A company had to go through a certification process that required changes to their software deployment, tracking of modifications, and documentation. The person responsible for the engineering organization implemented the changes while balancing the sales opportunity with the team's discontent. He limited the scope of the changes to a small team of people and reframed the key objective to emphasize the benefits of the changes. He learned that it is important to keep changes small and easy, and to vet the reality of the changes before any action is taken.

Plato

Jimmy Tsui

Capacity Operations & Fulfillment Manager at Box

The Importance of Analyzing Your Opportunities to Reach Your Career Goal

In today's job market, it is important to think outside the box and take advantage of opportunities that come your way. It is important to have a plan and be ready for the opportunities that arise, as they may lead to unexpected places. It is also important to consider what is important to you and why you want to reach your goals. Taking risks and making pragmatic decisions can help you reach your goals faster than waiting for the perfect opportunity.

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Sabeen Syed

Founder, CEO at SkinGenie at SkinGenie (skingenie.ai)

Creating an Evolving Process to Address Customer Issues

The team was facing an increasing number of issues from different sources, which was disrupting the engineers' workflow. To address this, a community engineer role was created and rotated throughout the team, with the responsibility of handling all ad hoc issues and requests. However, as the team grew, this was too much for one engineer to handle, so the role was decreased and the process was evolved. The importance of having processes and enabling engineers to work undistracted was highlighted, as well as the need for managers to encourage their team to share their thoughts and ideas.

Plato

Harry Wolff

Director of Engineering at MongoDB

How to Ensure a Successful Paternity Leave

This article discusses the challenges of managing a team during a long leave of absence, such as paternity leave. It outlines the steps that should be taken to ensure a successful transition, such as creating a centralized document detailing responsibilities and delegating tasks to senior engineers. It also highlights the difficulty of coming back to the office after an absence, as it can be difficult to provide feedback on the work completed while away. Finally, it notes that it takes two to four weeks for a team to absorb an individual back into the group after an absence.

Plato

Brad Henrickson

CTO at Scoop Technologies, Inc.

Being the Right Fit in Face of the Reorganization

A senior employee was not motivated by their current role and was facing resentment and frustration. To address this, the manager had an open conversation with the employee to identify what they wanted to do and what the organization needed. This allowed them to identify potential opportunities that could fit the employee, but in the end, the employee decided to pursue a different role. The manager learned that it is important to give people space to reflect on what they want and to be realistic and honest when discussing potential opportunities.

Plato

Weiyuan Liu

Engineering Manager at Grab

Growing Through Different Engineering Lead Roles

This article outlines the three steps to becoming a tech lead: gaining the trust of the team through competency and integrity, and being a mentor figure to fellow engineers. It also discusses the challenges of transitioning to a tech lead manager role, such as juggling technical work, project management, and people management. The author suggests that new leads should reach out to notable leaders in their organization for mentorship, and that the best solution for productivity challenges is to find the right technical work to grow their ceiling without bottlenecking their team.

Plato

Vartika Chaubey

Director of Engineering at Mapbox

Being a Manager of a New Manager

In this article, the author recounts their experience of managing a new manager who took over their former team. The author describes the actions they took to ensure the team remained happy while empowering the new manager to exercise their authority, such as removing themselves from team meetings and participating in skip-level one-on-ones. The author also shares lessons they learned from the experience, such as not imposing their management style on other managers, not abandoning the team, and setting up regular check-ins and milestones with their managers.

Plato

CD (Chris Dolezalek)

EVP, R&D at Hum Capital, Inc

Making New Hires Effective Quickly

This article discusses the importance of assigning a mentor or "buddy" to new hires in a fast-growing startup. It also outlines the concept of "Leave a Trace," which is a practice of having new hires improve the new hire process. The article further discusses the importance of fostering a growth mindset and having a well-defined spin-up process. It also provides links to various resources related to developer productivity.

Plato

Who to follow

Balki Kodarapu

VP of Engineering | Focused on scaling engineering teams to maximize revenue and profits | Pursuing remote opportunities

Jim Palmer

ex-CTO, Co-Founder TalkIQ | ex-MTS eBay | Angel Investor

Edwin Chau

Engineering leader scaling high growth tech startups (Brex, Betterment)

Silky Vaidya

VP of Engineering, Senior Director R&D (Engineering | Product | Innovation | Strategy)

Václav Ryška

Engineering Leader believing in open, honest, trustworthy relationships.

Piranavan Selvanandan

Experienced in scaling products, technology, people and teams | Advisor | Mentor | Coach | Learner

Connect and Learn with the Best Eng Leaders

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Latest Stories

Limor Bergman Gross

Executive Coach at LBG Consulting Service Ltd

Navigating the Challenges of Transitioning to an Engineering Manager Role

Transitioning to an engineering manager role comes with its own set of challenges, but by being strategic, building relationships, and advocating for oneself, success can be achieved. It is important to proactively plan one's career and advocate for personal growth and development. Building relationships with key stakeholders and finding allies within the organization can greatly help in advocating for oneself and influencing change. Understanding the motivations of others and aligning interests can also aid in gaining support for ideas. If promotion opportunities are limited, focusing on expanding responsibilities and taking on more challenging tasks can showcase potential for future growth. Seeking out mentors within the organization can provide guidance and support throughout the career transition process. Overall, being proactive, building relationships, and advocating for oneself are key to navigating the challenges of transitioning to an engineering manager role.

Plato

Hakim Hanif

Sr Software Engineer at Amazon Web Services

Top 7 software bloggers to follow

This blog highlights the top 7 bloggers in the field of software engineering and product development. These bloggers provide valuable insights and ideas on software design, processes, and methodologies. The list includes Martin Fowler, known for his expertise in software patterns; Kent Beck, the creator of Extreme Programming and Test Driven Development; Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator and an expert on startups and entrepreneurship; Jeff Atwood, co-founder of Stack Overflow; Andy Hunt, founder of the Pragmatic Programmer series; Joel Spolsky, a blogger who offers both sensible and surprising perspectives; and Steve Yegge, known for his entertaining content. Following these bloggers can help software engineers improve their skills and gain knowledge from the best in the field.

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David García

Head of Engineering at Cense AG

Effective Strategies for Providing Feedback to Managers

This article discusses effective strategies for providing feedback to managers in the engineering field. It emphasizes the importance of constructive feedback for personal and professional growth. The article provides insights from top-tier engineers, including tips on framing feedback objectively and addressing the manager's impact. It also highlights the significance of promoting junior team members and offers strategies for providing feedback, such as asking for permission and being solution-oriented. Overall, the article emphasizes the value of effective feedback in fostering a positive and productive work environment.

Plato

Jose Ciccio

ex-Senior Engineering Manager at SchoolMint

Maximizing Your Growth: A Guide to Getting the Best from Platohq Mentorship

Plato platform's mentorship program is designed to empower individuals on their journey towards success. By setting clear objectives, establishing a strong relationship with your mentor, actively engaging and participating, seeking feedback and implementing suggestions, continuously learning and growing, and reflecting on the experience, you can maximize the benefits of the mentorship program. Mentorship is a continuous journey of learning and growth, and by embracing the opportunity, you can unlock your full potential in pursuit of your professional aspirations.

Plato

Vitor O.

CTO at

Why Heads of Engineering Should Master Storytelling

Storytelling is an essential skill for engineering leaders as it helps them communicate ideas, align teams, and convey values in a memorable way. In the current digital transformation era and remote work environment, storytelling becomes even more important. It enables leaders to express how their organization will adapt and innovate, establish connections between teams and clients, foster trust, and alleviate anxiety. A good story needs to be intriguing, authentic, involve the team, have a specific goal, and recognize the team's higher purpose. Storytelling can be applied in team meetings, onboarding new members, and providing feedback. Overall, storytelling is a powerful tool for effective engineering leadership that inspires action and facilitates behavioral change.

Plato

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