Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
People are not pure functions; they have all sorts of interesting side effects. For those just entering management, thinking through values can help provide some clarity.
Sarah Drasner • Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
Engineering management requires that you understand power imbalances, people structures, and consider strategies that are outside one particular project.
Sarah Drasner • Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
If you pay attention, you can see how a person’s values dictate their behavior and ethics. Your values can be formed at a young age, and they can be a…
Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.
Sarah Drasner • Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
There are no wrong answers when it comes to values. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and lived experiences. The more we understand one another, the easier it is to work together. When people talk about “good” managers, they are likely referring to people who show care and appreciation for people’s values, and also respect their boundaries.
Sarah Drasner • Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
Doing work to understand values as a team can help members see one another as people, and understand where they are coming from. The act of sharing values can also have a side effect…
Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.
Sarah Drasner • Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
It can also be hard to hear that our personal self-image doesn’t align with what others are experiencing of us.
Sarah Drasner • Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
More often, conflicts are the result of a misalignment of values, and neither person is attempting malice against the other. If their needs aren’t met and they aren’t communicating in a way that someone else with dissimilar values…
Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.
Sarah Drasner • Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
One way to run a values exercise is to give team members a few minutes to pick five values from a list like what we just saw. Once everyone has picked, go around and ask each individual to discuss why those five values resonate with them…
Some highlights have been hidden or truncated due to export limits.
Sarah Drasner • Engineering Management for the Rest of Us
Good company values do this. They convey a viewpoint that you can easily understand and check against. If you notice your company lacks a point of view in their mission statement and you’re in the position to push back, I highly suggest asking about it. Leadership is all about driving clarity, and company values should make it clear what the drivin
... See more