Product teams and engineering teams tend to have rocky relationships. Why is this? They’re working toward the same goal, at least they are in theory, so what is the reason for their misalignment? In organizations with product and engineering teams that work together in harmony, what is their secret to success?

How do you respond when your boss or board asks “What's our AI strategy?” In this episode, Lena Reinhard talks with Daniel Paulus, VP of Engineering at Checkly, about developing a pragmatic approach to AI initiatives that creates real value while avoiding the pitfalls of hype-driven development. Daniel shares his experience leading AI initiatives and provides actionable insights for engineering leaders.

To ensure a successful AI strategy, start with real problems rather than chasing technology trends. Assess if AI is truly the right solution for your needs, then validate through focused proof-of-concept projects. Consider resource and budget impacts carefully, and address compliance and security requirements early. Watch out for common pitfalls like overenthusiasm and scope creep.

This guide provides a practical framework for thinking about and implementing AI initiatives in your organization, with concrete steps. Whether you're feeling pressure to adopt AI or genuinely exploring its potential, this guide will help you focus on creating real value rather than just chasing trends.

In today’s tech landscape, it isn’t enough to be good at what you do. You also have to make it clear to your organization how you’re contributing to its bottom line. Communicating the business impact of engineering investments is important for decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and ensuring your company knows you’re indispensable if they decide to have another round of layoffs. In this episode, Lena and Amani discuss the importance of understanding the business impact of engineering work, and how to get it.

As an engineering leader, one of your key responsibilities is to navigate and guide your team through the uncertainty that often comes with new projects and goals. You are to ensure your team has the information they need to do the work that needs to be done. What, then, if you’ve gone to great lengths to bring clarity to your team, only to realize you’ve reduced ambiguity so much that there is no engaging challenge, no room for creative problem-solving? You'll walk away with actionable strategies for shifting your focus from constantly driving for clarity to helping your team embrace and thrive in ambiguous environments.

For anyone who has a manager, learning to manage up is one of the most powerful skills you can develop. Whether you're just starting your career as an engineer or you're a seasoned leader, this guide will help you improve your relationship with your manager in a way that benefits both parties. Learn what managing up means, signs that you should do it more, how to do it well, and how to address common challenges.

With all the lost time and huge frustration that comes with interviewing, it's easy to compromise your values in favor of feeling the relief that comes from getting to the end of the interviewing process and finally landing a job. In the long run, though, you don't want to compromise your values and non-negotiables. It will land you right back in the interviewing process sooner rather than later.

In this episode, we discuss a massive problem everyone in the tech industry faces: The challenge of finding a company whose values align with yours and navigating the infamous, often confusing and frustrating, interview process the tech industry is known for.

Maximize your coaching or mentoring success with practical tips on building a solid partnership, optimizing sessions, and overcoming barriers. Learn what you can ask for and do before and during your work with a coach to achieve your professional goals effectively and confidently. Dive in to discover actionable insights and real-world examples to learn from other leaders.

Many leaders have felt it: “Everyone has it all figured out, but I don’t”, also known as Imposter Syndrome. And you may have been told (unironically) at some point to “be more confident”, “fake it ‘til you make it”, or “better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.”
Working in tech, we’re in a fast-changing space where confidence is currency. And the gnawing self-doubt that’s often described as Imposter Syndrome doesn’t exactly come out of nowhere. In this episode, we unpack it—all of it.

Like many of you, during the tech downturn of the last 2 years, I've been trying to understand how the industry has shape-shifted beyond the news headlines: What does the tech industry look like now? How exactly have organizations and their priorities changed? What impact and influence do AI actually have, beyond the hype? And what is it like to be, become, and interview to work as a leader in this changed environment? Today, I have the data-based answers for you: The Engineering Leadership Report 2024, which I'm publishing in collaboration with tech events & publishing company ⁠LeadDev⁠.

What should engineering leadership roles look like? What's been a hotly-debated topic in tech for decades has gotten very real, very often for my guest today—because he’s always been a bit of an outlier: He wasn’t an engineer before becoming a manager. In an industry that highly values "technical skills" and where there's low consensus on what skills make a good manager, he's grappled with finding his place, having an impact, and how to grow his career onward.

What should engineering leadership roles in tech look like? We delve into the intense, decades-long debates, and look at how current industry changes affect responsibilities. Learn the crucial skills for effective leadership, and what people and technical leadership roles are right for your company.

We’re starting this podcast with a two-episode series about different shapes of leadership roles. In this episode, you hear from Max, who shares his path from engineer to technical lead of leads, and: The relevance of fruit baskets, new skills to learn a, nd fears to face, plus practical advice for everyone in technical roles considering or new to a leadership role.

We're told that to become a leader, you need to be born with it, or at least have that special 'leadership material.' You have to be an extrovert, bold, and always have everything figured out. Success means leaving your emotions behind and being tough enough to handle the pressure. But what if that's just not who you are?
Subscribe now, the first episode launches soon.

Skip-level meetings can be a a catalyst for positive change within your organization, but too often, common interpersonal dynamics get in the way of leaders and employees making the most of them. Learn what these common challenges are and how to address them, to unlock greater team alignment and make your skip-level one-to-ones useful for leaders and employees alike.

Skip-level meetings offer direct communication between senior leaders and employees who report to middle managers. While they can be powerful tools for alignment and building trust, they can be awkward or ineffective if not conducted thoughtfully. This article offers a practical guide and templates for managers of managers to make these meetings beneficial for all involved.

Do you want to handle difficult conversations better? Are you clashing with higher-ups who can’t seem to get on the same page? Is your team not receptive to change? Here are questions from leaders and my answers for when you have to communicate a decision you disagree with.

Overwhelm is common among engineering leaders, but we don’t talk about it much. In this article, you’ll find common sources of overwhelm to help you recognize it in yourself, or support peers, and strategies from my work with many leaders dealing with this that can help you cope and get better.

This article 3-step guide will help you support your teams in recovering from difficult organizational changes. It shows how to shift from control to empowerment, involve your leadership teams, and how to show up as a leader for your teams. This guide will help you foster a culture of empowerment to drive innovation and success during difficult transitions.

Strategies for leaders guiding teams after tough changes like layoffs and reorganizations. We contrast high-control and high-empowerment approaches, and why you should resist the temptation of focusing on motivating your employees to process the change as quickly as possible, and what to do instead.