QFM035: Engineering Leadership Reading List September 2024

Everything that I found interesting last month about engineering leadership.

Tags: qfm, engineering, leadership, reading, list, september, 2024

Source: Photo by Alex Lion on Unsplash

In September’s Engineering Leadership Reading List, we explore a spectrum of topics ranging from innovative management philosophies to practical career advice. We start with an examination of how tech teams can improve efficiency and trust. In No Estimations – Stop the Theater, Yaniv Preiss proposes a fresh take on task prioritisation, suggesting that abandoning traditional estimations can foster transparency and reduce stress, providing a solid foundation for productive teamwork.

A recurring theme this month is the nuanced role of leadership, particularly the importance of adaptable and intentional management. Articles like Manager Antipatterns provide insights into common pitfalls that derail managerial effectiveness, while Tech Leadership Maxims by Aviv Ben-Yosef presents guiding principles to help tech leaders align their strategies with organisational goals. The theme of thoughtful leadership extends to team dynamics and culture, as explored in The Cultural Characteristics of Fast-Paced, High-Performance Teams, where research highlights how fostering joint problem-solving and mutual value recognition can enhance team resilience and performance.

The reading list also includes resources for individual growth within tech leadership. Articles such as Unpacking Interview Questions by Jacob Kaplan-Moss and Three Critical Questions to Turn the Tables During Technical Interviews by Marianne Bellotti provide valuable guidance on navigating technical interviews and understanding the candidate perspective. These articles underscore the importance of a well-rounded approach to hiring and career development, particularly in building teams that balance technical depth with a shared vision.

We finish with How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product Market Fit that delves into methodologies for achieving product-market fit. Meanwhile, Words on Founder Mode offers a perspective on Y-Combinator’s Paul Graham earlier piece on ‘founder mode’, highlighting the critical differences between this operating mode and traditional management styles.

As always, the Quantum Fax Machine Propellor Hat Key will guide your browsing. Enjoy! engineering-leadership-propellor-hat-key.png

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3-out-of-5-hats No Estimations – Stop the Theater: Yaniv Preiss advocates for the “No Estimations” approach, arguing that estimations often lead to misleading timelines and unnecessary stress. He suggests focusing on prioritizing tasks based on a roadmap rather than on unreliable estimations. The article emphasizes that this approach can improve trust and efficiency within tech teams.

#NoEstimations #Agile #Scrum #ProjectManagement #TechLeadership

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2-out-of-5-hats Manager Antipatterns: Many companies make recurring mistakes with their managers, which can be viewed as ‘manager antipatterns.’ These errors range from promoting the best engineer to a managerial role to having managers who are overly hands-off. The article discusses various types of dysfunctional management styles and provides tips on how to handle each scenario, whether you work for, are subordinate to, or are the manager in question.

#management #antipatterns #leadership #teamwork #business

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3-out-of-5-hats How Superhuman Built an Engine to Find Product Market Fit: This article by Superhuman founder and CEO Rahul Vohra delves into the framework his startup utilized to achieve product-market fit. It details a four-step process and a specific survey method to measure and optimize product-market fit, focusing on user feedback and continuous improvement.

#Superhuman #Startups #ProductMarketFit #Entrepreneurship #Growth

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2-out-of-5-hats The Real Reasons Why Most Product Teams Struggle to Delight Users: Many product teams face difficulties in delighting users despite exhaustive planning. The article suggests that an overemphasis on detailed product plans and output fixation can mislead teams, causing them to lose sight of actual user needs. By revising this approach and employing a practical 5-step guide, teams can better focus on delivering what truly matters to users.

#ProductManagement #UserExperience #BusinessStrategy #TechLeadership #Startup

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2-out-of-5-hats Management Tips and Lessons: The author shares insights and lessons learned from years of transitioning from a developer to a managerial role. Topics include the importance of context over best practices, the value of failure, and various managerial pitfalls and anti-patterns.

#Management #Leadership #Tech #Productivity #Teamwork

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3-out-of-5-hats Unpacking Interview Questions by Jacob Kaplan-Moss: Jacob Kaplan-Moss presents a comprehensive series titled ‘Unpacking Interview Questions,’ where he shares insightful questions he uses during technical role interviews. The series explores topics like explaining a concept at different levels, leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as conflict resolution and discussing weaknesses. He also provides a summary and tips on creating effective interview questions and discusses tailoring questions for junior candidates.

#InterviewQuestions #TechHiring #Leadership #DEI #CareerAdvice

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3-out-of-5-hats Tech Leadership Maxims: Aviv Ben-Yosef shares key maxims for tech executives based on his extensive content, which includes over 300 articles, books, and podcasts. Highlights include the importance of integrating tech into the company’s strategy, fostering innovation as a habit, and the critical need for tech leaders to manage their time effectively. He also emphasizes that tech management requires intentional effort and that true leadership means being proactive rather than merely being a facilitator.

#TechLeadership #Innovation #TimeManagement #TechStrategy #ExecutiveTips

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3-out-of-5-hats Three Critical Questions to Turn the Tables During Technical Interviews: Marianne Bellotti emphasizes the importance of candidates using the question, ‘Do you have any questions for me?’ during technical interviews to evaluate potential employers. By preparing a standard set of questions, candidates can assess if the company and role are the right fit. This strategy is particularly useful for individuals early in their careers who may have multiple job offers.

#TechnicalInterviews #CareerAdvice #JobSearch #InterviewTips #TechCareers

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3-out-of-5-hats Words on Founder Mode: The article discusses the differences between Founder Mode and Manager Mode in startups. It argues that while most founders are not successful, those who are have a distinct way of running things, involving the whole team in every detail and prioritizing leadership over traditional management. The piece emphasizes the importance of hiring leaders rather than managers and suggests that company culture is deeply influenced by the character of the founders.

#startups #leadership #management #FounderMode #innovation

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3-out-of-5-hats Your company needs Junior devs: In this article, Doug Turnbull discusses the importance of hiring junior developers, countering the trend of only recruiting experienced staff. Turnbull emphasizes that juniors bring unique value by fostering a culture of teaching and learning, which can drive innovation and psychological safety within teams. He provides examples of how juniors have generated groundbreaking ideas and highlights the benefits of having a diverse team with fresh perspectives.

#Hiring #TechLeadership #JuniorDevelopers #Innovation #WorkCulture

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2-out-of-5-hats Home Baked Abstractions, Store Bought Implementations: The article discusses the balance between creating custom abstractions and using commoditized implementations in software engineering. The author emphasizes the importance of creating meaningful abstractions tailored to specific contexts while utilizing ready-made implementations for general use. This approach helps balance innovation with stability, but finding the right equilibrium can be complex and requires expertise.

#SoftwareEngineering #TechLeadership #Innovation #Abstractions #Commoditization

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3-out-of-5-hats Navigate Your First 90 Days in Product Management: A Step-by-Step Guide: Navigating the first 90 days in a Product Management role can be daunting. This guide provides actionable steps, insights, and common pitfalls to avoid, ensuring you not only survive but thrive. From setting success metrics and balancing internal and external activities to creating a robust playbook and engaging with stakeholders, this article aims to set you up for success in your new role.

#ProductManagement #CareerAdvice #Leadership #Stakeholders #First90Days

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3-out-of-5-hats Engineer’s Guide to Convincing Your Product Manager to Prioritize Technical Debt: Engineers often struggle to convince product managers to prioritize technical debt. This article, written by Gregor Ojstersek and Robert Ta, offers a structured approach to align technical debt with business strategy, quantify its impact, and present a compelling case for tackling it. The process involves five steps: aligning with business strategy, quantifying the problem, relating technical debt to business value, offering a solution, and presenting a proposal.

#EngineeringLeadership #TechDebt #ProductManagement #BusinessStrategy #DeveloperVelocity

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2-out-of-5-hats What I Gave Up To Become An Engineering Manager: The article discusses the transition from being an individual contributor (IC) to an engineering manager (EM). It emphasizes the need to stop doing certain activities that were essential as an IC to make room for new responsibilities as an EM. The author shares five key areas to let go, including building things and blocking long focus times, to successfully shift into the managerial role.

#EngineeringManager #CareerGrowth #Leadership #TechTransition #CareerChange

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3-out-of-5-hats Team Principles: Francisco Trindade discusses how managers can define and implement team principles to guide behavior and decision-making. The principles are aimed at creating empowered teams with clear direction and consistent approaches. Trindade emphasizes the importance of maintaining team autonomy, creating motivating challenges, and fostering collaboration.

#TeamPrinciples #EngineeringManagement #SoftwareDevelopment #Leadership #EmpoweredTeams

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2-out-of-5-hats Founder Mode, hackers, and being bored by tech: Ian Betteridge critiques the Silicon Valley ‘cult of the founder’, using figures like Paul Graham and Sam Altman as examples. He argues that many founders neglect crucial management skills and that the tech industry has become monotonous due to hype cycles driven by such personalities. Betteridge also reflects on how tech discourse has shifted from exciting, multifaceted discussions to one-dimensional coverage dominated by a few high-profile founders.

#TechCritique #SiliconValley #Founders #Management #TechHype

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3-out-of-5-hats Paul Graham and the Cult of the Founder: Dave Karpf critiques Paul Graham’s influence on Silicon Valley, arguing that YCombinator’s glorification of ‘founder culture’ has had negative repercussions. He contrasts two archetypes: the founder, represented by Sam Altman, and the hacker, represented by Aaron Swartz, lamenting the loss of the hacker’s influence in the modern tech landscape.

#SiliconValley #TechCulture #YC #Founders #Hackers

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2-out-of-5-hats How to Optimize Your Career for Happiness: This article discusses shifting focus from traditional metrics of success, like promotions and pay raises, to optimizing one’s career for happiness. Key points include working for leaders who understand your job, finding fulfillment beyond work, embracing imperfection, and practicing self-reflection. The concept of being a ‘time-millionaire’ is also explored, emphasizing the importance of job flexibility and work-life balance.

#CareerHappiness #WorkLifeBalance #SelfReflection #MentalHealth #PersonalFulfillment

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3-out-of-5-hats How to Lead Your Team when the House Is on Fire: In challenging times, Engineering Managers can lead their teams effectively by focusing on delivery, building resilient teams, and supporting individual growth. It’s crucial to stay mission-focused, and empower teams to move quickly while maintaining morale. Acknowledging the high-pressure environment and investing in both personal and team health can help leaders and teams not just survive but thrive.

#EngineeringLeadership #WartimeManagement #TechIndustry #TeamHealth #Productivity

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2-out-of-5-hats Exploring the Relationship between Tech Lead and Engineering Manager: This article delves into the often confusing relationship between Tech Leads and Engineering Managers. It explores the boundaries and shared responsibilities derived from the comparison with the Engineering Manager and Product Manager roles. Practical tips and a mental model are offered to help navigate these roles and improve team dynamics.

#TechLeadership #EngineeringManagement #TechLead #TeamDynamics #ProductManagement

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2-out-of-5-hats Be a thermostat, not a thermometer: Lara Hogan discusses how humans unconsciously mirror each other’s moods and behaviors in the workplace. She provides strategies to recognize these patterns and encourages acting as a thermostat—setting a positive tone—instead of just a thermometer that reflects the current mood.

#WorkplaceDynamics #EmotionalIntelligence #Leadership #TeamManagement #LaraHogan

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2-out-of-5-hats Retiring from The Idea of Retirement: The article challenges the traditional notion of retirement, emphasizing the pursuit of personal joy and financial alignment throughout one’s life rather than depending on a retirement salary. It critiques the existing retirement systems in countries like Germany and proposes a more dynamic, purpose-driven approach to life where one continuously invests in their happiness and fulfillment.

#Retirement #FinancialIndependence #PurposeDrivenLife #PersonalFinance #LifeGoals

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3-out-of-5-hats Streamline Your Software Development with Software Blueprint: The Software Blueprint service offers a streamlined approach for creating comprehensive project plans for custom software development. By providing detailed documentation of technical requirements and design, it aims to reduce time and cost while enhancing project clarity. The service is designed to align with various budget sizes, ensuring efficient resource use and faster time to market.

#SoftwareDevelopment #ProjectManagement #TechInnovation #CostEfficiency #TimeToMarket

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3-out-of-5-hats The Cultural Characteristics of Fast-Paced, High-Performance Teams: A study published in Frontiers in Psychology explores the importance of Joint Problem-Solving (JPS) and Mutual Value Recognition (MVR) in high-performance teams. The research, involving over 1,600 healthcare units, finds that teams with strong JPS and MVR are more adaptable and perform better. The study emphasizes the critical role of leadership in fostering these attributes, especially in fluid environments like healthcare settings.

#Leadership #Teamwork #HighPerformance #Research #Collaboration

Regards,

M@

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

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