Here’s the final part of my series on middle management. In this one, I talk about how to deal with a promotion where you end up managing people who used to work in the same capacity as you – your former peers, so to speak. If you haven’t yet, do check out the first of…
Tag: leading software engineering teams
Closing The Loop: Teams and People
To most, “closing the feedback loop” may sound like nothing more than management jargon. As a matter of fact, it is. But behind every management buzzword, there usually lies a simple truth that we could benefit from paying a little attention to. This is the final part of my series on closing feedback loops. Check…
Tuning Out and Tuning In
I’m officially at the tail end of my holiday break today, as work resumes for me tomorrow, January 6th. All things considered, it’s been an incredible time – the best holiday season I’ve had for as long as I remember. The reason it was so great was that for two weeks, I managed to tune…
Are Rules Ruining Your Team?
On the topic of “management by context, not control”, I wanted to write a bit about a realization I came to just recently. Reflecting on how my year had gone, I couldn’t help but think there was something innately self-defeating about setting too many rules in your team. Rules – restrictions, deadlines, quotas – are…
Why Is Delegation So Hard?
Anyone who’s had to coach a new leader or a manager can probably relate. Delegation is the primary thing I’ve seen new leaders struggle with. The good thing is, most everyone is aware of their struggle with this. The unfortunate thing is, hardly anyone has an answer to how it might work. I’ve struggled with…