#197 - Beyond Input & Output: Building Outcome-Oriented Engineering Teams - Balki Kodarapu

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Nov 4, 2024

Balki Kodarapu, VP of Engineering at Lōvu Health, shares his journey from corporate climbing to entrepreneurial leadership. He emphasizes the significance of shifting focus from input and output to understanding outcomes and user impact. Balki reveals effective strategies for setting engineering values and fostering a culture of gratitude and curiosity. He also discusses the importance of aligning engineering goals with broader business objectives and the need for collaboration between teams to enhance productivity and engagement.

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ANECDOTE

Entrepreneurial Turning Point

Balki Kodarapu's entrepreneurial journey began during his MBA's capstone project.
This led him to leave his corporate job, start a company, and eventually return to corporate work after life changes.

ANECDOTE

Humbling Management Experience

Balki Kodarapu shared a humbling experience as a manager outside his domain expertise.
He learned the importance of building trust and respect with new teams before asserting leadership.

INSIGHT

Input vs. Outcome

Many engineering teams focus on input and output, neglecting outcome and impact.
Balki Kodarapu's framework addresses this by escalating focus from input/output towards outcome/impact.

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“Input, Output, Outcome, and Impact. It’s an escalating way of where to spend my time as an engineering leader, and more importantly, where my engineering team is spending their time on.”

Balki Kodarapu is the VP of Engineering at Lōvu Health and a seasoned engineering leader with a wealth of experience from startups to large organizations. In this episode, Balki shares his valuable insights on how to build and lead high-performing engineering teams that go beyond just churning out code.

We go deep into his practical framework for driving outcomes and impact, emphasizing why it’s crucial for engineers to understand the ‘why’ behind their work. Balki also shares effective strategies for setting, communicating, and reinforcing engineering values. We also discuss the importance of connecting with your team, practicing gratitude and curiosity, and measuring engineering metrics effectively.

Tune in to gain valuable insights and practical tips for building outcome-oriented engineering teams and becoming a more effective leader.

Listen out for:

Career Turning Points - [00:01:55]
Impact & Outcome Driven Engineering - [00:05:50]
Helping Engineering Connect to the Outcomes - [00:11:52]
Balancing Engineers’ Focus Time - [00:16:18]
Key Engineering Metrics: Releasing with Joy & Confidence - [00:18:46]
Engineering Metrics Other Org Functions Care About - [00:23:01]
Setting Engineering Values - [00:30:33]
How to Create Engineering Values - [00:36:16]
Communicating Values - [00:40:18]
Practicing Gratitude & Curiosity - [00:43:59]
3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:49:49]

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Balki Kodarapu’s Bio
Balki Kodarapu, an all-in engineering leader and entrepreneur at heart. Balki has a proven track record of leading SaaS products from inception to hyper-growth, helping companies achieve 2x to 10x revenue growth, including two successful exits. He loves being a hands-on engineer, director, and VP of Engineering (all at once!), contributing daily, shaping product strategy and building high-performing teams.

Currently, Balki leads engineering at Lōvu Health where his team helps create positive, joyful & healthy experiences for pregnant & postpartum moms every single day.

Follow Balki:

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/balki

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