Why excellent engineering managers matter

Successful companies are built by great teams. Vision may come from one bright individual, but the effective execution of that vision comes from excellent general management skills. Great general managers create effective teams and companies. Experienced, highly skilled managers are hard to come by. The skills and experience that make a great engineer differ from those of a great manager. Also.. not everyone wants to manage.  It is not how it leaves your mouth. It is more about how another person receives it.

Get to the point, reverse story... telling with SCQA - situation - complication - question - answer.

What could I do better, not just with my results and objectives, but for the organisation? Great products are to customers as great cultures are to employees. Mentorship with one-on-ones, networking and teaching is as essential as retrospectives. Pairing - sharing down, sharing across, sharing up (mentee). Psychological safety: autonomous, shared accountability cultivates learning.

How better to align with measurement?

1. The company, team, individual
2. Think significant and big - if done only with 70% is well enough.
3. Not too many
4. Every three months or less
5. Never tie to bonus or compensation

Great product dashboard with value, unique and 12 product dimensions. It was developed with Google Product Aristotle.  Incremental decisions need to be in the service of the more excellent vision. The team is supposed to capture the metrics. Open debate is critical to course correcting itself. The squeaky wheel gets the grease is an American proverb or metaphor that conveys that the most noticeable (or loudest) problems are most likely to get attention. It is also expressed as "The squeaky wheel gets the oil". Other variations exist and suggest that loudness gets attention and prolongs the life of the hub. Conversely, a silent hub may be overlooked and neglected. And there is no necessary correlation between loudness and stridency and merit. Culturally, the adage contrasts with that of the Japanese proverb, "The stake that sticks up gets hammered down", or "The nail that stands out gets pounded down," (出る釘は打たれる, deru kugi wa utareru),

Ex-Google TechLead gives lessons on the most significant career mistakes in tech.

1. Leadership and Vision:

• Engineering managers provide leadership, direction, and vision for their teams. They set clear goals, define priorities, and align engineering efforts with organizational objectives.

2. Team Building and Motivation:

• They are responsible for building and nurturing high-performing teams. Excellent engineering managers create a positive and inclusive work environment, foster teamwork and collaboration, and motivate team members to achieve their full potential.

3. Talent Development and Mentorship:

• They invest in the professional growth and development of their team members. Through mentorship, coaching, and career guidance, they help engineers improve their skills, expand their knowledge, and advance their careers.

4. Communication and Collaboration:

• Engineering managers facilitate communication and collaboration within their teams and across different departments. They ensure that information flows freely, ideas are shared openly, and conflicts are resolved constructively.

5. Problem Solving and Decision Making:

• They are responsible for solving complex technical challenges and making critical decisions that impact the success of engineering projects. Excellent engineering managers possess strong analytical skills, strategic thinking, and sound judgment.

6. Resource Management and Planning:

• They manage resources effectively, including budget, time, and manpower. They allocate resources wisely, plan projects efficiently, and ensure that engineering efforts are aligned with resource constraints and organizational priorities.

7. Stakeholder Management:

• Engineering managers interface with various stakeholders, including executives, product managers, customers, and other teams. They represent their teams' interests, manage expectations, and foster productive relationships with stakeholders.

8. Quality and Innovation:

• They are champions of quality and innovation. Excellent engineering managers instill a culture of excellence, continuous improvement, and innovation within their teams. They encourage experimentation, embrace new technologies, and drive technical excellence.

9. Risk Management and Mitigation:

• They identify and mitigate risks associated with engineering projects. They anticipate potential challenges, develop contingency plans, and proactively address issues to ensure project success and minimize disruptions.

10. Continuous Improvement:

• Engineering managers are committed to continuous improvement and learning. They seek feedback from their teams, reflect on their own performance, and adapt their leadership style and practices to drive positive change and growth.

In summary, excellent engineering managers play a multifaceted role in leading, guiding, and empowering engineering teams to achieve their goals and deliver value to the organization. Their leadership, expertise, and dedication are essential for driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and building a culture of excellence within engineering organizations.

Last but not least, how you deliver your message is essential for your audience to hear, react and process your message.  Here are five tips to improve the delivery of your message.

1. Speak with a powerful, mature voice. Speaking with a full breath of air will give you a voice that can be heard, and a full breath of air will slightly lower your voice.  Your voice will now exude knowledge and confidence.
2. Stand up straight. Good posture allows you to take a full breath and projects confidence.  Even if you do not feel confident, stand up straight, shoulders back and use an inner dialogue that says, “I can do it!”
3. Smile! Smiling helps you feel happier, adds energy to your voice and shows your audience that you enjoy the topic of your presentation.  Smiling engages audience members.  Be sure to smile at other speakers to show your support too.
4. No Up Speak! Deliver your message using confident statements that use a falling inflexion.  Falling inflection means we start the sentence at a slightly higher pitch, and the pitch falls over the sentences.   We sound nervous and apprehensive about our content when we speak with a rising inflection pattern –a questioning inflection when we make statements.  Remember, you are the expert on your topic!  Present your information with confident, falling inflection statements.
5. Reflect critically on your speech pattern—does your audience accurately and efficiently understand you? Research has found that when we listen to a speech that differs from ours, we need longer to process the information, remember less and fatigue sooner.   Many additional strategies can improve your speech, and some skills may be learned to neutralize your accent so that you will be accurately understood.