Tactics for Tech Leadership (TTL)

 In this second part of a three-part series of the TTL podcast, Mon-Chaio and Andy dive into what research has to say about remote working. They explore various aspects including the impact of remote work on mental health, performance, synchronous vs. asynchronous communication, and team cohesion. Highlighting a study published in Nature titled 'Virtual Communication Curbs Creative Idea Generation', they discuss how virtual settings can limit creative idea generation compared to in-person settings due to narrowed visual fields and cognitive focus. However, they note that virtual communication might have a small positive effect on selecting the best idea from a generated pool. The conversation also touches on the importance of high synchronicity in media for effective team convergence and conveyance, and the effects of remote work on coworker relationships and productivity.

Transcript: https://thettlpodcast.com/2024/04/01/s2e13-research-on-remote-work-remote-work-series-part-2-of-3/

References

In part one of this three part series, Andy and Mon-Chaio tell stories of remote work, both from their own experiences as well as those they've heard from their colleagues and the public at large. From those stories, they try to find themes to help answer a burning question: four years in, how are engineering organizations and their people adapting to remote work?

 Have you had performance reviews where you thought, "What is the point of this?"

 Mon-Chaio and Andy examine the concepts and implications of performance management systems. They swap experiences and insights on the challenges and inefficacies of performance management practices and cover the inconclusive evidence of their effectiveness. Mon-Chaio raises alternative perspectives on employee performance, including Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), and Andy brings up the difference between relational and transactional approaches. The conversation also touches on expectancy and reinforcement theories, questioning their applicability in motivating employee performance.

Find out what they think you can do to have better performance management in your team.

Transcript: https://thettlpodcast.com/2024/03/18/s2e11-performance-management-what-is-it-good-for/

References

A core foundation of business, online communities, and social networks is the concept of Dunbar's Number: the suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. But recently there have been critiques in the scientific community as to the validity of the theory behind the number, as well as the number itself.

In this episode, Andy and Mon-Chaio delve into the research around Dunbar's Number, both Dunbar's original papers as well as the recently published critiques. They explore the possibility that Dunbar's Number does not exist and, if true, what it means for all the business theory for technical organizations built on top of this concept.

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 In this episode of the TTL podcast, Andy and Mon-Chaio delve into the importance of technical skills and mindset in leadership roles, particularly as individuals transition from technical to management positions. Their discussions are anchored by research findings, such as an article hypothesizing technical competence loss in Boeing's leadership contributing to quality issues, and an HBR article highlighting that 24 of the 100 best-performing CEOs have engineering degrees. Mon-Chaio and Andy argue that while the technical execution may become less critical at higher leadership levels, a technical mindset plays a crucial role in problem-solving and decision-making. They also look at some job postings to dissect expectations on technical leaders, suggesting that a mix of technical understanding and leadership capabilities is essential.

Please like, subscribe, and share your thoughts on how a technical background influences leadership effectiveness.

Transcript: https://thettlpodcast.com/2024/03/05/s2e9-do-leaders-have-to-be-technical/

References

Mon-Chaio summarizes some common red flags that surface during a company's technical due diligence investigation.

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Even if we don't know it by name, we all know the attributes of the best leadership style, don't we? Humble, collaborative, curious, people-centric, etc. But how do we know, and what evidence to we have, for those attributes making up the best style? And what if we've been led astray about what the best leadership style is?

Join Andy and Mon-Chaio as they summarize the academic research around leadership styles, apply it to a couple situations from their experience, and reveal impactful tactics around how to think about and use leadership styles in technical organizations.

References:

 In this edition of the TTL podcast, hosts Andy Parker and Mon Chaio Lo bring in their first guest, Ethan Fryer-Ressmeyer, an executive coach from Seattle, Washington. Ethan is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Certified Coach with a background in Fortune 50 Aerospace Engineering Leadership. He helps leaders discover and implement their own, unique leadership approaches to achieve results with authenticity. He believes that we too often tolerate less than incredible circumstances and his approach helps people create environments that others want to be a part of.

The discussion centers around executive coaching, leadership coaching, and the inherent tension managers feel between adopting a coaching approach with their teams and having to sometimes be directive or consultative. Additionally, they delve into the concept of leadership and management, noting the differences between executive and management coaching. Ethan emphasizes the core belief of coaches that their clients have the tools to be successful and that coaching is all about helping the client get out of their own way. The conversation also touches on the different leadership styles, the notion of ‘uncoachability’, and the tactics for unlocking an individual’s ability to contribute.

Connect with Ethan:

References recommended by Ethan:

References from Mon-Chaio and Andy:

Are you a "one-and-done", "measure-twice, cut-once" type of leader? If so, you may be overlooking the untapped potential of doing the same thing twice ... or more!

In this episode, Andy and Mon-Chaio unravel the delightful dance of repetition, proving that it’s not just a merry-go-round of monotony but a secret handshake with efficiency. Join us as we uncover the science, skip through time loops, and discover that déjà vu is basically productivity’s winking emoji. 😉🔄

References:

"Just collaborate": the favorite guidance of many a leader to solve any challenging group dynamic problem. And often when collaboration doesn't work well, the blame is placed upon the individuals and teams involved in the collaboration. Can we as leaders do better? Join Andy and Mon-Chaio as they explore the research around collaboration, dive into what good collaboration really looks like, and build a model for enabling effective collaboration from the very top on down.

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