Engineering Management for the Rest of Us

by Sarah Drasner

Ask your team members how they prefer to get feedback, and listen to the answer. The more they are in tune with their own state of mind, the better they think critically and communicate. Point out positive growth on the team and give accolades for it in public. By doing this, folks will know you really mean it when you say you want them to learn and improve. On the other side of the spectrum, don’t ever expose someone’s growth in a way that belittles them. Don’t tolerate this or any kind of bullying from your team members, either. This will stifle growth and trust.

Is there a part of the system that everyone complains about? If your tech stack had a map, does it have an area marked “thar be dragons?” Are there appropriate CI/CD systems or other tooling in place so that they’re not constantly yak-shaving and context-shifting to get their work done?

Unlike the innovation projects, slow, ongoing work is typically not something folks really crave doing, so setting a process and expectations straightaway works best.

The team needs to know you value this work because it’s often thankless, but very impactful.

I create four quadrants containing all of the things I care about. For me this is: helping the community, helping 1:1 relationships (which can include coworkers, friends, and family), making money, and whatever else I find personally fulfilling.