From managing reorgs to building better relationships with product, here are the five articles you need to read from September on LeadDev.
1. Camille Fournier, How to handle a reorganization as an engineering manager
Many new managers have already experienced reorgs as individual contributors, but what happens when they’re suddenly on the other side of the process? Here, Camille Fournier shares the golden rules for managing a reorg for the first time, from not telling the team too early, to figuring out the company’s goals, to advocating for yourself and others.
2. Lara Hogan, What to do when a beloved employee quits
It’s easy to panic when a key member of the team hands in their notice. But, as Lara Hogan explains, it’s important to pause, and ask yourself what you want to optimize for in the departure period. Once you’ve figured out your priorities, for example, maintaining a relationship with the employee and reassuring the team, you can make thoughtful decisions about messaging, timelines, and celebrations, and create a smooth transition for everyone.
3. Krys Flores, How becoming a parent accelerated my path to staff engineer
Krys Flores has a message for engineering leaders thinking about having a baby: you can have a successful engineering career, and be a fully committed parent at the same time. In fact, you can apply what you learn as a new mom or dad to become a better leader. In this article, she explains how she actioned four parenting lessons in her work, and fast-tracked her path to staff engineer.
4. Danielle Leong, How to build a healthy relationship between engineering and product
A great engineering/product relationship is key to delivering quality software at pace, but friction between the functions is fairly common. Here, Danielle Leong identifies four ways team leaders can improve their partnerships: understand what the other person does, understand their motivations, collaborate on a shared roadmap, and value one another as people.
5. Ofir Sharony, The leader’s journal: Become an inspiring leader in ten minutes a day
I’m sure many of you have experienced finishing a busy day without a clear idea of what you’ve achieved, other than putting out fires and attending back-to-back meetings. Here, Ofir Sharony offers a solution to the endless cycle of reactive leadership: taking ten minutes to reflect on your decisions, outputs, and challenges in a daily journal. Adopt this habit and you’ll soon become a more proactive, impactful leader.
