As an EM, you talk to ICs, leads and the technical director regularly. Make sure you share helpful information with them while also creating a reporting structure where people can talk about their problems confidentially.
2. Coach engineers in their career development
Encourage engineers to evaluate their growth, to pinpoint areas to improve and to ask for help from their lead or seniors on the team. Have career development discussions with them, and discuss the expectations of the next level.
3. Help engineers choose tracks
Engineers can choose the principal or the leadership track. Provide guidance if they're unsure: describe the options, observe their traits, and understand their motives. You can also expose them to some aspects of each track to help them decide.
Want to learn more about coaching engineers in their career development?
When engineers work on a piece of code, they don't see how it contributes to North Star goals. OKRs help them see the bigger picture, so they'll value their own contribution more.
2. Customize OKRs
An OKR performance management system works best if you tailor it to your team's needs. Be patient when you introduce OKRs, have discussions to see what works and what needs to be changed, and welcome questions and suggestions from everyone.
Cross-functional collaboration works best if you hire well-rounded people who can think outside of their assigned roles. Product managers may have engineering ideas, just like engineers can come up with great product ideas.
2. Encourage empathy sessions
Cross-functional collaboration can cause frustration when people don't see the value of other functions. Hold empathy sessions where cross-functional partners explain what's challenging about their role. They'll appreciate each other's work more.
Do not limit agile to engineering. When your entire organization adapts to the agile philosophies, you can react to changes easier and faster.
2. Strive for "pretty good"
As an agile organization, you’re constantly iterating your product. This means you always leave room for improvement. So, don't try to make everything perfect the first try - strive for "pretty good" and keep iterating!
The number one trait of high-performance teams is psychological safety. If you can establish that within your company, it's easier for everyone to work together and build a high quality engineering product.
2. Evaluate objectively
It's hard to pinpoint what's going wrong in your company. Reflecting on how your teams operate, why they follow certain rituals and how they interact with each other is a good way to start.
The biggest takeaway from the pandemic is that people stick around at a company for the community. Your best bet to improve retention is to work on building a community.
2. Utilize hybrid teams
Take advantage of the time you spend in the office by prioritizing collaborative work. This makes collaboration more efficient and supports everyone in building relationships, strengthening your community. You can maximize focus time in the home office.
Everything we do goes through software. Lives constantly depend on software and by extension, engineers. This is plenty of reason to start thinking about a universal set of ethics and quality standards.
2. Own your responsibility
Machines can’t take responsibility for their malfunctions. It always has to be the people programming and supervising them. There is no place to deflect responsibility for the consequences of our work to our managers or our companies.