Teams at Work by BUNCH

Episode 40: Hot Takes with Raz Shuty: Why working in sprints sucks, the downsides of remote work and more

May 14, 2023

01:02:00

In this week’s episode, our co-founders Darja and Anthony chatted with Raz Shuty, Senior Director of Engineering at Delivery Hero with over 12 years of experience leading technology teams. Raz shared why he hated the role of a manager at first, and how he struggled to fit in, what he learned about leadership from his father, a chef and why the first manager he ever had is a role model when it comes to management. In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why becoming a manager in engineering means a negative return on investment on the craft that brought you to the role
Why Raz hated his first engineering manager job, quit, and how he ultimately found his role and got to enjoy it
How working in sprints can suck, and what you can do to find a framework that will work best for your team and your goals
The limitations of remote work and why there is an upside to working in an office

Timecodes:

2:06 - how being a Senior Director of Engineering can be a nightmare
9:40 - why you should not become a manager
12:30 - did Raz ever regret becoming an engineering manager
16:00 - go-to tools and hacks to stay productive as a manager
19:50 - how to determine your mission for the week and prioritize effectively
25:05 - what is the primary difference between managing individual contributors vs. other managers
33:30 - the benefits and the struggles of remote work through the lens of an engineering leader
48:00 - growth is not a numbers game, sometimes it’s about doing as much as you can with what you have in the moment
50:30 - creating a fun environment is an underrated part of management that can actually result in better team engagement
53:00 - why Raz despises sprints as a work framework for engineering teams

Connect with Raz: