Troy Hall

3 keys to a culture of accountability High-performing teams hold themselves accountable. Here are three keys I've found to creating an accountable culture. 1. Set Clear Expectations and Goals. Communicate priorities. Clarify who does what and by when. 2. Promote Ownership and Autonomy. When your team feels trusted, they feel more invested. 3. Implement Regular Feedback and Follow-Ups. You have clear expectations and ownership. Now, follow up. Ask questions. Applaud wins. Seek growth opportunities. Coach your team to do this for themselves. What has worked for you?

8

Does your team have tech debt? If you say we don't have, it looks strange to me 😅 If you say we have a lot, it's good news that your team is moving forward quickly and your product is growing. On the other hand, your team will have more work next time and needs to reduce it as much as possible if your team doesn't want to face a nightmare in the future. I won't mention the definition of tech debt in this post(you can search for it, or I'll write it in another post). I like the "Boy Scout Rule," so I always keep an eye on tech debts and set a quota of around 10-20% of the team's capacity to solve tech debts. I encourage team members to proactively discover tech debts, note them, think about solutions, and write them down in a document to share with the team. To help team members quickly write tech debt documents and determine which significant items should be cared for, and the whole team can follow and discuss, I created a template based on RFC(request for comment process). There are two versions, full and short templates, and you can choose one that fits your style. Full version: https://lnkd.in/g7Uvsmdx Short version: https://lnkd.in/gaqkbuP8 You can read my article about RFC on Medium here: https://lnkd.in/gfS3c6VV Hope you like it, cheer!

14

3 Comments

Whew, fellow engineering managers, do we need to talk? We had more yeses to these three questions than either front-line engineers OR execs: 📈 I do not feel the potential for advancement in my current role 🚀 Leadership at my company is out of the loop when it comes to engineering challenges 💥 I do not feel secure in my current role. Pair that with the 69% of EMs who’ve experienced burnout in the past year and it’s enough to make even the best of us look at the engineer/manager pendulum with renewed interest. For me, the saving grace is the big improvements we as an engineering industry have made on informing and driving the business strategy over the decades I’ve been in tech, and wanting to stay in the room where it happens. Check out the 2024 State of Engineering Management to think about where you and your team falls on the trends we're all experiencing firsthand. (And for funsies, you won’t believe which group thinks AI is a gimmick. ✨)

12

Naive engineering managers focus on only 2 outside relationships: • Their manager • The PM I've been there. Our job is super demanding even if we focus only on our own team, who has time for anything else? That's a mistake, and it affected my team. Will Larson wrote: "Your team’s impact depends largely on doing something that other teams or customers want, and getting it shipped out the door. This is extraordinarily hard without a 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆." If you forget about: • Your peers • The DevOps • The QA team • The technical support team • The customer success team • Even the sales team! You'll never be able to build that supportive network, and your team will suffer. The trick is very simple: 1. Have previous 1:1 meetings with key people 2. Do what you can to help them P.S.: Which relationship impacts your work the most?

19

9 Comments

The recent wave of layoffs in technology is more than a temporary setback. It impacts the software engineering labor market in ways that could last for years. Layoffs have eroded the implicit trust between employers and employees, leading to a workforce that may be more cynical and less committed to long-term loyalty. This could increase job-hopping and make retention even harder. Some experienced engineers might leave tech for more stable industries, and new grads could choose different career paths. This could result in a talent shortage down the line, leaving companies struggling to fill crucial roles. With traditional full-time roles appearing less secure, some may embrace gig or contract work, prioritizing flexibility over stability. This shift could make it challenging for companies to maintain long-term cohesion in teams. Employees will increasingly push for remote work, flexible hours, and greater work-life balance. This helps de-risk relocating for jobs that don't deliver on promises. Workers may focus on continuously improving their skills to stay resilient. We could also see a cultural push for collective representation or employee advocacy in technology. If companies want to attract and retain the best engineers in the future, rebuilding trust and prioritizing employee well-being isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential. Would be great to hear people's thoughts! #TechLayoffs #SoftwareEngineering #FutureOfWork #TalentManagement #WorkplaceCulture #EmployeeExperience

59

11 Comments