Tech Leadership Weekly, Issue 14
Feedback, Quality Software, and a Podcast
This content originally appeared in Tech Leadership Weekly, a weekly email newsletter to help you become a better technical manager.
Bill Jordan
The Quiet Crisis unfolding in Software Development
The process of building great software is one of constant iteration and improvement. A technical manager must focus not only on building the team, but also insuring the production of high quality software. Focus on development best practices. Create a culture where robust, bug free code, and continuous improvements are the expectation. Encourage developers to own parts of the code base. Recognize, develop, and promote those with the potential to lead. Be wary of simplified metrics. Limit your team’s interruptions and promote private space. Allow time for experimentation and learning. Support your team with the tools they needs to make them most productive. Always keep the lines of communication open. Finally, insure your team has a mix of experience levels. Diversity brings broader perspective and insight, and results in better software.
Reading Time: 13 minutes
Tom Bartel
A Primer on Giving Critical Feedback
Giving feedback can be hard. Giving effective, actionable, constructive feedback is definitely challenging. Begin with a concrete example of the behavior that needs to change. Identify the consequences of the behavior, and help the individual understand how their actions were negatively impactful. Solicit the individual for suggestions for how the they might improve or avoid the situation in the future. Finally, define a next step to close the loop. Delivering feedback might not be easy, but it’s critical to help someone to learn and grow.
Reading Time: 8 minutes
Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman
Manager Tools Podcast
The Manager Tools podcast is an excellent resource on a wide range of management topics. They’ve been active since 2005, and have covered a lot of ground. Each episode is around 30 minutes. The episodes are focused with actionable steps. To start with, I’d recommend the “Basics”, which covers One on Ones, Feedback, Coaching, and Delegation.
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