QFM031: Engineering Leadership Reading List - August 2024

Source: Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash

In August's Engineering Leadership Reading List, we start off with an exploration of entrepreneurship and business strategy. In Loving My New Porsche? A Provocative Review of Year Three on My $300k Rollercoaster Business, Marian Kamenistak shares his journey of building a profitable business, highlighting the importance of KPIs, financial data, and community growth. The theme of strategic decision-making continues with The Flywheel Effect, which explains how sustained focus in a single direction can generate momentum, contrasting with companies that fail due to constant changes in strategy.

Leadership and team dynamics are also central in this month’s reading. Is Your Leadership Style Hurting Your Team? by Diana Stepner discusses how different leadership styles impact team morale and performance, emphasising the importance of empathy and adaptability. Similarly, Should the Daily Stand-Up Die? questions the relevance of traditional daily stand-up meetings, suggesting that their effectiveness may depend on team maturity and communication practices.

The list also includes several pieces on software development and architecture. Architectural Retrospectives: The Key to Getting Better at Architecting focuses on improving team decision-making processes through regular retrospectives, while The Case for Custom Software argues for the benefits of custom software solutions over SaaS, particularly as AI makes personalised solutions more accessible. In a similar vein, this Xitter thread roll-up Predictions for the Future of Software Engineering anticipates how advancements in AI will reshape the field, making software more accessible and reducing development time and costs.

For those involved in startups Startup Success - Analysis of Unicorn Startup Founders provides a data-driven look at the factors contributing to unicorn startup success, including founder traits and team structure. Awesome CEO: The Ultimate Guide for Startup Founders is a comprehensive resource for startup leaders, covering everything from fundraising to product development. Meanwhile, The Hard Thing About Small Things contrasts the challenges of managing large corporations with the unique demands of running a startup, stressing the importance of attention to detail.

On the product management front, Focusing on Time to Value Over Time to Market by Sebastian Straube emphasises the benefits of prioritising the speed at which a product delivers value to users. This approach can lead to sustainable growth and customer satisfaction. Also, Introduction to Product Discovery offers a fantastic beginner-friendly guide to improving product leadership skills, with a focus on community engagement and skill-building.

Finally, this month includes insights into learning and tool usage. Learn How To Learn provides strategies for improving learning skills, promoting a positive feedback loop that enhances overall effectiveness. Additionally, GitHub Navigation and Features offers a detailed overview of GitHub’s tools and services, useful for both beginners and experienced users alike.

As always, the Quantum Fax Machine Propellor Hat Key will guide your browsing. Enjoy!

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Regards,
M@

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Originally published on quantumfaxmachine.com and cross-posted on Medium.