Managing Your Manager

Managers change more often than you realize, especially when a company is growing or downsizing. New roles, new org charts, new reporting lines. Other times, you’re shopping around and you find yourself interviewing your future boss and trying to read between the lines. Ultimately, you will have a new manager in one way or another. Sometimes you end up reporting […]

New Manager Survival Guide

Alright, this is gonna be a long one. And not just a one-time thing. I’ll keep updating it as I write more about leadership. I’ll try to link everything I’ve written before. This one’s the one, just like in the Matrix. All the things I wish I had when I first stepped into managing. There are so many damn questions […]

Chasing Real Respect

You can fake a lot of things in business. Authority. Expertise. Competence. But you can’t fake certain traits, like respect. Think about the managers you’ve had in the past. The good ones. The bad ones. People do respect good managers. Why? You remember how it felt to work with them. I bet it felt safe, challenged, trusted and a few […]

Engineering Manager Interview Preparation

Layoffs seem to be everywhere these days. You scroll through feeds, and it’s another round of cuts, another company restructuring. If you’re a seasoned manager, losing your role can feel like hitting a wall. And finding new jobs is a really uphill battle, especially with all the talk about flattening organizations and cutting down on management layers.I still believe it’s […]

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 first 1:1 with each direct report: This question may seem out of ordinary. I know. Maybe even a little intimidating especially during a first meeting. But I’ve found it […]