and be a subject master, building towards perfections; and later are those that desire for exciting new things and never want to be stagnant. Each have their space in an organization and both are motivated in their own ways. Don’t try to fit one in the others role for long if you can help it.

Delegation has a range of levels of oversight. From no oversight to showing another how to do a task. Closing the right level of delegation depends on the task and the individuals capabilities.

If you liked this book, next I’d recommend:

Going deeper on team culture: Elegant Problem
Going deeper on leading with positive impact: Multipliers
Going deeper on project management: Waltzing with Bears

Book Reviews

Multipliers – Book Review

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Multipliers captures one of my key values: Investing in others and empowering them to reach their full potential. I was very excited to find a book aligned with that very value, and it did not disappoint.

Rating

(Higher is better, 5 is neutral)

  • Would I recommend? 9 / 10
  • Did I learn anything? 8 / 10
  • Did I learn anything I can apply? 8 / 10
  • High Information density? 7 / 10
  • Would I re-read? 7/10

Buy Multipliers on Amazon

Multipliers Overview

Multipliers compares communication that build and unlock the potential of others and contrasts it agains communication that diminishes. By the end of the book you’ll have many tools to identify your strengths as well as weaknesses in which you can grow to better build your team up.

As a book, Multipliers feels a bit “corporate self-help” in nature akin to Enneagram or DiSC. At times the sections felt light and wordy. Nevertheless the ideas are fantastic and solicit self-reflection. It has many tips and examples to help transition diminishing patterns to multiplier patterns.

Who should read Multipliers?

Everyone could learn about themselves from Multipliers. Specifically managers, mentors, and leaders without a doubt should read Multipliers.

If you’re someone who leads people or aspires to lead, Multipliers will help you consider your blind spots you could level up to become an even more impactful leader.

My main takeaways

Even the best leaders can accidentally Diminish others around them.

Even though it comes form a good place, being too supportive & available can cause others to rely on you to ‘save the day’ and thus diminish their growth opportunity. Being less available and trusting challenges others to grow.

Hand back the pencil. Give the power back to others after you’ve contributed a thought. Don’t solve all of it, include them.

If you liked this book, next I’d recommend

Building a multiplier team culture: Debugging Teams

Example of multiplier company culture: Creativity Inc.

Engineering Teams

10 Great Topics for Engineering All Hands

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What are good Topics for Engineering All Hands?

Bringing together an engineering team is something we all can agree we should be doing. But how do make sure it’s not a waste of time?

We might ask many questions that will guide us in the direction to find topics for engineering all hands.

  • What updates are value for the team?
  • What topics should be presented?
  • What makes the teams feel involved or appreciated?
  • What information might the team not get elsewhere?
  • What would help align the team in a shared vision?
  • What formats make the most sense to present in?
  • What might excited the team?

Your team will be unique and will always be evolving to find new patterns of topics that gel well and are provide the most value. Ask your team what they would find valuable, experiment and try new things.

Here are several ideas of my ideas for topics for engineering all hands to get you started in running great engineering all hands.

10 Great Topics for Engineering All Hands

1. Impact of what has been built

This could be backed with numbers like sales, hours saved, etc.

Customer stories how they using what the team has been building. This could even involve bringing in real customers to meet the team and share their real life usage of the product.

2. User Feedback about what we’ve been built.

Similar to impact, however this might be reviews, tweets, emails, or feedback of what users are saying about the product we’re building.

3. Vision of why and what we’re building across teams at high level.

What are the business goals that we’re trying to meet?
How are team roadmaps satisfying those business needs?
What sort of things will be building over the next 3, 6, or even 12 months?

4. Light technical deep dive

Share big picture technical demos. This could be big projects, or ones that are good general knowledge sharing. Even though the Engineering All-Hands will mostly have technical folks, refrain from deep-diving too far, that might be better for a technical show-case. We have so many other things to share during the All Hands!

5. Updates around pay / careers / hiring

Are we planning on hiring team members?
What level are we hiring for and for which teams?
Are there updates about how careers are evaluated/structured?

6. Vision of how we want to be structured and grow as a product org

What are the Engineering Orgs vision of who we want to be, what our values are? How do we better ourselves and improve so that we might be one of the best Engineering Ors.

7. Opportunities to make an impact

Share needs that are across the entire Engineering organization as opportunities to get involved.

Are you forming a think tank group about coding standards? Want to form a team to plan an Engineering Off-Site Outing? Looking for volunteers to brainstorm a new product?

8. Recognition across all teams

What wins do teams have? Some may be customer facing, others interesting technical accomplishments. It’s important to recognize an entire team, not just individuals.

9. Promotion announcements

Celebrate team members who are growing! Promotions aren’t handed out lightly, with a good career band system they are tangible accomplishments. We should be proud and celebrate them!

10. New hire intros

This may have been also done at the Company wide level or at the team level. This is an opportunity to have fun intro at a technical level and across the entire Engineering organization.

Further Thinking

Who should be presenting at an Engineering All Hands?
How might presentation roles be shared?
How might an Engineering All Hands be interactive?
How do you Host a Great All Hands?