In this episode, we talk about what causes tough times for companies and how being smart with money and saving up can help keep the business healthy during downturns. We focus on how leaders can boost team morale when things get tough, using to

Managing Hyperperformers

Mar 12th, 2024 31m 39s

We dedicate this episode to managing hyper performers. We define who the hyperperformers are, what distinguishes them from the rest of the team and how to manage hyperperformers for the maximum results while retaining them. We share management

Building Effective Strategy

Dec 31st, 2023 41m 26s

We present the essential components of developing and communicating a strategy in engineering management, emphasize the need for strategies to be documented, measurable, and aligned with business needs. We share the importance of having a strat

Building Exceptional Teams

Aug 3rd, 2023 42m 20s

We are featuring a guest, Tim Wenzel, who is a Silicon Valley native, expert in recruiting, including building early teams and PayPal and Tesla, and a founder and an executive recruiter at The (A)Lyst Group. Tim shares practical recommendations

Cultivating Trust

Jun 27th, 2023 30m 4s

We dive deep into the importance of trust in engineering management, and how it impacts productivity. We share that trust is built and reinforced over time. We highlight the different layers of trust, including organizational, team, and indivi

Effective Dependency Management

May 18th, 2023 17m 32s

We share how to manage project dependencies in a way that brings results. We are going to define what a dependency is and how to manage your dependencies to ensure that projects you are a part of are delivered on time and with quality. In the

Effective Innovation Management

Jan 1st, 2023 30m 55s

We offer an effective way of introducing innovation to an engineering team and getting results regardless of the organization size. In the end we offer an actionable checklist that engineering managers can use to start innovating today.

Managing Up - Complaining

Nov 6th, 2022 16m 31s

We are starting a series on managing up. In this episode we talk about how not to communicate work issues to your boss. We define what complaining is and why complaining is ineffective. We provide a checklist that our listeners can use to see

Effective Remote Work

Sep 21st, 2022 39m 7s

In this episode, Adam and Slava discuss the new normal of the remote workplace. We discuss the challenges in working remote, key benefits to being remote, and provide guidance for managers to effectively manage remote teams and maximize healthy

Escalating Work Issues Effectively

Jul 29th, 2022 34m 42s

We offer an approach to escalating work issues that brings results without destroying relationships. We share what the escalations are, the impact of escalating unskillfully, and how to escalate professionally and effectively. In the end we pro

Effective Goal Setting

Apr 28th, 2022 34m 54s

It’s that time of year again for managers and directs to start planning goals and executing on them for the new year. In this episode, we will discuss the challenges with goal setting and provide guidance for making the goal setting process mor

Taking Time Off

Feb 14th, 2022 26m 6s

We share the effective way for taking time off. In the end we offer a check list that consists ofDesignate a substitutePrepare your substituteSet up the Out of The Office response in your email clientHave a sync up meeting with you

Getting Things Done: Staff Meetings

Jan 14th, 2022 19m 47s

We share what staff meetings are, why they are important for keeping your team accountable for their deliverables and how they help you to stay on top of everything the team is doing. We provide guidance on how frequently you should run them an

Building Managers: Now That You Are A Manager

Nov 3rd, 2021 37m 55s

Wrapping up the ‘becoming a manger series’ with guidance and steps on what new engineering managers can do once their training completes and they are now officially a manager. Guidance includes: managing introductions and the first couple of w

Building Managers: Implementing The Plan

Oct 26th, 2021 35m 18s

In this episode we present a practical, step-by-step implementation guide for transitioning engineer's career to the engineering management track.

Building Managers: Building a Success Strategy

Oct 18th, 2021 37m 2s

We share how to build a success-oriented strategy by taking care of four management pillars, organization, people, product, processes and tools.

Building Managers: Leading From The Front, Leading From The Back

Aug 18th, 2021 23m 14s

We share what the role of the engineering leader means and how to approach leading from both the front and the back.

Building Managers: Not A Promotion

Jul 21st, 2021 23m 42s

Our guest speaker, Anand Safi, shares how transitioning a career from an engineer to an engineering manager is not a promotion. Also, Anand shares a checklist on what to do first 90 days as a new engineering manager.

Root Cause Analysis with 5 Whys

Jun 4th, 2021 11m 1s

We share blameless Root Cause Analysis, or RCA, as one of the most powerful tools available to engineering managers that help to eliminate production incidents and resolve quality challenges. We go over what an RCAs is, the benefits, the proces

Becoming A Manager: The Right Motivation

Apr 30th, 2021 26m 44s

We share the key reasons and motivators for pursuing a engineering leadership position.Before you take on transitioning someone's or your own career to engineering management, check if you have the right motivations and strengths needed to ta

Performance Reviews: The Easy Way

Apr 14th, 2021 20m 29s

We share a low-effort, highly effective approach to creating great performance reviews that we call Engineer's Diary.

Team Building: Know What You Need To Build A Team

Mar 20th, 2021 15m 51s

Learn how to identify what you need based on the team you currently have.

Effective SDLC: Engineering Excellence

Mar 5th, 2021 10m 18s

We provide a do-or-die checklist for an effective SDLC that allows teams building software that customers love to use and engineers never have to worry about.

Team Building: No All-Star Teams

Feb 22nd, 2021 14m

We provide guidance on how to understand and avoid building All-Star Teams. In the end we share a checklist that engineering managers can use to build complementary teams, not all-star teams.

Effective One-One-Ones: 1:1s with New Boss

Feb 17th, 2021 6m 44s

We provide practical guidance on avoiding risks associated with 1:1s with a new boss. This continues the series on the Effective One-On-Ones. We also recommend checking out EEM episode "Practicing Observe and Absorb" that will help you to plan