tl;dr:“I was leading one of a number of engineering groups within a larger organization; each group had its own priorities, but most of them required delivery through my team; and we had our own priorities. So we ended up slowing each other down.” Anna looked to her managers to solve this before deciding to create the strategy herself. Here’s are some of the things she learned: (1) Even if you think you know the desired end state, take a smaller chunk and make some tangible steps. (2) Overcommunicate the goal and your progress towards it. (3) Focus more on bringing people with you than on getting a perfect answer.
tl;dr:When Anna joined the FT as Technical Director, she inherited a team of 50 engineers and decided to meet with each. The objective was to gather intelligence for what needed to change and build relationships. Anna discusses her approach, the format of the meetings, and the value gained from it.