Mitra Raman Profile picture
Feb 17 5 tweets 1 min read
Everyone tells you to “protect your mental health”. That’s hard when you’re an employee + not in charge of the situation or environment.

Recently I found myself getting anxious about work bc of multiple factors — morale, teammates, mounting expectations.

What worked (so far):
Told my manager early

I didn’t wait till it got really bad, to the point I was burnt out. I told him I was starting to experience anxiety bc of these factors + foresaw it building w what was coming up.

He appreciated the honesty + ability to course correct.
Pinpoint the issues

Instead of just saying “I’m anxious”, I figured out what was causing me anxiety. For me:

- Specific teammates morale
- Upcoming team changes
- Increased scope

Now we could problem solve on each one.
Address the controllable

In my case, we are addressing team morale + pausing some changes bc they’re too much at once.

And I was able to get an extra headcount or two to manage the increased scope.

My anxiety isn’t *completely* gone, but at least it’s being addressed.
I’m approaching this very differently than I have in the past. I used to complain to a few work friends + get frustrated by issues that I COULD fix, but didn’t want to put the work into.

Or, I wouldn’t say anything until my breaking point.

Already this exp is much better.

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More from @ramannoodlez

Feb 19
How technical do you need to be to be an Engineering Manager?

Most people will tell you VERY.

I think not. You can be an avg engineer + a great EM. In fact, if you’re too technical of a manager it could hurt you.

Speaking as a software engineer turned manager, here’s why:
Engineering Managers’ primary responsibilities are two-fold:

1. Steer engineers to build the right things
2. Retain, hire + promote engineers

Let’s dig into the skill set you need for each one.
To build the right things, you need to know:

- the problem it’s solving
- system capabilities + blockers
- how the user will interact w it

Do you need to be extremely technical to do this? Absolutely not!

You need a *good enough* understanding of the tech. What does this mean?
Read 9 tweets
Feb 18
EM / PM Relationship

Most requested topic by far: The EM / PM Relationship

EMs + PMs are partners + co-leads of their team. But most EM / PM relationships sour bc of competing priorities + poor communication.

🧵

I was lucky enough to have AMAZING PM partners + learned firsthand how to nurture + structure the relationship for success.

To understand how to create a good relationship, first we should specify the role difference between an EM + PM.
EM: Manage + grow engineers and deliver towards technical goals

PM: Set the roadmap and deliver towards business goals

If the expectations aren't defined well then the team will be pulled in diff directions + not deliver anything substantial.
Read 18 tweets
Feb 13
Here’s the problem with 1:1s as an engineering manager:

Most engineers don’t come to 1:1s with set agendas, so it turns into you talking for >30% of the time.

🤔 As an EM, how do you make the most of 1:1 time for your direct report?
1:1s are the time for you and your DR to connect. Most managers use this time to ask about ongoing project status.

Or even worse, you may find yourself talking most of the time!

Leave project updates to stand-ups.

Create a 1:1 structure that lets DRs take the lead.
First, creating a running agenda doc shared between the two of you and write down EVERYTHING.

Encourage them to add to it before your 1:1.

After some time you’ll have historical context that will help with promos + if they change managers.
Read 11 tweets
Feb 9
I've been an Engineering Manager for 6 years, at start-ups and big cos. One of the most important lessons I've learned as an EM is a key ingredient to managing well + propelling your growth that most people avoid:

💡Weekly Updates
But you don't write just anything in them.

As an EM, you're managing a lot of people's expectations on top of your team's performance.

Weekly updates are the best way to update leadership, report project changes, and get everyone on the same page.
Why do people tend to avoid them?

More often than not, the update is fine so no one responds. It can feel like overhead to write something weekly that people may or may not read.

BUT if you stop you lose: historical context, ability to course correct quickly, and trust.
Read 11 tweets

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