Career Ladder

Reclaiming Productivity: Time Management Tips

The author discusses the importance of time management and introduces time blocking as a critical technique. They explain that time blocking involves scheduling all tasks, to-dos, and projects, rather than just setting aside general blocks of time. The author shares their personal challenge of having too many tasks and tools to keep track of, and how they found a solution in Reclaim.ai, an AI scheduling automation app. They explain how they use Reclaim.ai to manage their tasks, set priorities, and estimate task durations. The author also mentions the benefits and downsides of using Reclaim.ai, as well as alternative methods for time blocking.

IC to CTO, Coding to Not Coding

After transitioning from an individual contributor to a CTO and founder of a startup, the author questioned whether they wanted to remain in the leadership role or return to coding. After gathering data and talking to people they respected, the author decided to stay in their C-level role and picked up side projects to satisfy their coding hunger. The lessons learned from this experience are to gather data to make the right decision, accept the shift in responsibilities, and add incremental value to the team.

Three Goals To Consider When Building a Career Ladder

The CTO of a company with forty people in the R&D department introduced a formal career ladder to provide engineers with a vision for their future, justify salary increases, and provide a clear sense of understanding of their mission. The process strengthened employees' engagement with the company, and the key challenge was to encompass the diversity of roles and responsibilities with one title. Assessing core skills and competencies was included in monthly one-on-ones to help employees progress on their career path.

Building a Career Ladder for Employees at an Early Stage Company

When the author's first employee asked for a promotion, the author created a career ladder with four pillars: UX/PM skills, productivity, communication, and leadership. This ladder was shared with all employees proactively and enabled them to have tangible career growth conversations. The author learned to be proactive and transparent with expectations and to articulate expectations around critical soft skills.

Owning Your Career Growth

Owning your career growth is essential for success, and managers should have a clear career ladder to inspire their reports. Keeping a journal of tasks and achievements is a great way to document your progress and be prepared for reviews or career transitions.

Being Reactive with Compensation Requests and Concerns

A person on the team had been offered a nearly full-time position with a low salary due to her studies, but asked for a full-time job with a market average salary. The company delayed their response, and when the person found another job with a better offer, the company proposed something close to it. The lesson learned was that if someone is of value and doing good work, the company should be quick to respond and show their appreciation. Delaying the response ended up costing the company more than if they had been more reactive.