Best of Leadership — April 2024

1. 1
   Article

   Watercooler·2y

   Why they want us back to the office ?

   Discover the reasons why companies want employees to return to the office and the benefits of working in a physical workplace.

   230

   70
2. 2
   Article

   Substack·2y

   10 Must-Reads for Engineering Leaders

   This post features a list of 10 must-read books for engineering leaders. It covers various topics such as building a team that doesn't depend on you, removing controls and bureaucracy, extreme ownership, high output management, and the 5 dysfunctions of a team. The post also recommends newsletters written by engineering managers for further learning.

   102
3. 3
   Article

   Hacker News·2y

   amalshaji/portr: Open source ngrok alternative designed for teams

   Portr is an open source ngrok alternative designed for teams. It allows you to easily tunnel HTTP and TCP connections and comes with an admin dashboard for team/user management.

   89

   2
4. 4
   Article

   Lobsters·2y

   Why you need a "WTF Notebook"

   Learn how a 'WTF Notebook' can help in making changes on a team by identifying and addressing problems. Keep track of weird and unresolved issues to improve team effectiveness. Discuss discovered issues with teammates and managers to find solutions.

   75

   6
5. 5
   Article

   Community Picks·2y

   Why Bad CEOs Fear Remote Work

   Fearful CEOs resist remote work due to their fear of change and desire for control. They often lack awareness of successful remote work alternatives and underestimate the capabilities of remote employees.

   49

   10
6. 6
   Article

   Watercooler·2y

   What we do as programmers, instead of coding

   Explore the tasks and responsibilities that programmers have beyond coding.

   41

   5
7. 7
   Article

   Watercooler·2y

   Sometimes we have a hero in the team

   The presence of a hero in a team can hinder the growth and learning of other teammates as they become reliant on the hero to solve problems.

   35

   8
8. 8
   Article

   Substack·2y

   How to recognize the potential in engineers

   Discover the top 3 traits for recognizing potential in engineers: attitude and mindset, sense of ownership and responsibility, drive and motivation to improve.

   29

   1
9. 9
   Article

   Community Picks·2y

   How to prevent burning out in the engineering industry

   Learn about the main reasons burnout is common in the engineering industry, how to recognize burnout, and what steps to take to prevent it.

   20

   1
10. 10
    Article

    Substack·2y

    Great teams build great software

    Great teams build great software. Teamwork is the essence of building great software long-term. Inspiring great teamwork is crucial for success. The article provides tips on inspiring teamwork within a team and across an organization.

    19

    1
11. 11
    Article

    David Heinemeier Hansson·2y

    The gift of ambition

    Ambition is a rare and valuable trait that can be applied to all aspects of a project. Balancing ambition and a calm company is key. Failure has meaning and value.

    17
12. 12
    Article

    Community Picks·2y

    Managing technical quality in a codebase.

    Managing technical quality in a codebase requires engineers to prioritize quality, adopt best practices, and align technical vectors. It is important to address hot spots causing immediate problems, adopt practices known to improve quality, and identify leverage points that preserve quality over time. Measurement of codebase quality is crucial, and organizations can establish technical quality teams or quality programs to maintain and improve technical quality.

    17
13. 13
    Article

    Substack·2y

    How to Use Your Mentor Effectively?

    Learn how to effectively use your mentor to achieve exponential growth in your career. Discover the non-obvious aspirations where mentors can help and how to find the right mentor.

    15
14. 14
    Article

    Hacker News·2y

    Flow state: Why fragmented thinking is worse than any interruption

    Developers need time and space to enter a flow state, but flow state can turn into an end in itself. Internal interruptions and fragmented thinking are the worst barriers to flow. To reduce fragmented thinking, create mindfulness and nudging practices, reduce tech debt, and make information accessible. Investing in laziness requires team-wide work and organization-wide investment.

    12
15. 15
    Article

    Community Picks·2y

    Unpopular Opinion: It’s harder than ever to be a good software engineer

    Being a good software engineer is harder than ever due to the evolving tech market, increased competition, and high expectations. It requires focusing on value delivery, staying updated with trends, and making architectural decisions. However, it's important not to get caught up in hypes, prioritize bringing long-term value, and avoid stress and burnout. Individual dedication, company focus on delivering value, and a supportive culture can help improve software engineering.

    12
16. 16
    Article

    Substack·2y

    Power of Blameless Culture in Software Engineering

    Blameless culture in software engineering prioritizes learning and improvement over assigning blame for failures. It fosters innovation, encourages accountability, improves collaboration, and boosts morale and confidence. Tech leads can contribute to this culture by leading by example, celebrating learning, facilitating post-mortems, and addressing root causes of mistakes.

    12
17. 17
    Article

    Substack·2y

    How to manage up as an engineer or a manager

    Learn how managing up can improve your work experience and benefit the whole team. Avoid common mistakes and follow a 5-step framework for successful managing up.

    11
18. 18
    Article

    Substack·2y

    Going from impostor one day to feeling like a superhuman the next day

    Embracing imposter syndrome leads to growth and learning in the engineering industry. Feeling like a superhuman when solving coding problems can outweigh insecurities. Freelance work can contribute to career growth.

    10