Engineering managers shouldn't aim to prevent all mistakes — instead, they should create safe conditions for failure by 'controlling the blast radius.' Borrowing from cybersecurity, this means finding a middle ground between hands-off and hands-on management: granting team members autonomy while putting guardrails in place so that failures remain recoverable. Practical examples cover scenarios like meeting deadlines, risky releases, vendor selection, and onboarding new hires, showing how the right level of involvement varies by context, seniority, and stakes.
Sort: