Yusuf Aytas's Blog, page 4

Simple Acts of Recognition Matter

I once worked with a brilliant software engineer who quietly solved a major system issue in the middle of the night. By morning, no one even noticed there had been a crisis. Business as usual. Everything ran smoothly. When I found out, I realized just how easy it is for crucial contributions to slip by without anyone pausing to say, “Thank you for what you did.” I asked myself if I would feel…

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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 to be an incredibly effective way to set the…

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The Reality of an Employer’s Market

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of posts here and there talking about what employers should do and how they should treat candidates, the benefits they should offer, and how they should conduct interviews. I understand where they are coming from. I also relate on many levels as I got ghosted by recruiters and didn’t get proper feedback after a hefty round of interviews in the past. While I value these…

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Bridging Ideals and Reality

Have you ever been in an engineering discussion where someone starts pointing out all the ideals and how much the company sucks? Complaining about all the mistakes the company makes, how things are broken, and how they should be improved? Well, I have been there on many levels. Those are the moments when you truly understand the pain points, and that’s when meaningful discussions can start.

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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 financially, culturally, and emotionally. Whether you’re building a new team from scratch or just filling an important role, it helps to hear the warning signs again. After years of hiring, I’ve learned to spot certain red…

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Why The Godfather Is So Damn Good

I recently stumbled upon The Godfather while scrolling through a movie list. I figured, why not take a peek? Well, that “peek” turned into watching the whole damn movie again. And honestly, every time I watch it, I can’t help but get sucked right back in. Let’s talk about why. The beginning itself is legendary. Don Corleone, caressing that cat while listening to the desperate story of a man…

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Subteam Tenets

Over the years, working across multiple organizations, I developed the concept of subteam tenets. I’ve tweaked it along the way to fit each company’s unique quirks, but I still use it to this day, and it has helped me navigate challenging situations. It’s really a system of divide and conquer, nothing fancy to be honest, but it lays down clear ground rules for the teams you oversee.

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No Fluff Please

I’ve seen countless so-called resume coaches who stuff resumes with flashy buzzwords like ‘scalable’ and ‘fast.’ It’s all fluff, and it doesn’t land real results. A truly impactful CV is about substance over style. Let’s dive into how to craft a CV that stands out by focusing on concrete achievements. I center my approach around “Stay away from adjectives.” I have been hiring for…

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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, like El Fenomeno, is scoring crazy, winning you matches. End of the season, they’re out. Well, that’s literally what Bobby Robson had to deal with the departure of El Fenomeno. You hired that person…

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Balancing Act of Reliability

Software development involves both creating and maintaining systems. Once you put anything into production, reliability becomes critical. When your systems aren’t reliable, you face issues in various ways. If you’re a SaaS company, you could lose customers. Nobody wants their business to stop because of your reliability problems. They will go to the competition. In B2C, customers can’t search…

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