Engineering managers are needed to lead teams and enable scaling of companies. While it may feel like starting a new job, engineering managers are responsible for the success of their teams by focusing on people over code. To succeed, engineering managers should try to avoid mistakes by listening more and talking less, focus on psychological safety and decision making within their teams, and work on self-awareness and compassion as leaders.
2. Xmas 1989
First computer: ZX Sinclair
2008
Masters Computer Science
2003
First Summer Job: Perl Scripting
2008-2014
Freelance Full-Stack Developer
2015
Backend Engineer
2016
Team Lead / Engineering Manager
2017
Director of Engineering
2018
VP Engineering
3. An individual, who may or may not write
code, that is accountable for the success
of a number of teams and responsible for
the growth of their people.
23. “It is remarkable how much long-term
advantage people like us have gotten by
trying to be consistently not stupid, instead
of trying to be very intelligent.”
— Charlie Munger
24. “Listen more, talk less,
and be decisive when the time comes.“
— Satya Nadella
(CEO, Microsoft)
25. 1
2
Try to be consistently not stupid.
Listen more. Talk less.
37. “The best managers make it their highest priority to
connect the work their team is doing to the big,
ultimate goals the company is working toward.”
— Claire Hughes Johnson
(COO Stripe)
55. DECISION MAKING
Values and operating principles orient, speed up
and regret-minimize decisions.
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
56. DECISION MAKING
Make the process transparent. Transparency breeds trust.
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
57. ALIGNMENT
Where are we going? And how do we get there?
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
58. ALIGNMENT
Be on the same page with other teams and functions.
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
59. ALIGNMENT
Make sure you understand priorities.
Make sure others understand tradeoffs.
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
60. FOCUS
Delivering is everything. Your credibility depends on it.
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
61. FOCUS
What do we as a team care about?
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
62. METRICS
Surface business and technical data, and keep it front and center.
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
63. METRICS
Productivity cannot be directly measured.
But you can measure what affects it.
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
64. METRICS
Leverage the tools you have.
Work for the people doing the actual work.
Psychological Safety Decision Making Alignment Focus Metrics
65. “Pain + Reflection = Progress”
— Ray Dalio
(Founder and Former CEO Bridgewater Associates)
69. “Don’t do things that you know are morally
wrong. Not because someone is watching,
but because you are. Self-esteem is just the
reputation that you have with yourself.
You’ll always know.“
— Naval Ravikant
(Co-Founder, CEO AngelList)
70. What type of leader do you want to be?
XMultiplier
—Diminisher
Gives autonomy, support and trust.
Truly listens.
Makes others feel important.
Asks questions.
Shows appreciation.
Creates clarity, gives energy.
Doesn’t trust, micromanages.
Operates in “tell mode”, interrupts often.
Makes others feel irrelevant.
Assumes own knowledge.
Rarely gives credit.
Creates confusion, takes energy.
76. “Most of us begin our careers needing to find answers. But as we move
into leadership, nothing is more important than being able to ask the
right questions — the questions that share the burden of thinking with
your team, the questions that focus the energy and intelligence of the
group. That's how you're going to solve big problems at scale,”
— Liz Wiseman
(Researcher, Executive Advisor)