2. QFM023: Engineering Leadership
Reading List June 2024
We kick off this month's Engineering Leadership Reading List exploring the
balance between technical expertise and effective management. What Andreesen
Horowitz got wrong about engineering management critiques the undervaluation
of middle management, emphasising their role in aligning strategic goals with
ground-level execution, particularly in the evolving landscape shaped by AI
advancements.
In contrast, You are a CTO, not an expensive Copilot advises CTOs to prioritise
strategic tasks over coding, underlining the importance of leadership in driving
tech strategies and improving team processes.
Another significant focus is the optimisation of productivity and team dynamics.
The Difference Between Speed and Velocity differentiates between mere activity
and purposeful progress. How Sprinting Slows You Down challenges the
conventional sprint methodology, suggesting that a more flexible approach can
lead to higher developer satisfaction and productivity.
We finish up exploring Why Innovation Heroes are a Sign of a Dysfunctional
Organization where Steve Blank discusses the phenomenon of 'innovation heroes'
in large organisations and why they are symptomatic of a dysfunctional system.
As always, the Quantum Fax Machine Propellor Hat Key will guide your browsing.
Enjoy!
Key:
: Unrelated to technology, management, or leadership
: Suitable for management and leadership novices
: Topics of interest for the new manager or leader
: Technology management and leadership in real-world use cases
: Topics for experienced managers and leaders
: Advanced topics in management and leadership
Source: Photo by Robs on Unsplash
2
3. People on Nice Teams Finish Last
(staysaasy.com): This article argues that
one of the most common management
mistakes is failing to provide clear feedback
when someone is wrong, especially on
significant matters, which leads to
misunderstandings and decreased morale.
It emphasises the importance of being
empathetic but straightforward to prevent
ambiguity that can harm both individual
learning and team dynamics.
#Management #Feedback #Clarity
#Teamwork #Leadership
3
4. What Andreesen Horowitz got wrong about
engineering management (leaddev.com):
The article critiques Andreessen Horowitz's
stance on engineering management, arguing
that while some middle management roles
may become unnecessary during periods of
contraction, they are not inherently "BS
jobs" as claimed. Effective management is
crucial for aligning strategic goals with
ground-level execution, especially in the
evolving tech landscape influenced by AI.
#EngineeringManagement
#TechLeadership #AI
#MiddleManagement #TeamEfficiency
4
5. Unexpected Anti-Patterns for Engineering
Leaders — Lessons From Stripe, Uber & Carta:
Will Larson, veteran engineering leader and CTO
at Carta, discusses three common engineering
management anti-patterns, offering lessons
from his experience at companies like Stripe,
Uber, and Calm. Larson challenges the norm by
providing actionable insights for engineering
leaders, emphasizing the importance of flexibility
and context in decision-making. He argues that
certain traditional management practices might
not always apply universally and encourages
leaders to think critically about when to defy
conventional wisdom.
#EngineeringLeadership #TechManagement
#Innovation #Startups #WillLarson
5
6. Become a Great Engineering Leader in 12
Months (hybridhacker.email): The article outlines
a structured 12-month path to becoming an
engineering leader, detailing essential skills and
knowledge to develop, including product mindset,
system design skills, leadership abilities, and the
importance of seeking mentorship or coaching. It
provides a comprehensive guide with curated
resources, goals, and exercises for each stage,
emphasising motivation, effort, planning, and
reflection as key components of successful
leadership development.
#EngineeringLeadership #TechCareer
#ProfessionalDevelopment #Mentorship
#LeadershipSkills
6
7. The Difference Between Speed and
Velocity - Getting Stuff Done (fs.blog):
Understanding the difference between
speed and velocity is crucial for
productivity; while speed refers to how fast
you are moving, velocity involves direction
and moving purposefully towards a goal. To
enhance productivity, focus on reducing
unnecessary tasks and prioritising
meaningful projects to increase your
progress and achieve better results.
#Productivity #Efficiency #Focus
#GoalSetting #TimeManagement
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8. You are a CTO, not an expensive Copilot
(makemeacto.substack.com): The article
discusses how first-time CTOs often struggle
with transitioning away from coding,
emphasising that coding is a low-leverage
activity for CTOs. It advises CTOs to focus on
high-impact tasks such as defining tech
strategies and improving team processes,
rather than spending time coding, and
suggests using techniques like "Engineer-
ication" to stay connected with technical
aspects.
#CTO #Leadership #TechStrategy
#SoftwareEngineering
#CareerTransition
8
9. Three Laws of Software Complexity (or why
software engineers are always grumpy)
(maheshba.bitbucket.io): The article argues
that software engineers often deal with
high complexity due to three laws: systems
degrade into poorly designed ones over
time, successful systems often involve
leaky abstractions which increase
complexity, and there is no upper limit to
software complexity as it's driven by human
creativity and organisational dynamics.
#SoftwareComplexity
#EngineeringChallenges #TechDesign
#SoftwareDevelopment #SystemDesign
9
10. Generative AI's impact on the SDLC
(nashtechglobal.com): Generative AI has
the potential to revolutionise the SDLC by
enhancing efficiency, productivity, and
collaboration, while also addressing skill
shortages and automating repetitive tasks.
However, successful integration requires
overcoming challenges such as technical
expertise, legacy system integration, and
data privacy, not to mention basic efficacy.
#GenerativeAI
#SoftwareDevelopment #AIinTech
#SDLC #Innovation
10
11. The 10 Most Common Mistakes of First-
Time CTOs (makemeacto.substack.com):
First-time CTOs often mistake their role as
primarily technical and fail to integrate fully
with the executive team, overlooking the
necessity of understanding business
fundamentals and aligning with C-suite
priorities. Effective CTOs must balance
their technical expertise with business
leadership and foster collaboration at the
highest organisational levels.
#CTO #Leadership #BusinessStrategy
#TechManagement #ExecutiveTeam
11
12. The 10 Most Common Mistakes of First-Time
CTOs, #3 and #4: In his latest article, Sergio
Visinoni outlines two common mistakes
first-time CTOs often make: solving technical
issues first-hand to prove their worth and
coding every week to stay technical. These
habits, while well-intentioned, can prevent
CTOs from focusing on strategic, business-
critical tasks. Sergio emphasizes the
importance of leveraging other team
members' expertise and staying engaged in
higher-level discussions to lead effectively.
#CTO #Leadership #TechLeadership
#Productivity #StrategicThinking
12
13. How Sprinting Slows You Down: A Better Way
to Build Software: The article critiques the
widespread adoption of agile sprints in
software development, arguing that the
practice often leads to developer burnout,
lower code quality, and high technical debt.
Instead, it advocates for a different approach
where projects have no fixed deadlines, smaller
teams are given greater autonomy, and
engineers are allowed to own entire features.
This methodology reportedly results in higher
productivity and happier, more engaged
developers.
#SoftwareDevelopment #Agile #Sprints
#DeveloperProductivity #TechnicalDebt
13
14. Gen AI will increase demand for software
engineers: The article discusses the impact of
generative AI on the future demand for
software engineers. Despite advancements in
no-code and AI tools, the demand for
traditional software engineers is expected to
grow over the next 20 years. The author
draws an analogy between generative AI in
software engineering and autopilot systems
in aviation, suggesting that while the tools
may evolve, human expertise will still be
necessary.
#AI #SoftwareEngineering
#GenerativeAI #TechFuture
#Automation
14
15. The Architecture Behind A One-Person Tech
Startup: In this detailed blog post, Anthony S.
Simon discusses the architecture he uses to
run a low-stress, one-person tech startup. It
covers topics from load balancing, cron job
monitoring, and payments to subscriptions
and even shares insights on using Kubernetes
on AWS. He emphasizes that the tools he
chose might not be suitable for everyone but
worked well for his needs after years of
learning. The article is inspired by Wenbin
Fang's similar post and promises a
comprehensive tour of his SaaS setup.
#TechStartup #Kubernetes #AWS #SaaS
#DevOps
15
16. Repetition: A Key Skill to Master as a
Leader: In his article, Garry Shutler
emphasizes the importance of repetition
for leaders. He argues that repeating key
messages is essential for ensuring that
everyone hears and understands them,
especially in the context of encouraging
behavioral change.
#Leadership #Communication
#Repetition #BehavioralChange
#EffectiveMessaging
16
17. Dark Software: Traditional SaaS and fintech
models are breaking down due to stagnant
growth and high customer acquisition
costs. A new model, 'dark software,'
suggests bundling multiple hyper-
specialized products and outsourcing non-
core functions, similar to 'dark kitchens' in
the food delivery sector. This approach
could be a game-changer for future
startups and investors.
#SaaS #Fintech #Startups
#TechInnovation #BusinessModel
17
18. How to create software quality.: In this article,
Will Larson explores the nuances of creating
software quality. He emphasizes that quality
is highly context-specific and discusses
various techniques to address different types
of complexity: essential domain, scaling, and
accidental complexity. Larson also delves into
the different feedback loops and their impact
on software quality, arguing that early
developer-led testing creates quality more
effectively than later QA-led testing.
#SoftwareQuality #Engineering
#TechLeadership #Complexity
#DeveloperInsights
18
19. My best manager did this: In preparation
for a new management position, this
engineer asked their friends to share what
their best and worst managers did. This
revealed a range of responses, from the
best managers empowering and trusting
their employees, to the worst
micromanaging and failing to communicate
effectively. The stories highlight key
qualities that contribute to good or bad
management.
#management #leadership #workplace
#career #mentorship
19
20. Engage your audience by getting to the point,
using story structure, and forcing specificity:
Ian Daniel Stewart shares tips on engaging
your audience by getting to the point, using
story structure, and being specific in your
communication. He draws on advice from
Vicky Zhao and others to highlight how clear
and concise communication can be more
effective. The post also touches on the
importance of specificity and story structure
for making compelling arguments.
#Communication #Storytelling
#Productivity #PublicSpeaking
#Clarity
20
21. What is a Personal User Manual?: Personal
User Manuals (also known as Personal
Operating Manuals) are tools designed to
foster empathy and connection among
distributed teams. They include short
descriptions of an individual's background,
values, and communication style, and can
greatly improve team dynamics by clarifying
personal preferences and work habits. These
manuals help in building psychological safety,
improving communication, and fostering trust
within teams, especially in flexible work
environments.
#PersonalUserManual #TeamBuilding
#RemoteWork #Empathy #Communication
21
22. The real 10x developer makes their whole
team better: The real value of a 10x developer
isn't in their individual contributions, but in
how they elevate their entire team through
knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Successful tech projects rely more on strong
social learning communities rather than lone
geniuses. Building Communities of Practice
(CoPs) can enhance team autonomy, trust, and
innovation by fostering an environment where
knowledge and resources are shared
extensively across the organization.
#10xDeveloper #Teamwork
#CommunitiesOfPractice
#TechLeadership #SoftwareDevelopment
22
23. Seven Conversation Hacks: The article
'Seven Conversation Hacks' provides
practical tips for improving communication
in meetings. These include addressing
inactive participants by name, repeating
unclear points, pausing for thought,
adjusting body language, making eye
contact, listening carefully, and knowing
when to stop talking.
#Communication #Leadership
#Meetings #SoftSkills #Management
23
24. You need to understand the business to
design a good engineering strategy:
Understanding the business is essential for
designing a solid engineering strategy. This
article discusses key aspects including
business models, cash flow, and the
alignment of engineering strategies with
business goals. Aleix Morgadas provides a
step-by-step guide to connect business
knowledge with engineering strategies.
#EngineeringStrategy
#BusinessUnderstanding
#TechLeadership #StartupInsights
#StrategyDesign
24
25. Tech Executive Alignment: Aviv Ben-Yosef
discusses effective executive coaching for
tech leaders, addressing common
challenges in identifying key personal
development areas. The article highlights
where leaders fall within the focus/
autonomy spectrum and offers practical
advice on improvement strategies to foster
better alignment with business goals.
#TechLeadership
#ExecutiveCoaching
#BusinessAlignment
#LeadershipGrowth #FocusAutonomy
25
26. Why Innovation Heroes are a Sign of a
Dysfunctional Organization: Steve Blank
discusses the phenomenon of 'innovation
heroes' in large organizations and why they
are symptomatic of a dysfunctional system.
He critiques the culture that rewards individual
heroics rather than having a structured
process for innovation, leading to high
turnover of talented individuals. A repeatable
innovation process and an 'innovation doctrine'
are essential for sustainable progress in both
government agencies and corporations.
#innovation #leadership
#organizationaldesign #management
#startups
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