“Strategy” is one word that seems to have lost meaning. I see it thrown around and used for anything, including “so what’s our snacking strategy tonight?” I’ve written before that you don’t need a “tech strategy.” Instead, you should aim to leverage tech as part of the company’s overall strategy. One such tool I’ve been […]
Developing software products is a long-term effort and requires ongoing adjustments. These marathons are usually composed of multiple iterations or sprints. However, these today in many companies are no longer enabling effective work. Instead, they are essentially waste, as teams end up in some hybrid process that makes little sense. If you’re on a quest […]
Andy Grove’s excellent book High Output Management is rightfully considered a fundamental think piece in management tech. Nevertheless, the term “output management” is misleading. While a hardware company like Intel can more easily manage how many units are produced, i.e., output, that is not how software startups should view their product engineering. I believe this […]
There’s a reoccurring phenomenon right now, which I last saw when the pandemic hit. The best leaders around aren’t those who throw their hands up in despair but precisely those who find new ways to leverage the current situation. No matter how dire things might seem, I’m working with executives who had to lay good […]
We get it. Tech’s going through a rough patch. Even though it seems like most major economies will avoid a recession and that inflation is trending positively, funding and expectations from tech companies and startups have changed. Hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs, and companies are talking about their newly found focus on performance […]
With the slowdown in hiring (for some, a complete freeze), there is an increasing need to make do with what you’ve got. You can no longer cover up underperforming employees by staffing more. How do you make ICs’ motivation align with impact for the company? Here are suggestions to tailor your approach to different types […]
No matter the financial climate, there are always new startups established. Most of these startups are run by first-time founders. What do smart founders do? They often hire experienced leaders to help them (as opposed to trying to do everything in “hard mode”). However, I regularly encounter these executives who fail to leverage their experience […]
One reason that executive roles can be fulfilling for years is that there is always something to improve, often considerably. No matter how good you are at what you already do, it is unlikely that you are great at all things. While some see this as discouraging, I live for this and have the best […]
I’ve had hundreds of conversations with executives over the past year. Naturally, I like to ask them what their most significant current challenges are and how they intend to improve their organizations or companies. Frequently, the answers are very milquetoast, without a scintilla of genuine aspiration. The usual suspects include “improve quality of service X,” […]
I’ve been using the term “Product Engineering” to describe software production, even though it is still separated into two different departments in most companies. That’s because these cannot stand without the other. Like a two-headed mythological creature, both succeed or fail together. Yes, as a tech executive, your partnership with your product counterpart is the […]