The Fulfilling Role of an Engineering Leader

“Leadership is where you have, not necessarily a large organization, but increasing scope and increasing impact, while bringing lots of people along with you.”

In this milestone episode of the podcast, James Stanier returns for the third time to discuss his latest book, “Become a Great Engineering Leader.” We explore the role of an engineering leader and delve deep into the nuances of engineering leadership.

James explains the difference between an engineering leader and an engineering manager through the lens of the three levels of warfare: strategy, operational, and tactical. We then discuss the importance of organizational chart design and some best practices, including Conway’s law and how to avoid politics.

James also talks about the importance of time management, always having a long-term view of your work (long-termism), and the critical role of writing in leadership. We discuss important approaches such as one-way vs. two-way doors and balancing between writing vs. bias for action.

Finally, James explains the importance of strategic thinking, why a strategy is not necessarily a plan, and how an engineering leader can communicate their strategy effectively. He also provides practical tips for upcoming engineering leaders and discusses how we should all navigate a career in technology.  

Listen out for:

(00:02:19) Writing "Become a Great Engineering Leader"

(00:04:21) The Role of Engineering Leader

(00:05:57) Engineering Leader vs Engineering Manager

(00:09:36) Tenure Relevancy

(00:11:30) The Importance of an Org Chart

(00:13:44) Org Chart Best Practices

(00:15:55) Conway's Law

(00:17:16) Avoiding Politics

(00:21:41) Writing Skills & Time Management

(00:26:35) T-Shaped Leadership

(00:28:39) Long-termism

(00:33:02) Leadership is Writing

(00:36:13) Writing vs Bias for Action

(00:38:20) One-Way vs Two-Way Door

(00:41:09) Reading & Seeking Information

(00:44:46) Strategic Thinking

(00:48:05) A Strategy is Not a Plan

(00:52:23) Communicating Your Strategy

(00:55:39) Becoming an Engineering Leader

(01:01:56) 3 Engineering Leader Wisdom

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James Stanier’s Bio
James Stanier is Director of Engineering at Shopify. James holds a Ph.D. in computer science and runs theengineeringmanager.com. He has over a decade of experience with building people and software. He is also the author of Become an Effective Software Manager and Effective Remote Work.

Follow James:

• LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/jstanier
• X – x.com/jstanier
• The Engineering Manager Blog – theengineeringmanager.com
• The Engineering Manager Newsletter – theengineeringmanager.substack.com
• 📚 Become a Great Engineering Leader – pragprog.com/titles/jsenglb/become-a-great-engineering-leader/
• 📚 Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager – pragprog.com/titles/jsengman/become-an-effective-software-engineering-manager/
• 📚 Effective Remote Work – pragprog.com/titles/jsrw/effective-remote-work/

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