Effective Engineering Manager
The Effective Engineering Manager podcast offers proven solutions and best practices for software engineering managers at all levels. Hosted by Slava Imeshev and Adam Axelrod, it draws on over 25 years of combined experience in engineering management. Topics include project and program management, engineering processes, team building, people management, and career growth. The podcast aims to help managers deliver results on time and with high quality.
Episodes
Micromanagement: The Silent Threat to Engineering Teams
Micromanagement is a hidden but damaging force in engineering teams, eroding trust, autonomy, and innovation. In this episode of the Effective Engineering Manager podcast, Slava and Adam explore the roots of micromanagement - poor delegation, fear of failure, and lack of trust - and its consequences for morale, productivity, and retention. They also share strategies for organizations and managers
Ani Mishra: Effective Cross-functional Collaboration
Our guest, Ani Mishra, engineering manager at DoorDash, shares how engineering managers can become true force multipliers by orchestrating cross-functional collaboration. From treating PMs, designers, and data scientists as partners to using proactive communication, escalation, and trust-building, Ani lays out practical ways EMs can align teams, remove bottlenecks, and prepare for an AI-driven fut
Driving Lasting Change in Engineering Organizations with Manju Abraham
Manju Abraham, veteran engineering leader at NetApp, Delphix, and HPE, shares practical lessons on leading lasting change. Manju explains why most transformations fail, how to build trust and safety, and the playbook engineering managers can use to co-create vision, empower champions, and turn change into culture.
Jeremy Franzen: Operations and Engineering
We are featuring a guest Jeremy Franzen, an Operations expert with over 30 years of experience running Ops at public companies and startups. Jeremy shares his expertise in building strong collaboration between software engineering and operations teams through open communication, shared goals, feedback loops, joint automation and monitoring, shared security practices, knowledge sharing, and coordi
Engineering Management and AI – Part 2/3 – Jobs
In this second episode of three, we continue with a practical introduction to AI for engineering managers. We share possible impact of AI and Large Language Models, or LLM on the jobs. In the end we provide a checklist for engineering managers to help to stay ahead of the AI curve.
Engineering Management and AI – Part 1/3 – Value
In this first episode of three, we provide a practical introduction to AI for engineering managers. We share that value AI and Large Language Models, or LLM, offer to engineering managers and their teams. In the end we provide a check list for engineering managers to start get value from AI today.
Maintaining Team Morale Through Tough Times
In this episode, we talk about what causes tough times for companies and how being smart with money and saving up can help keep the business healthy during downturns. We focus on how leaders can boost team morale when things get tough, using tools like one-on-one meetings, positive feedback, kudos programs, and team outings. We also cover the importance of strong engineering leadership, coaching,
Managing Hyperperformers
We dedicate this episode to managing hyper performers. We define who the hyperperformers are, what distinguishes them from the rest of the team and how to manage hyperperformers for the maximum results while retaining them. We share management practices to avoid. In the end provide a checklist that our listeners can use to manage hyperperformers effectively.
Building Effective Strategy
We present the essential components of developing and communicating a strategy in engineering management, emphasize the need for strategies to be documented, measurable, and aligned with business needs. We share the importance of having a strategy as an engineering manager aspiring to drive change and innovation. We emphasize the need for a clear vision, meaningful goals tied to business value, an
Tim Wenzel: Building Exceptional Teams
We are featuring a guest, Tim Wenzel, who is a Silicon Valley native, expert in recruiting, including building early teams at PayPal and Tesla, and a founder and an executive recruiter at The (A)lyst Group. Tim shares practical recommendations on feedback, candidate experience, and building teams in dynamic startup environments. In the end, Tim shares a checklist that our listeners can start using
Cultivating Trust
We dive deep into the importance of trust in engineering management, and how it impacts productivity. We share that trust is built and reinforced over time. We highlight the different layers of trust, including organizational, team, and individual trust, and emphasize the need for consistency and building trust through actions. We explore the subtle distinction between expectations and trust. We
Effective Dependency Management
We share how to manage project dependencies in a way that brings results. We are going to define what a dependency is and how to manage your dependencies to ensure that projects you are a part of are delivered on time and with quality. In the end we will provide a checklist that our listeners can use to ensure that their dependencies are always satisfied.
Managing Innovation
We offer an effective way of introducing innovation to an engineering team and getting results regardless of the organization size. In the end we offer an actionable checklist that engineering managers can use to start innovating today.
Managing Up: Complaining
In this episode we talk about how not to communicate work issues to your boss. We define what complaining is and why complaining is ineffective. We provide a checklist that our listeners can use to see if their upward communications are in the complaining territory.
Effective Remote Work
In this episode, Adam and Slava discuss the new normal of the remote workplace. We discuss the challenges in working remote, key benefits to being remote, and provide guidance for managers to effectively manage remote teams and maximize healthy productivity.
Escalating Work Issues Effectively
We offer an approach to escalating work issues that brings results without destroying relationships. We share what the escalations are, the impact of escalating unskillfully, and how to escalate professionally and effectively. In the end we provide a checklist that our listeners can use to escalate work issues effectively.
Effective Goal Setting
It’s that time of year again for managers and directs to start planning goals and executing on them for the new year. In this episode, we will discuss the challenges with goal setting and provide guidance for making the goal setting process more effective.
Getting Things Done: Taking Time Off
We share the effective way for taking time off. In the end we offer a check list that consists of
Designate a substitute
Prepare your substitute
Set up the Out of The Office response in your email client
Have a sync up meeting with your direct report after you come back
[powerpress]
Getting Things Done: Staff Meetings
We share what staff meetings are, why they are important for keeping your team accountable for their deliverables and how they help you to stay on top of everything the team is doing. We provide guidance on how frequently you should run them and how to make them effective. In the end we provide a checklist that our listeners can use to start running effective staff meetings.
Building Managers: Now That You Are A Manager
Wrapping up the ‘becoming a manger series’ with guidance and steps on what new engineering managers can do once their training completes and they are now officially a manager. Guidance includes: managing introductions and the first couple of weeks; planning your first 30-60-90 days; setting up foundational meetings like 1-on-1s; building key lateral relationships; creating space for the team to g
Building Managers: Implementing The Plan
In this episode we present a practical, step-by-step implementation guide for transitioning engineer's career to the engineering management track. These steps include: confirm that the engineer has right motivation; confirm with your boss and HR the feasibility of training a new manager; tell them that you will announce their career transition to the team; talk to the team on 1:1 basis and share t
Building Managers: Building a Success Strategy
We share how to build a success-oriented strategy by taking care of four management pillars, organization, people, product, processes and tools.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Building Managers: Leading From The Back, Leading From The Front
We look at what the role of the engineering leadership means and how to approach leading from both front and back.
Building Managers: Not A Promotion
Our guest speaker, Anand Safi, shares how transitioning a career from an engineer to an engineering manager is not a promotion. Also, Anand shares a checklist on what to do first 90 days as a new engineering manager.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Root Cause Analysis with 5 Whys
We share Root Cause Analysis, or RCA, as one of the most powerful tools available to engineering managers that help to eliminate production incidents. We’ll go over what an RCAs is, the benefits, the process of doing RCAs using "5 Whys" technique, and the best practices. In the end, we provide a checklist to help engineering managers to implement the RCA effectively.
Please reach out to us if you
Building Managers: The Right Motivation
We share the key reasons and motivators for pursuing a engineering leadership position. Before you take on transitioning someone's or your own career to engineering management, check if you have the right motivations and strengths needed to take on the role.
Performance Reviews: The Easy Way
We share a low-effort, highly effective approach to creating great performance reviews that we call "Engineer's Diary".
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Team Building: Know What You Need To Build A Team
We continue our Team Building series and talk about knowing how to identify what you need based on the team you currently have.
Effective SDLC: Engineering Checklist
We provide a do-or-die checklist for an effective SDLC that allows teams building software that customers love to use and engineers never have to worry about. Our check list includes:
Documented user stories and use cases
Version Control
Issue tracking
Unified IDE
Code style
Build automation
Iterative development
Design reviews
Unit and integration testing
Team Building: No All-Star Teams
We provide guidance on how to understand and avoid building All-Star Teams. In the end we share a checklist that engineering managers can use to build complementary teams, not all-star teams.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Effective One-One-Ones: 1:1s with New Boss
We provide practical guidance on avoiding risks associated with 1:1s with a new boss. This continues the series on the Effective One-On-Ones. We also recommend checking out our episode "Practicing Observe and Absorb" that will help you to plan and implement a strategy for managing 1:1s with your new boss.
Building Teams: The Kudos Program
We provide guidance on how to build engaged teams by implementing a Kudos program. In the end we share a checklist that engineering managers can use to implement the Kudos program immediately.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Effective One-on-Ones: Structuring 1:1s
Practical suggestions on structuring 1:1s.
Structure your 1:1s as 20 minutes to be your directs' and 10 minutes to be yours. Let your direct reports decide what they want to talk about. Avoid assigning work during your 1:1s. This episode continues the series of short notes on the Laws of Effective One-On-Ones.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or
Building Teams: Birthdays and Lunches
We provide recommendations on two powerful approaches to maintain the spirit of camaraderie in a team, celebrating birthdays and going to lunches. This is the first episode in the series dedicated to the most important activity any engineering manager is responsible for, building and maintaining effective teams.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com
Effective One-on-Ones: Don’t Skip Your 1:1s
The more 1:1s you miss, the longer will be your next one.
One-on-ones are the most effective people management tool. When it's used right, it's allows engineering managers building lasting relationships with their direct reports that pay in great performance. When done wrong, 1:1s can become ineffective or even harmful. In the the first episode in the series The Laws of Effective One-On-Ones we t
Effective Agile: Remote Teams
We provide guidance on how to effectively manage remote teams in an Agile environment. In the end we share a checklist that engineering managers can use to self-check that they are managing their remote teams effectively.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Engineering Process: Gap Analysis
Gap Analysis is an effective approach to identifying challenges in the areas of engineering processes, people and tools. Gap Analysis allows engineering managers to address challenges that prevent the team from delivering high quality software on time. In this podcast we provide a step-by-step guidance for conducting Gap Analysis and resolving the identified gaps.
Please reach out to us if you hav
Effective Agile: Standups
Daily standups are one of the most important practices in Agile. We share our recommendations and experiences towards running effective Agile standups. The most important Agile event, standups provide a means to build a culture of consistency and focus on making progress on the team’s priorities for that sprint. In the end we share a succinct checklist that engineering managers can use to self-che
Engineering Process: Think-Plan-Execute
Think-Plan-Execute is an effective technique to getting things done. In this podcast we discuss how it helps engineering managers and software engineers to deliver working software on time and provide practical examples of how to implement Think-Plan-Execute.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Effective Agile: Estimation
In this podcast we continue in our podcast series on Effective Agile and discuss the importance of estimation and how it is a fundamental building block for effective teams. We share tips and techniques to help teams become better at estimating and also share practical experiences with estimation.
In the end, we provide a concise checklist that engineering managers can use to self-check that they
Developing Skills: Guided Self-Study
In this podcast we share the practice of guided self-study, discuss how it helps busy managers to elevate team’s skills, and provide practical recommendations on how to run the guided self-study practice.
In the end, we share an approach to install the guided self study at your team and provide a checklist that engineering managers can use to self-check that they are executing guided self-study e
Effective Agile: Best Practices
In this podcast, we start a four-part discussion on Agile teams. We share key best practices for effectively managing Agile teams, discuss why these practices are important, and provide tools to implement them easily.
In the end, we share a succinct checklist that engineering managers can use to self-check that they are building and managing Agile teams effectively.
Please reach out to us at conta
Engineering Process: Effective Design Reviews
In this podcast we share the practice of effective software design reviews, discuss why they are important and provide practical recommendations to engineering managers on how to run design review meetings that deliver high quality software architectures. We provide guidance for executing one-on-one reviews, accommodating input, running team reviews and public reviews and sharing the final designs
Practicing Observe and Absorb
In this podcast we define the concept of "observe and absorb", discuss why it is important and share practical recommendations to engineering managers on how to use this tool to unlock and build stronger working relationships.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Effective Engineering Meetings
In this podcast we define effective effective engineering meetings, discuss why they are important and share practical recommendations to engineering managers on how to run meetings that deliver results including. We provide practical guidance for setting meeting goals, defining agendas, preparing participants, building invite lists, managing the meetings and sharing the results. In the end, we sh
Effective Time Management
In this podcast we define the effective time management, discuss why it is important and share practical recommendations to engineering managers on how to make most out of their time.
Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at: contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.
Welcome to The Effective Engineering Manager Podcast
In this episode Adam and Slava discuss why they decided to start the Effective Engineering Manager Podcast.
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