This article outlines the process of establishing formal career paths and career development procedures. It details the actions taken to create career grids, which are personalized for each employee and used to assess progress and determine promotions. It also discusses the lessons learned from the process, such as the importance of keeping career documents updated and the challenges of grading consistency.

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Lucas Smolic

CEO, CTO at Gan Bei Group

Value Propositions For Employees Seeking A Raise

An engineer who had been working with the company for 18 months asked for a raise. After questioning him, it became clear that he had not achieved the criteria for success and was not meeting his goals. The employer explained that in order to receive a raise, the engineer needed to prove that the investment would have a good return. After this discussion, the engineer quadrupled his output and was given the raise. The employer learned that it is important to be honest with employees and to make sure to verify with HR before promising money.

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Tom Carden

Senior Engineering Manager at Square

Encouraging A Team Member To Move Up The Career Ladder

An engineer asked his manager what it would take for him to move up to the next level, as he thought he needed to have managed other managers before. His manager helped him to realize he had the skills and potential to do well on the job, and encouraged him to prove he could lead by influencing others, rather than directing them. The manager also explained that building one's skills and experience involves a series of small leaps and this process usually takes time. The lesson learned is that an ambitious line manager can do lots of things to show their manager that they're ready for the next step, and should frame the challenge of new roles as a positive way to grow and learn.

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jean-baptiste pringuey

VP of Engineering at Teads.tv

Invest in investigation

This article describes the process of a team assigned a large project of updating a 16-year old system. The team split the work into modules and then estimated the tasks by finding the best people to evaluate each task and giving them time to investigate. The key lesson learned was to invest in investigation to understand the scope of the project and to allow time for engineers to investigate tasks. The Engineering Manager's job is to facilitate the process by working with leadership and decision-makers, and to communicate requirements and deadlines.

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Chuck Sweet

Engineering manager at DocuSign

When NOT to delegate

When starting as a manager, the author struggled with delegating tasks. Initially, they delegated bug management to their team of senior engineers, expecting them to prioritize bugs over features. This did not work, so the author started assigning bugs to specific people. The lesson learned was that a manager should ensure their team is aligned with the organization's priorities and should not delegate the prioritization of bugs vs features.

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Pedro Fuentes

Partner, GM of Software Engineering at Microsoft

Improving your working relationship with your product team

When the Engineering, Product, Operations and Sales teams at a company were not working together well, the Director of Engineering took steps to improve the situation. He wrote down the current process, roles, and responsibilities and discussed it with the Product team, then wrote a document outlining the team's vision, objectives, and roles and responsibilities. This document became an essential tool for getting the teams to work together as one, and the lesson learned was that a team-first approach is necessary for successful products, and that clear goals and regular reviews and updates should be established.

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Inbar Gazit

Engineering Manager at DocuSign

I got myself immersed in a completely different culture

This experience taught the author the importance of understanding the culture of the company they are working for, especially when transitioning from a tech company to a non-tech company. The author had to fight for what they wanted and adapt to the company's processes, but also learned to appreciate the cultural principles of the company. This experience has been beneficial in their current career, as they now have an understanding of the customers they work with.

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Dave Ellery

Senior Engineering Manager at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Being A New Manager On a Dispirited Team

A manager took over a troubled team with low morale and output. To build trust and start fixing the deeper issues, they had 1:1s with each team member, dealt with low hanging fruit issues, and fixed the scrum process. To deal with deeper issues, they built a career plan, roadmap, and an open and transparent environment. The two lessons learned were to listen to the team and build an environment for feedback.

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Who to follow

Dom Perez

Professional Software Engineer | MSIT - BSCS

Nimrod Vered

Engineering executive - Ex-Microsoft, Ex-Twilio, Ex-Cisco, Ex-Checkpoint with experience in pre-seed to round E companies.

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Engineering Leader | Leadership Mentor and Coach | Author of QUALITY BOSS Newsletter

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Hakim Hanif

Sr Software Engineer at Amazon Web Services

Top 7 software bloggers to follow

This blog highlights the top 7 bloggers in the field of software engineering and product development. These bloggers provide valuable insights and ideas on software design, processes, and methodologies. The list includes Martin Fowler, known for his expertise in software patterns; Kent Beck, the creator of Extreme Programming and Test Driven Development; Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator and an expert on startups and entrepreneurship; Jeff Atwood, co-founder of Stack Overflow; Andy Hunt, founder of the Pragmatic Programmer series; Joel Spolsky, a blogger who offers both sensible and surprising perspectives; and Steve Yegge, known for his entertaining content. Following these bloggers can help software engineers improve their skills and gain knowledge from the best in the field.

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David García

Head of Engineering at Cense AG

Effective Strategies for Providing Feedback to Managers

This article discusses effective strategies for providing feedback to managers in the engineering field. It emphasizes the importance of constructive feedback for personal and professional growth. The article provides insights from top-tier engineers, including tips on framing feedback objectively and addressing the manager's impact. It also highlights the significance of promoting junior team members and offers strategies for providing feedback, such as asking for permission and being solution-oriented. Overall, the article emphasizes the value of effective feedback in fostering a positive and productive work environment.

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Jose Ciccio

ex-Senior Engineering Manager at SchoolMint

Maximizing Your Growth: A Guide to Getting the Best from Platohq Mentorship

Plato platform's mentorship program is designed to empower individuals on their journey towards success. By setting clear objectives, establishing a strong relationship with your mentor, actively engaging and participating, seeking feedback and implementing suggestions, continuously learning and growing, and reflecting on the experience, you can maximize the benefits of the mentorship program. Mentorship is a continuous journey of learning and growth, and by embracing the opportunity, you can unlock your full potential in pursuit of your professional aspirations.

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Vitor O.

Talent Success Manager at Gun.io

Why Heads of Engineering Should Master Storytelling

Storytelling is an essential skill for engineering leaders as it helps them communicate ideas, align teams, and convey values in a memorable way. In the current digital transformation era and remote work environment, storytelling becomes even more important. It enables leaders to express how their organization will adapt and innovate, establish connections between teams and clients, foster trust, and alleviate anxiety. A good story needs to be intriguing, authentic, involve the team, have a specific goal, and recognize the team's higher purpose. Storytelling can be applied in team meetings, onboarding new members, and providing feedback. Overall, storytelling is a powerful tool for effective engineering leadership that inspires action and facilitates behavioral change.

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Deekshita Amaravadi

Engineering Leader at Justworks

Navigating Ambiguity in Engineering Leadership

The text discusses strategies for effectively managing ambiguity and uncertainty as an engineering leader. It emphasizes the importance of embracing change and seeking growth opportunities, nurturing mentorship, overcoming fear and seeking feedback, and the role of open communication. The conversation highlights the need for engineers to be open to new challenges and opportunities, take on the role of a mentor, have direct conversations with managers about career goals, and regularly communicate with managers about career growth and challenges. The text concludes by mentioning plans to delve deeper into the topic of mentorship in future sessions. Overall, the conversation emphasizes the importance of embracing change, seeking growth opportunities, and fostering open communication in engineering leadership roles to navigate ambiguity and uncertainty successfully.

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