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I’ve talked before about the importance of inviting your team members to uncover and sponsor their own continuous improvement efforts. When they identify opportunities to make things better, they’re more likely to follow through, and the changes are more likely to be useful for the team. But how does that idea fit with what I’ve…
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Last week I mentioned that every organizational change comes with a cost. The same thing is true with personal change. As you advance in your career or even just make simpler internal changes, you’ll find that leveling up often demands letting go as well. Especially when you move from being a technical expert to leading…
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A couple of days ago I talked about the cost of change. But what happens when you’re on the receiving end of rapid change, and you still need to make plans and commitments? Some managers balk when asked, “How long will this take?” They feel incensed that they’re asked to make a commitment when it…
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The burden of validating AI-generated code and content mirrors a management tension that existed long before AI highlighted it. The tension is this. Improvement requires change, and change has a cost. As a management metaphor, consider how AI rapidly adds to the body of work, whether it’s new content or change requests that expand, modify,…
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A couple of days ago I pointed out the tendency of high performers to take on an extra portion of the load after team members are laid off. That’s just one example of something I’d like to look at in more detail today. In our push to succeed, we can often turn to our high…
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If you were an engineer before you became a manager, figuring out how to get work done after your team shrinks from a layoff may feel like just another logic puzzle. You have deliverables, and you have team members with skills and capacity. The layoff changed some of the variables, and now you just need…
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I’ve spoken before about things to consider when delivering bad news to your team. What many leaders don’t think about is how one’s ability to deliver bad news successfully is often a result of the habits and behaviors they’ve practiced for months or years beforehand. When you have to deliver a hard message to your…
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Yes, there is value in understanding how different personality traits, habits, and expectations tend to concentrate in different cultures, whether you’re talking about national, ethnic, or even corporate culture. There’s also a danger in letting the cultural understanding do too much work in shaping your understanding of how to communicate with an individual. As a…
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When I suggest being predictable, I don’t mean that you’ll never change your approach, never change your mind, or never change your schedule. Predictability isn’t about being excessively rigid or doggedly consistent. No, as leaders we must be ready to adapt to surprising circumstances and new information. But there are ways to build trust with…
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I’ve mentioned before that engineers who become managers must let go of the privilege of being the smartest person in the room. And yes, there is a part of that that’s an internal, identity-level thing. But our internal identities are also shaped by our conscious choices. Today I’d like to touch briefly on a simple…
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Last week I talked about using positive feedback to encourage behavior that honors your organization’s culture, values, mission, and purpose. My point then was that giving positive feedback only around behaviors that contribute to measurable results can neglect things that are even more important to you. But what if the outcomes you measured could also…
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When your organization makes a decision that hurts your team, it can be easy to feel that you have failed as your team’s leader. But remember, as a leader with a formal management role, you have two almost paradoxical responsibilities. First, you need to represent your team, and speak on their behalf to the organization.…
Musings
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