The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change

by Camille Fournier

My advice is to dedicate 20% of your time in every planning session to system sustainability work (“sustainability” instead of the more common “technical debt”). In a case where overwork is due to a pressing, time-critical release, remember two things. First, you should be playing cheerleader. Support the team however they need supporting, especially by helping out with the work yourself. Order dinner. Tell them you appreciate the hard work. Make it clear that they’ll have explicit break time after the push. Make it as fun as you can in the moment. Sometimes a crunch period can serve as a bonding experience for a team. But they’ll remember whether their manager was with them during the stressful period, or off somewhere else, doing her own thing.