The basics of one-on-ones
February 07, 2020
Conducting good 1:1 sessions is one of the most frustrating skills new engineering leads need to learn. It’s frustrating for many because this is one of the leadership areas where you don’t have a step-by-step guide, it takes a fairly long time to form a good 1:1 structure with each peer and by nature it’s dynamic – very different conversations will be necessary in different scenarios. My goal with this post is to write about my experience and my personal best practices that worked for me on both sides of this relationship – as an engineer and as an engineering manager. I’ll also mention some common pitfalls to avoid.
Excuse no. 13 - this is how I am
October 06, 2019
Don't limit yourself with excuses like 'this is how I am'
Kill your heroes
June 04, 2019
Hero engineers can be deadly to team culture, it's time to retire those capes.
Staying motivated while growing
February 24, 2017
The key to progress is the temptation of constant challenge, with tasks that remain both achievable and interesting, broken up into pieces of work that are just right.
Engineering managers, stop coding!
February 24, 2017
Try this instead: every time you feel the urge to write code, instead spend the time reading or learning something related to management.