Treat each other the way we’d like to be treated — “Man-computer symbiosis is an expected development in cooperative interaction between men and electronic computers. It will involve very close coupling between the human and the electronic members of the partnership.” Licklider, Dr. J.C.R. (1960). Man, Computer, Symbiosis. Nearly 60 years later and we are not achieving the convergence as well…

Learnings from “An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management” by Will Larson — I recently became an engineering manager, and this book had a huge impact on my decision. What I appreciated most is that Will Larson, the author, is highly opinionated about various management topics. He clarifies a nebulous role through an actionable set of systems. There are parts of the book…

Get it, give it, gauge it, encourage it — Esther Bintliff recently interviewed me for the Financial Times about Radical Candor — feedback that is kind, clear, specific and sincere — and some folks have asked me what I think about Avraham Kluger’s research, which Bintliff also referenced in the article. In 1996 Kluger and his research partner Angelo…

Checks and balances in management — A leader’s job is to ensure that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It seems it should go without saying that belittling each part is not a good way to achieve that goal. But too often bosses are not subject to checks and balances in management…

Seek and ye shall find. Except when ye can’t. — “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” — Ralph Nader We live in unprecedented times. There’s never been more training courses and management blogs. You’d think we’d be in a leadership renaissance. But individuals can only do so much. To grow, you need guidance. You…

A discussion of the roles, responsibilities, and strengths — The engineering manager role exists in most established tech companies, but it is sometimes the trickiest role to understand what an engineering manager does. Every company, at different lifecycles, faces a different nature of challenges hence the expectation for engineering manager varies from phase to phase. For example, an engineering…

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is an essential role in any organization. They are responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of technology strategies, products, and systems. The CTO is also responsible for ensuring that the organization’s technology is aligned with its business goals and objectives. Becoming a CTO requires…

Explained in 10 sketches — Assigning Tasks

There has never been a more important time to learn a new skill as a manager: facilitating maternity leave and return-to-work transitions. — Who am I and why am I writing this I work in tech and wrote this after I’d just returned from my own maternity leave and the birth of my first child. I was out for a total of about 6 months. I’ve also been the manager and skip-level manager of other moms who have taken maternity leave. Having…

Earning your team’s trust can take time, but the benefits are worth the effort — I once worked under a manager that I didn't — or couldn't — trust, and it was a disaster. Once that distrust set in, I began to second-guess everything they said, and my confidence and performance dropped. So when I started managing a team, I put a lot of energy…

You’ll never know everything about management, and that’s alright! — Earlier this winter, a group of friends and I were chatting about Dungeons & Dragons (5th Edition). A few had played previously, and some were brand new, but all were interested in getting a campaign together. We started with a one-shot, a self-contained adventure that takes 3–4 hours, to test…

Teach what you know, be transparent in every action, and more — Trust is a leading indicator of your personal brand as a software engineer. We often evaluate others positively or negatively based on trust. In business, trust is highly correlated to a person’s propensity to consider, try, or buy a product. In career development, trust can help you get that promotion…

Even though we are making progress toward workplace equality, women remain vastly underrepresented in the UK’s tech industry. “Just 23% of the people working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) roles across the UK are female — and only 5% of leadership positions in the technology industry are held…

A personal insight into the struggles of early career developers and why it’s still worth pursuing — The Industry — Don’t Get Discouraged I’ve experienced several careers and found that tech is a great environment for learning and developing as a software engineer and person. Like many others, I love coding because I want to create and build amazing products that help others. However, after attending boot camps and securing the first role…

“Listen to juniors — they come up with cool ideas” — Effective leadership empowers teammates to do their best and make a significant breakthrough in their work. Being a leader and being a manager are not the same thing. Engineering leadership is primarily about building trusting relationships in the team rather than people management. The credit goes to the team and…

Many of the people we work with in our workshops ask us what kind of formal performance review process would best support a culture of Radical Candor. This is a tricky question to answer because there’s a world of difference between development (helping people grow in their careers) and performance…

Tips to thrive outside of the corporate ladder — When discussing their journey as engineers, managers, VP, or CTO with my friends, colleagues, and peers, a striking observation always remains: there’s a vast diversity of journeys. I used the word “journey” intentionally and not “career,” as I prefer that framing. I find it…

Don’t live as though the world owes you something. Live as though you have something to contribute. Don’t live as though you have something to prove. Live as though you have something to give. Don’t underestimate the difference you can make in people’s lives through small acts. The impact you…

Over the years, Medium Engineering (in partnership with our People Operations team) worked to improve the process to evaluate our engineers growth and their impact on the organization. We’ve shared some of our thinking and approach to this process in the past, and are happy to hear that other companies…

The technical lead (or tech lead) is a common role at software companies. One of the challenges in defining the tech lead job description is that the shape of the role varies widely from company to company — sometimes even from team to team. That said, everyone from product managers…