The Question I Ask Every New Report
When I take on a new management role, whether it’s through a reorganization, succession, or stepping into a new organization, I make it a priority to ask this question in my fir...
Managing People Series
How to manage direct reports well: building trust, giving real feedback, delegating effectively, handling performance, and making the hard calls.
The Subtle Art of Listening
I remember being on a Zoom call with a mortgage advisor while he answered messages as I spoke. He did it several times in the same conversation. I manage people myself, so I und...
Too Liked to Be Useful
I often get surprised when I hear someone say they like a certain manager. I usually have very different reservations about them in my head. The gap between what I think and wha...
Kindness is A Choice
Discussing leadership, we often overlook kindness, focusing more on power and wealth. Yet the leaders who leave a lasting impact are the ones who choose humanity over dominance....
Building Trust in Engineering Teams
We all know that transparency builds trust. The lack of it? Well, that can lead to major issues. Engineers sometimes join teams and, from the start, struggle with trust. It’s as...
Turning Defensiveness Into Growth
As a leader, part of the job is helping people grow. That usually means giving feedback. And while we often picture feedback as a simple “I share, you listen,” the truth is it o...
Getting Delegation Right
In software business, leaders often need to delegate the work. Yet, I have seen leaders struggle with it, often saying, “I try to delegate, but it never quite works.” The truth...
Ideal Number of Direct Reports
Amazon’s likely comes from a closer look at ratios. Were there too many managers with only 23 direct reports? That’s entirely possible. From my time at AWS, I didn’t see this mu...
Simple Acts of Recognition Matter
I once worked with a brilliant software engineer who solved a major system issue in the middle of the night. By morning, no one even noticed there had been a crisis. Business as...
Handling Competitive Dynamics
A healthy level of competition can fuel innovation and push people to do their best work. It turns problematic when it starts overshadowing the team. I don’t think competition i...
From Misperception to Promotion
If you are in management, sooner or later, you will encounter someone who wants a promotion but isn’t quite ready for it. In fact, I have seen many cases where the person isn’t...
PIP Manager Insights
I remember one of my directs stepping into a new manager role, only to inherit a team with one or two employees who just weren’t cutting it. From day one, it was a challenge. He...
Hiring Red Flags
Hiring is tough. It's one of the most important tasks a manager faces while growing their team. The problem with hiring is that a bad hire can significantly impact you financial...
Losing a Top Performer
Over time, I had to manage and help to manage many times when a top performer quits. It sucks but we need to be reasonable. Imagine you’re on a winning streak, your top striker,...