Tech Lead Journal

#28 - Becoming an Effective Software Engineering Manager - James Stanier


Listen Later

“The output of a manager is the output of the manager’s team plus the output of the organization that they influence."

James Stanier is the SVP Engineering at Brandwatch and author of “Become an Effective Software Engineering Manager”. In this episode, we explored on how one can become an effective software engineering manager and how to build and run effective engineering teams. We started off by discussing why the tech industry is facing a skill crisis because of the inability of many managers to manage people effectively and the challenges faced by engineers when transitioning to become managers. We then dived deep into the best practices to become an effective manager, such as getting oriented, delegating effectively, letting go of control, and nurturing one-on-ones with your teams. James also pointed out the hardest things that engineering managers have to deal with, which are projects and humans. We then wrapped up with James’ tips on how to handle failures and move forward.

Listen out for:

  • Career Journey - [00:05:15]
  • Why Writing Engineering Manager Book - [00:09:08]
  • Skill Crisis in Tech Industry - [00:12:34]
  • Individual Contributor Track - [00:15:33]
  • Getting Oriented Tools - [00:17:45]
  • Effective Manager - [00:21:47]
  • Delegating Effectively - [00:27:06]
  • One-on-Ones - [00:32:10]
  • Projects and Humans Are Hard - [00:38:05]
  • On Project Management - [00:40:26]
  • Letting Go of Control - [00:42:24]
  • Balancing Time - [00:46:49]
  • Managing in Startup vs Enterprise - [00:48:29]
  • Handling Failures - [00:50:24]
  • 3 Tech Lead Wisdom - [00:51:55]
  • _____

    James Stanier’s Bio

    James Stanier is SVP Engineering at Brandwatch. He has built web scale real time data processing pipelines and teams of people: both are equally challenging. He has written about his experiences on his blog The Engineering Manager, and has turned it into a book called “Become An Effective Software Engineering Manager”.

    Follow James:

    • Website – https://theengineeringmanager.com
    • Twitter – https://twitter.com/jstanier
    • LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jstanier/

    • Our Sponsor

      Are you looking for a new cool swag?

      Tech Lead Journal now offers you some swags that you can purchase online.
      These swags are printed on-demand based on your preference, and will be delivered safely to you all over the world where shipping is available.
      Check out all the cool swags by visiting https://techleadjournal.dev/shop.


      Like this episode?

      Subscribe on your favorite podcast app and submit your feedback.
      Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
      Pledge your support by becoming a patron.
      For more info about the episode (including quotes and transcript), visit techleadjournal.dev/episodes/28.

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      Tech Lead JournalBy Henry Suryawirawan

      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7
      • 4.7

      4.7

      13 ratings


      More shows like Tech Lead Journal

      View all
      Software Engineering Radio - the podcast for professional software developers by team@se-radio.net (SE-Radio Team)

      Software Engineering Radio - the podcast for professional software developers

      272 Listeners

      Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman by Scott Hanselman

      Hanselminutes with Scott Hanselman

      383 Listeners

      The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source by Changelog Media

      The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

      290 Listeners

      Software Engineering Daily by Software Engineering Daily

      Software Engineering Daily

      622 Listeners

      Talk Python To Me by Michael Kennedy

      Talk Python To Me

      584 Listeners

      Soft Skills Engineering by Jamison Dance and Dave Smith

      Soft Skills Engineering

      288 Listeners

      Thoughtworks Technology Podcast by Thoughtworks

      Thoughtworks Technology Podcast

      43 Listeners

      Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn by Jon Krohn

      Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn

      302 Listeners

      Y Combinator Startup Podcast by Y Combinator

      Y Combinator Startup Podcast

      228 Listeners

      Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats by Wes Bos & Scott Tolinski - Full Stack JavaScript Web Developers

      Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

      987 Listeners

      CoRecursive: Coding Stories by Adam Gordon Bell - Software Developer

      CoRecursive: Coding Stories

      189 Listeners

      Practical AI by Practical AI LLC

      Practical AI

      204 Listeners

      AWS Podcast by Amazon Web Services

      AWS Podcast

      205 Listeners

      The Stack Overflow Podcast by The Stack Overflow Podcast

      The Stack Overflow Podcast

      63 Listeners

      This Day in AI Podcast by Michael Sharkey, Chris Sharkey

      This Day in AI Podcast

      228 Listeners