It’s usually best to prioritize active ways for sharing knowledge, and be pragmatic about how much effort you put into each method. Make sure you get the most benefit with a reasonable investment.
2. Documentation is overrated
You can’t ignore documentation, and there are key things you always need to document. However in many situations you can get away with less documentation than you’d expect, so look for opportunities to save some time and effort.
3. It’s all about the culture
Knowledge sharing has to become an integral part of your culture. Once every team member does it continuously and it’s part of your daily processes, your life gets easier. When you have to clear time for it specifically, it’s already a lost cause.
4. Have new team members question everything
It’s a neat onboarding trick from Facebook. Newly hired engineers are encouraged to ask questions and come up with suggestions on current and past decisions. It helps them catch up to the team, reveals new paths forward.
Want more tips? Some specific examples? There is plenty more where this came from!
1. Use skips to build relationships and share insight
This is the very idea behind skip level meetings. You need them the most, when you’re not involved closely with the team’s work on a daily basis.
2. You get feedback about the in-between manager
Management doesn’t have hard metrics. You can only tell how well a manager is doing by getting feedback from their team. It’s not spying. Everyone should know about it, and you can either reward them or help them improve.
Here are some key takeaways you can start working on right away:
1. Trust and psychological safety
It’s the manager’s job to create a space where the team members trust each other, and aren’t afraid to fail. This is the foundation of a happy team.
2. Realize that everyone is different
You need to understand that each person has different priorities. The Moving Motivator cards are a great way to lay down the groundwork for understanding each other.
Whatever position you’re applying for, go through the job ad, and tailor your CV. Highlight or add any relevant experience you might have.
2. Highlight achievements
Highlighting achievements, projects you’ve delivered and their impact is a great way to get attention. Very few applicants do this, but it shows a business mindset, and awareness of your work beyond the code you write.
Senior management certainly has to be on board, but it's best if your entire engineering department is clear on why creating a career ladder for them is necessary.