This is a great overview of the manager role! I especially appreciated the section on 1-on-1s. Creating that space for engineers to bring up problems is crucial, and besides that, I've also found that 1-on-1s are great for fostering stronger connections and empathy within the team. They also serve as a fantastic tool for growth and career conversations.
And it really saddens me to see so many leaders overlook 1-on-1s, either by not having them, or by constantly re-scheduling them last-minute.
People won‘t stop talking about iterating and being close to customers, but will fail to be close to their own team.
Obviously, this is something that doesn‘t scale endlessly. You cannot have a personal relationship with everyone if the company get big. But if it‘s possible, knowing your people well is a huge advantage.
Thanks for your comment, Fabio! It gave me confidence that Adler and I were on the right track - both with our post, and with our leadership styles. So much so, that I think I will follow up on that and write another post, specifically about 1-on-1s and building relationships with your team. Stay tuned for that!
This is a comprehensive description of a tech/ team leader. I could identify with most of the responsibilities and struggles described here.
I chose to stay a tech leader mostly because I wanted to:
1. Write code; although lately I do this less and less
2. Have an influence on the architectural; involve the entire team's perspective
3. Help engineers become better; lead by example
The higher you climb the technical leadership ladder, the more you detach from writing code, and the bigger the company you work for, the greater your chance of doing politics.
I personally haven’t seen much change. I don’t think AI will cut development jobs in the immediate future. It’s augmenting our skills, not replacing them. So I think it’s not like we will have less work - we will just have to be more productive. No-one will be giving you 2 days to write a configuration file that a LLM can create for you in seconds.
If the value you bring at work is so thin that you can be replaced by AI, your days were numbered anyway.
This is a great overview of the manager role! I especially appreciated the section on 1-on-1s. Creating that space for engineers to bring up problems is crucial, and besides that, I've also found that 1-on-1s are great for fostering stronger connections and empathy within the team. They also serve as a fantastic tool for growth and career conversations.
I see it the same way, Fabio.
And it really saddens me to see so many leaders overlook 1-on-1s, either by not having them, or by constantly re-scheduling them last-minute.
People won‘t stop talking about iterating and being close to customers, but will fail to be close to their own team.
Obviously, this is something that doesn‘t scale endlessly. You cannot have a personal relationship with everyone if the company get big. But if it‘s possible, knowing your people well is a huge advantage.
Thanks for your comment, Fabio! It gave me confidence that Adler and I were on the right track - both with our post, and with our leadership styles. So much so, that I think I will follow up on that and write another post, specifically about 1-on-1s and building relationships with your team. Stay tuned for that!
Looking forward to your next post!
This is a comprehensive description of a tech/ team leader. I could identify with most of the responsibilities and struggles described here.
I chose to stay a tech leader mostly because I wanted to:
1. Write code; although lately I do this less and less
2. Have an influence on the architectural; involve the entire team's perspective
3. Help engineers become better; lead by example
The higher you climb the technical leadership ladder, the more you detach from writing code, and the bigger the company you work for, the greater your chance of doing politics.
Great post! How have you seen AI change hiring and staffing needs at your companies, if at all?
I personally haven’t seen much change. I don’t think AI will cut development jobs in the immediate future. It’s augmenting our skills, not replacing them. So I think it’s not like we will have less work - we will just have to be more productive. No-one will be giving you 2 days to write a configuration file that a LLM can create for you in seconds.
If the value you bring at work is so thin that you can be replaced by AI, your days were numbered anyway.