Beneath the pressure all engineering leaders face to “move faster” are a set of assumptions held by others. These assumptions are instinctive and based on an intuition that is deeply personal to every individual. As leaders, it is our responsibility to bridge this gap.
There’s a concept in motorcycling, specifically on group rides, known as “the Sweep,” the last rider in the pack. This role offers a compelling metaphor in organizational leadership, especially when contrasted with the more visible Road Captain.
"Proposals and Braintrusts" is a systematic approach to collaborative problem solving involving the identification of a problem statement, the clarity and self-introspection of writing, a feedback and revision process, and real-time group discourse.
Each week, I carve out time to write my “Week in Review.” This ritual affords me space and time to step back from the fire-of-the-week to rebuild my mental model about the strategic, long-term vision of what we’re trying to accomplish.
There’s a lot in common between leadership and the improvisation that you find in music and comedy. Improvisers aren’t just “making it up.” They are crafting a story in real-time that represents everything they’ve learned over years of honing their skills.
Hiring for your team comes down to being able to effectively describe your ideal candidate. Adding rigor to and removing bias from the interview process involves a great deal of introspection, peer review, and iteration. This post provides a guide you can follow.
Time is a finite resource. Our responsibilities and expectations, however, are not. To ensure we are able to make the best use of our time, it is valuable to analyze the work that we take on, the attention we’re able to devote to it, and the context switching that is required throughout the day.
For those who struggle to get meaningful feedback from their manager or peers, there is hope. The way we ask for feedback can help influence how it is delivered and improve the odds of it being constructive and actionable now and in the future.
As an organization grows in size and complexity, process and structure will be introduced to make sense and codify that complexity. However, it carries with it the risk that these systems will begin to interfere with the type of collaboration that breeds creativity.
