I’ve long claimed you do not need to develop a “tech strategy” or “engineering strategy.” Instead, technology ought to take a central role in the company’s strategy—the real one. Just because you’ve implemented something in software doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a “moat” or a strategic differentiator. For many tech leaders, just hearing that is not […]
Human perception is almost magical. Only as I started caring about cooking did I start noticing depths in food. It was after I became interested in clothing that I became aware of what people chose to wear daily. After we “boot up” some knowledge, we start realizing it, but others, those who never “take the […]
Copy-and-paste leadership in tech organizations is everywhere. Often, leaders cannot explain the reasoning behind their choices and processes. In reality, when you’re following the herd and mindlessly repeating what you read on Medium that others have done, you’re not leading much, right? To break the mold, here are some ideas on how you can cut […]
It’s that time of the year again. Soon, we’ll all rush to announce the new year’s roadmap and goals. Some resolutions might be declared. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to go through this rigmarole on autopilot without actually leveraging it as an opportunity to better ourselves. To help you avoid that mistake, here is […]
Ensuring that coaching happens regularly in your organization and that each person grows is a basic tenet of any healthy tech organization, as described in The Tech Executive Operating System. Nevertheless, as I help companies implement a coaching framework, there are “exceptions” that regularly creep up. How should you handle those whose coaching isn’t “easy”? […]
We all know that “timing is everything.” And there’s certainly no denying that it plays a major role in anything we do. Consider Apple’s Newton, which was a flop, only to reemerge decades later as the iPhone. However, as leaders, we don’t have the privilege of sitting there and waiting for the perfect moment. How […]
Running an engineering organization is not simple or easy. Even experienced leaders can find it overwhelming, stressful, or taxing. However, we sometimes make it even harder on ourselves than it has to be. That’s because we don’t get help. How many times have you helped a struggling engineer get better by learning how to ask […]
Leading an engineering team comes with lots of decisions. Those concerning the structure of the team and the people in it are usually the most challenging: they concern people we care about, aren’t easy to undo, and can be costly. You might be spending too much time on these, looking for the right answer, or […]
Some of the best leaders I’ve worked with told me they’ve spent years observing things in their work. As part of their growth, they were mindful and took notes. Specifically, notes of the kind of “things not to do when I’m in charge.” I realized that I have a few good examples to share. Let’s […]
Many engineering organizations find it challenging to keep delivering value faster as they grow and mature. Some people take that for granted. I object. There are common pitfalls that we can learn to notice. One is the utter lack of focus, especially across the organization. When the team doesn’t know what it’s trying to achieve, […]