The other day I saw a LinkedIn post on “Executive Presence.” Some of the tips alluded to intimidating others with strange prolonged eye contact, not being the first to look away, avoiding apologizing at all costs, claiming matter-of-fact statements without room for others to disagree—it seemed to me like a collection of mistakes that junior […]
Executive Presence for Engineers: Ditch the Power Games Read More »
A while back, during a 1:1 with a direct report, he suggested that it was time to cut one of his team members loose for under-performance. The under-performing individual in question had been with the company for multiple years, had acceptable performance reviews, even above-market pay raises and a recent promotion. So what was going
Accountability Conversations Every Engineering Manager Needs Read More »
One of the key game-changers for me as a leader was implementing a practice of waiting 3-4 seconds before responding in a conversation, no matter how badly I wanted to jump in. That short time window made space for entire conversations and learning opportunities that never would have manifested otherwise. That window left space open
Active Listening for Leaders | The 3-Second Rule Read More »
“Rarely can a response make something better. What makes something better is connection.” -Brene Brown When someone shares something painful that they are experiencing, how many of us are guilty of jumping straight into problem-solving mode? Or “just look at the bright side”-ism? This often comes from a place of being uncomfortable in the presence
Empathy in Leadership: Why Connection Beats Problem-Solving Read More »
I had a chance to see “Becoming Led Zeppelin” yesterday–great movie about an iconic band! I remember picking up a guitar as a teenager and scouring the internet for tabs to learn Led Zeppelin songs. “When the Levee Breaks” is still one of my all-time favs. There was a quote that stood out to me
What Makes a Great Engineering Team | The Intangible Factor Read More »
A conductor leads a team of musical experts to perform beautiful and complex masterpieces. He provides enough direction to the team as a whole so that each member knows their place in relation to others, the timing and rhythm of execution, and where the team as a whole is headed. Can you imagine if a
The Conductor Model for Engineering Leaders Read More »
Leadership coaches often utilize assessments to kick off a coaching engagement and provide useful context around further conversations with their clients. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) has been scientifically proven to have an even stronger correlation with leadership effectiveness than Intelligence Quotient (IQ), and anecdotally, high emotional intelligence has been the strongest indicator of success that I
EQ-i 2.0 Assessments | A Game-Changer for Engineering Leaders Read More »
One common theme that I’ve seen at every level in my career was the newly promoted technical expert who struggled to gain traction in their first formal leadership role, or in transitioning to higher levels of leadership. As a high-performing individual contributor/technical SME, their technical skillset became integral to their identity—usually over a period of
Why Great Engineers Struggle as New Managers Read More »
