QFM003: Engineering Leadership Reading List - January 2024

This article discusses the importance of being proactive and decisive, especially in professional contexts. It emphasises the need to address mediocrity in hiring, ongoing projects, and personal career development. The author advises quick action to correct or eliminate subpar hires, unproductive initiatives, and personal stagnation, stressing that life is too short for mediocrity.

This highlights the key attributes of successful talent incubators. These listed companies excel in developing leaders by strategically attracting, retaining, and investing in talent. They provide comprehensive training and development opportunities, foster high-performance cultures, and maintain strong operations. Their reputation for excellence allows them to influence and adapt to their environments effectively.

This article outlines key strategies for new managers to establish trust with their teams. It emphasises the importance of authenticity, empathy, and logic in management, along with the necessity of acknowledging one's own imperfections and maintaining open, empathetic communication with team members. The author also highlights the value of understanding and acting on team feedback and the critical role of trust in effective leadership.

This article discusses the evolving technology sector, highlighting trends such as stabilisation after a reset, a greater focus on profitability by investors, and the changing role of CTOs in response to these shifts. Key points include the adaptation of tech leaders to emphasise transformation and commerciality and a growing interest among top talent in roles within Private Equity for stability.

This article highlights the importance of aligning engineering team growth with business profitability, focusing on managing complexity, addressing tech debt strategically, and investing in talent development to build highly profitable engineering teams.

This article emphasises the importance of maintaining a "brag document" to record and showcase one's accomplishments at work. This practice aids in self-reflection, helps managers and peers recognise your contributions, and is particularly beneficial during performance reviews and manager transitions.

This article critiques the Five Whys method, commonly used in root cause analysis. Allspaw argues that asking "Why?" often leads to simplistic and misleading conclusions while asking "How?" encourages a deeper understanding of complex situations. He emphasises the importance of multiple perspectives and narratives to truly learn from events rather than simplifying them into linear cause-effect chains.

This article discusses strategies for making software development profitable, emphasising the importance of careful contract management, avoiding overly customisable features, considering the implications of on-premise deployments, setting realistic limits on data usage and features, and aligning business growth with client success.

The article "Metacognition: A Critical Leadership & Career Skill" emphasises the importance of metacognition in leadership and career advancement. It outlines how self-awareness and reflective thinking can enhance professional decision-making, problem-solving, and adaptability. The author provides frameworks and strategies for developing metacognitive skills, underscoring their role in effective leadership and personal growth.

New research backed by GitHub confirms that good Developer Experience (DevEx) significantly enhances productivity and innovation by optimising flow state, reducing cognitive load, and improving feedback loops, emphasising the need for strategic investments in DevEx for better business outcomes.

This article discusses the prevalent issues in HR practices at tech startups, highlighting systemic problems such as neglecting HR roles, fostering a culture of favouritism, and lacking diversity strategies. These issues often lead to dysfunctional management and workplace environments that do not effectively support employees.

This article discusses the necessity of engineering managers in a startup. The writer addresses a VP of Engineering at a startup with about 40 engineers, organised into small teams led by lead engineers primarily focused on coding. The CEO, a former engineer, opposes hiring engineering managers, viewing them as unnecessary overhead. The article argues that hierarchy, often misunderstood and misused, is crucial for the adaptability, efficiency, and scalability of organisations. It also emphasises the distinct roles and benefits of engineering managers in coordinating teams, managing information, and focusing on organisational goals, highlighting that effective management is key to avoiding organisational debt and ensuring productivity.

This article focuses on strategies for identifying and nurturing exceptional engineering talent. It emphasises the importance of fostering a culture of innovation, recognising social skills like collaboration and leadership, valuing problem-solving and creativity, and utilising data-driven approaches. The article also highlights the art of recognising talent beyond technical skills, considering traits like continuous learning and innovation.