/Management

Meetings For An Effective Eng Organization

- Will Larson tl;dr: "I’d like to recommend 6 core meetings that I recommend every organization start with, and that I’ve found can go a surprisingly long way. These six are split across three operational meetings, two developmental meetings and finally a monthly engineering Q&A to learn what the organization is really thinking about." Will discusses each in depth. 

featured in #505

An Open Letter To Auth Providers

tl;dr: The first job of any auth company is to protect its customers – before anything else. Somewhere along the way it feels like a lot of auth providers lost sight of the thing that matters: You, their customers.

featured in #505

Have Concerns And Commit

tl;dr: “I lead a couple of teams. I could use a gut check on decision making. how do you convey a top down decision (a decision that you don’t buy in entirely) to your team? something other than “hey, leadership wants x, I see a, b, and c as potential pitfalls in x. I have conveyed my reservations. now it’s time to disagree and commit”” The author breaks decisions into three types - non-material, material and critical.

featured in #504

Headline Driven Development

- Slava Akhmechet tl;dr: Process involves: (1) Decomposing the project into a stream of headlines. (2) Picking an aggressive ship date for the first headline and working hard to meet it. (3) Having everyone focus only on one headline at a time - the upcoming one. (4) Ignoring everything else that doesn't help ship the current headline. (5) Once a headline ships, switching to the next one and repeating. This process works well as for three reasons - headlines is how humans process change, prioritization is easy and setting deadlines is effective. 

featured in #504

3 Hours to 3 Minutes: How Mobile reCell Is Importing Customer Data 60x Faster

- Will Genesen tl;dr: Mobile reCell streamlined their customer data import process, reducing file cleaning time from 3 hours to 3 minutes. By leveraging the pre-built validation library and intuitive interface with smart suggestions, they quickly set up validations for key workflows. The engineering team fine-tuned the implementation to focus on critical data points while allowing flexibility for less critical customer data. 

featured in #504

15 Principles For Managing Up

- Wes Kao tl;dr: Wes gives phrases of how to verbalize each: (1) Embrace managing up. (2) Focus on the punchline. (3) Show your thought process. (4) Flag potential issues. (5) Bring solutions, not complaints. (6) Use information hierarchy. (7) Keep your manager in the loop. (8) Are you being micromanaged, or do you need to communicate better? (9) Over-communication might be the right amount. (10) Proactively assert what to do. (11) Don’t only ask questions. Share your point of view too. (12) Anticipate questions. (13) Know when to get out. (14) Be explicit about what you need. (15) Expect to manage up forever. 

featured in #504

15 Principles For Managing Up

- Wes Kao tl;dr: Wes gives phrases of how to verbalize each: (1) Embrace managing up. (2) Focus on the punchline. (3) Show your thought process. (4) Flag potential issues. (5) Bring solutions, not complaints. (6) Use information hierarchy. (7) Keep your manager in the loop. (8) Are you being micromanaged, or do you need to communicate better? (9) Over-communication might be the right amount. (10) Proactively assert what to do. (11) Don’t only ask questions. Share your point of view too. (12) Anticipate questions. (13) Know when to get out. (14) Be explicit about what you need. (15) Expect to manage up forever. 

featured in #503

Improving Code Reviews With Storytelling

- Chandler Mayo Nic Manoogian tl;dr: At Doppler, we've enhanced our code reviews by weaving storytelling into git history, making reviews insightful and efficient. This approach, focusing on clear commit narratives, not only speeds up reviews but also fosters a culture of clarity, learning, and collaboration within our team.

featured in #503

Leadership And Willpower

- Mike Fisher tl;dr: Mikes discusses the concept of a Level 5 leader: “They defy conventional expectations. They are a paradox in that they are humble yet determined and modest yet fearless. This potent blend fuels their ability to inspire unwavering dedication in their teams towards a shared vision. Their quiet confidence and strong convictions propel them to elevate organizations from good to great.” He discusses how we can build our willpower by regulrly doing difficult things. 

featured in #503

Performance Management: The Rising Tide

- James Stanier tl;dr: A good performance management system includes: (1) Clear definitions of performance expectations for each role. (2) Regular performance review processes - self-assessment, manager assessment, peer feedback. (3) Calibration to ensure fairness and consistency across the organization. (4) Performance Improvement Plan process for underperforming employees. (5) Compensation process tied to performance outcomes. James discusses how this generates a power curve over time. 

featured in #502