Yusuf Aytas's Blog, page 4

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 hesitated. He first tried to avoid HR, sidestep PIPs, and hoped things would somehow work themselves out. And honestly? I get it. When you’re managing people, it’s impossible not to think about their families, their lives…

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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 impossible to have many…

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Work-Life Balance as a Manager

As an IC, you close your laptop at 6 PM, log off, and forget about the work unless you are oncall. As a manager, you check Slack at 10 PM because someone might need you. Your calendar looks like there’s no time to do anything and you haven’t had an actual deep focus hour in weeks. Sounds familiar? Welcome to management, where your time is no longer yours. Or is it? Work-life balance (WLB) in…

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Bridging the Management Disconnect

I’ve seen this happen over and over. A successful engineer steps into management. They are eager to build great teams and support their people. They know some of the leaders before didn’t do that. They embrace servant leadership, convinced it’s the key to success. But then reality kicks in. The higher you go, the more you realize leadership goes beyond serving your team. It becomes more and more…

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Tech Hiring Bubble Bursts

I wasn’t around in the 90s, but people who were say it was incredible. If you could code, you were set. Talent was rare. There were opportunities almost everywhere. In the 2000s and early 2010s, that momentum kept going. Engineers climbed fast, management and then director roles in their 30s, big paychecks, life was good. Then came the pandemic, and companies couldn’t hire fast enough.

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Traits for EMs

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many managers, and mentored a few. I was fortunate enough to learn from some great bosses. When I think about it, I feel like there’s no one right way to be a good manager. I realize every manager brings their own personality, strengths, and struggles to the role. The best ones don’t try to be perfect. In the end, there are different leadership…

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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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