“Employees Don’t Quit Their Jobs, They Quit Their Bosses”

Many of us have heard this saying in one form or another. For some, if not most of us, we have experienced this first-hand.

A recent State of the Global Workplace Report (2023) by Gallup [1], states that 59% of employees are disengaged and 18% are actively disengaged, i.e., they are actively working against their employers.

Digest that for a minute.

It means that more than 2/3rds of the workforce is either quiet quitting or loud quitting.

Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy US$8.8 trillion and accounts for 9% of global GDP. It further states that “Leadership and management directly influence workplace engagement, and there is much that organizations can do to help their employees thrive at work.”

A whopping 56% of the workforce also reports feeling stressed when they are disengaged. The situation is dire, but I am sure all of us can do something about it.

Leadership is a multifaceted concept with countless definitions, and it’s hard to pick one general definition for it.

In this blog, we'll talk about some key aspects of engineering leadership and explore what it takes to be a great leader in this fascinating field.

The Essence of Engineering Leadership

Engineering leaders can be found at various organizational levels, and their roles evolve as they progress in their careers. However, two fundamental principles remain constant, whether you're a fledgling leader or a seasoned one: Passion for Technology and Mentorship

A remarkable engineering leader strikes a balance between two vital elements:

• Passion for Technology: They view technology not as an end in itself, but as a means to solve real-world problems and create a positive impact.
• Mentoring the Next Generation: They invest in grooming and nurturing the next cohort of leaders within their team.

These two pillars underpin a leader's journey towards engineering excellence.

Key Practices for Engineering Leadership

Setting the Engineering Culture
Creating a thriving engineering culture is pivotal for long-term success. Culture encompasses collaboration, communication, behavior, attitude, and mindset of individuals and of the team. As a leader, it's your responsibility to set the tone through your actions, not just words.

Actively work to diversify your engineering team, striving for a mix of genders, backgrounds, and experiences. Create an inclusive culture where all team members feel valued and heard. Encourage diverse voices in meetings and decision-making processes, and most importantly, address the challenges of conscious and unconscious bias.

As a leader you must strive to create a culture of autonomy which only happens when you trust your team and team members. It is the best way to stimulate creativity. A healthy culture governs conflict resolution, promotes teamwork over individualism, and champions kindness and data-driven decision-making. It should reject bullies and disruptive individuals while fostering a culture of continuous improvement ("Kaizen") [2].

Cultivate a passion for problem-solving within your team and reward members for identifying issues and adhering to the "Kaizen" philosophy.

Lead by example, and enable your team to emulate your behavior.

Understanding Your Business

You don’t have to be an expert in every facet of your organization's business. Understanding it well enough is crucial for setting goals and communicating effectively. Being aware of how your team's efforts impact revenue and the bottom-line inspires your engineers and makes them feel part of a larger mission.

Clarifying Objectives and Effective Communication

Creating a compelling vision and mission for your team is ideal, but make sure to establish a robust engineering roadmap that serves as a proxy for your team's guiding principles.

Set clear goals that align with your mission and drive your team closer to the vision you've outlined. Echoing Simon Sinek's wisdom in "Start with Why,"[3] communicate the "Why" behind your goals to deeply embed their purpose within your team's collective psyche.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to consistently, clearly, and repeatedly communicate these goals. Ensuring that every team member comprehends and internalizes the objectives is fundamental to your team's success.

Embracing Technology & Engineering

As an engineering leader, you must maintain a passion for technology and its practical applications. Keep abreast of industry trends, processes, methodologies, security, and best practices. Evaluate which of these aligns with your team's goals and the organization's objectives, considering both short-term and long-term impacts.

Be aware of the current challenges that your business faces and how new and upcoming technology can help you solve them. Critically evaluate your tech stack against your business needs frequently.

Focus your efforts on upskilling your team in both technical and soft skills. Empower your team to explore new technologies through proof-of-concept, but ensure rigorous evaluation for ROI and long-term sustainability before embarking on big changes. Guard against "resume-driven development" where engineers adopt technologies solely for career advancement.

Building Team Spirit

Collaboration is the bedrock of a successful engineering organization. People collaborate when they feel a sense of belonging to a "tribe" where the tribe's success surpasses individual achievement.

Create opportunities for your team to connect and bond through activities like happy hours, lunch get-togethers, and open discussions about projects and work environments.

While fostering a sense of community, be vigilant about avoiding gossip, politicking, or forming exclusive cliques.

Championing Your Team

Your engineering team should be viewed as a first-class citizen within the organization. As a leader, it's incumbent upon you to safeguard your team's standing and value. When your team comprehends the significance of their work, their motivation amplifies, fostering collaboration with other departments and ultimately creating a better product.

Advocacy also entails safeguarding your team and their actions from external influences. This isn't an endorsement of wrongdoing, which you must address directly. It's about uniting your team and presenting a solid, unwavering front against external pressures. Investing in 1:1s

“When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen.” ― Ernest Hemingway

Listen to your team, and what better way to do it than 1:1 meetings. Regular 1:1 meetings are a linchpin of effective engineering leadership. Use this time to build trust and establish psychological safety among team members; these are opportunities for mentoring, coaching, and guidance.

Foster a culture where anyone on your team feels empowered to discuss any topic with you.

Feedback

Promote a culture of giving and receiving feedback at all levels. Actively seek feedback as a leader and encourage team members to provide constructive, actionable feedback to each other. Real-life examples should form the basis of feedback discussions. Make sure you don’t sugarcoat. Develop a culture where people seek and give feedback with what is called “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott. [4]

The best way to hear from your employees is to let them rate their managers anonymously, see if you can incorporate 360-degree feedback in your organization.

Delegation

As Greg McKeown writes in his book Essentialism [5], “Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done.”

Delegation is the cornerstone of focusing on what is essential. Trust your team to be creative and innovative without micromanagement. Encourage them to take ownership of decisions and seek your guidance when needed. If delegation isn't happening, it's a sign of a culture problem. When assigning tasks to multiple team members, ensure clarity regarding responsibilities.

Hiring, Firing and Promoting

Hiring, promoting, and occasionally letting someone go are natural extensions of your job. As a leader, you must establish clear guidelines for these processes to ensure transparency and alignment with your team's values.

Transparency is paramount throughout these processes, benefiting both current and potential team members. Every individual should have a clear understanding of what's expected and how these decisions are made.

Terminating someone's employment is never easy, but it's occasionally necessary. It should never be a surprise. Your team members should have a precise understanding of what's expected in terms of both technical and interpersonal skills. If a termination is a surprise, it's time to reevaluate your 1:1 sessions and feedback mechanisms.

Nurturing the Next Generation

Grooming, mentoring, and training the next generation of leaders is an essential leadership responsibility. Share your knowledge, best practices, and lessons freely with the team. Identify potential leaders and provide them with opportunities to learn from their failures. Be the mentor you've always wanted to have.

Signs You're Not Ready for Engineering Leadership

• The idea of growing your team and team members doesn't excite you.
• Your initial response to someone's problem is to solve it for them, rather than enabling them to learn.
• You prefer people management over technical aspects, disregarding the importance of technical proficiency.
• You're attracted to the role solely for the power, status, or financial benefits.
• You're unhappy with your role, and it's the only way to advance in your organization.

In such cases, it's crucial to have open conversations with your manager or HR to explore other career opportunities that best align with your interests and strengths.

Conclusion

Engineering leadership, when executed effectively, can be both thrilling and fulfilling. It has the potential to transform teams and organizations, driving them towards excellence. However, the responsibilities of leadership should be approached with care and commitment, as Uncle Ben said, "With great power comes great responsibility."

Engineering leadership is not just about managing people and processes; it's also about inspiring and guiding teams to achieve their best. By mastering these principles and continuously honing your leadership skills, you can unlock the true potential of engineering leadership in the software industry.

References:

[1] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx [2] https://kaizen.com/what-is-kaizen/ [3] https://simonsinek.com/books/start-with-why/ [4] https://www.radicalcandor.com/the-book/ [5] https://gregmckeown.com/books/essentialism/