Tech Lead Journal

“As an engineer, you don’t have to drop your technical skills, but you need to communicate like an executive. The more you communicate this way, you will have more opportunities and more impact on your job.”

Pramoda Vyasarao is an engineering leader turned coach with two decades of experience at Oracle and Meta, and the author of “Beyond Your Limits”. In this episode, Pramoda shares his insights on the importance of communication for engineers, as well as his inspiring journey of achieving 52 lofty goals in over 20 years and going beyond his limits.

Having joined Toastmasters in 2003 to improve his public speaking, Pramoda believes engineers should focus on developing their communication skills to advance their careers and become better leaders. He discusses his TALL framework for effective communication: talking with structure, asking insightful questions, listening deeply, and leadership development.

Our conversation also delves into key topics from Pramoda’s book, “Beyond Your Limits”. Pramoda discusses the importance of setting goals and finding life’s meaning, sharing his own inspiring journey in his goal-oriented life. He explains the power of thoughts, how our thoughts can influence our feelings and actions significantly, and the three common saboteurs to achieving our goals: time, purpose, and belief.

Tune in to learn practical advice on improving your communication and leadership skills, as well as how to achieve your big goals and realize your true potential.  

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Pramoda Vyasarao’s Bio
Pramoda Vyasarao, the founder of Changesmith Coaching LLC, has a rich background in computer science and boasts over two decades of experience with tech giants like Oracle and Meta. Beginning his career as an engineer and eventually transitioning into a management role, he recognized the importance of structured leadership development. This realization spurred his journey into leadership coaching. With 17 years of coaching experience, Pramoda has significantly impacted thousands of individuals across 11 countries. He specializes in fostering personal growth for senior leaders through one-on-one coaching and cohort-based courses that focus on communication, leadership, and storytelling. Pramoda is the author of the bestselling book “Beyond Your Limits.”

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Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
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“Now more than ever, engineering leaders are being asked to be more transparent with how their work is getting done. Every single thing that an engineering team works on needs to benefit the business.”

Laura Tacho is the CTO of DX and a leading voice in the world of developer experience and productivity. In this episode, we explore the ever important role of aligning developer experience with business goals and discuss the DX Core 4, a new developer productivity framework recently published by DX.

Laura shares how engineering leaders can leverage intuition for data-driven decisions and effectively communicate the impact of engineering initiatives in business language. We discuss the importance of balancing business goals with engineering needs and delve into the process of building a strong business case for improving developer experience.

Discover the new DX Core 4 framework as Laura breaks down its four dimensions, key metrics, and actionable strategies for measuring and enhancing developer productivity. Learn how DX Core 4 complements existing frameworks, such as DORA, SPACE, and DevEx, and why it suggests “diffs per engineer” as a valuable metric to measure. Understand the Developer Experience Index (DXI) and why internal developer platforms and AI play crucial roles in improving developer experience.

Tune in to learn new valuable insights on developer experience and how to measure, communicate, and improve developer productivity effectively.  

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Laura Tacho’s Bio
Laura Tacho is CTO at DX, a developer experience company. She’s a technology leader with a successful track record leading engineering and product development teams at companies like CloudBees, Aula Education, and Nova Credit. She’s been building developer tools and working on improving developer productivity for over 10 years, all the way from the heyday of IaaS and PaaS on cloud, through Docker and containers, CI/CD, and now as part of DX. She’s also an executive coach for engineering leaders and an expert in building world-class engineering organisations that consistently deliver outstanding results. Laura has coached CTOs and other engineering leaders from startups to the Fortune 500, and also facilitates a popular course on metrics and engineering team performance.

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Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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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.  

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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.

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Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/197.
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“The OOOps methodology from the science of happy accidents are optionality, opportunism, and optimization.”

Stephen Fishman and Matt McLarty are the authors of “Unbundling the Enterprise: APIs, Optionality, and the Science of Happy Accidents”, a book from IT Revolution. In this episode, we discuss the transformative power of APIs, the importance of optionality in technology and business, and the intriguing science of ‘happy accidents’.

We delve into the “OOOps” of the science of happy accidents, which are optionality through API unbundling, opportunism through value dynamics, and optimization through feedback loops. Stephen and Matt share real-world examples of how companies like Amazon, Google, and Cox Automotive have successfully unbundled their enterprises and leveraged optionality for growth and innovation. Also, hear the story and impact of Jeff Bezos’s legendary API mandate at Amazon, which revolutionized Amazon to become the giant it is now.

Towards the end, we discuss the role of AI in the future of work and how we can use AI along with APIs to embrace more optionality and create more business value.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about how you can apply these concepts to your digital transformation journey and benefit from the power of APIs and optionality.  

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Stephen Fishman’s Bio
Stephen Fishman (Fish) is the NA Field CTO for Boomi. He is a practicing technologist who brings creativity, rigor, and a human-centric lens to problem-solving. Known as an expert in aligning technology and business strategy, Stephen places a premium on pushing business and technology leaders to embrace iteration and the critical need to collaborate across disciplines. In addition to consulting with large organizations, Stephen is an in-demand speaker and advisor. Stephen has led multidisciplinary teams to deliver amazing results at Salesforce, MuleSoft, Cox Automotive, Sapient, Macy’s, and multiple public sector institutions including the US Federal Reserve and the CDC.

Matt McLarty’s Bio
Matt McLarty is the Chief Technology Officer for Boomi. He works with organizations around the world to help them digitally transform using a composable approach. He is an active member of the global API community, has led global technical teams at Salesforce, IBM, and CA Technologies, and started his career in financial technology. Matt is an internationally known expert on APIs, microservices, and integration. He is co-author of the O’Reilly books Microservice Architecture and Securing Microservice APIs, and co-host of the API Experience podcast.

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Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/196.
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“Legacy code is a code without tests. If you have code, and it has lots of tests, it’s relatively easy to change. But if you don’t have the tests, you’re really in serious trouble.”

Do you dread working with legacy code?

Michael Feathers, renowned software expert and author of the classic “Working Effectively with Legacy Code,” joins me to discuss the challenges and strategies for working with legacy code, a topic that remains highly relevant even after 20 years!

Michael explains why he defines legacy code as “code without tests,” emphasizing the crucial role of automated tests for code maintainability, rather than simply defining it as an old inherited code. He also provides insights on the psychological challenges of working with legacy code and stresses the importance of approaching it with curiosity and a sense of adventure.

The conversation also explores the evolving world of AI assistant in software development, drawing from Michael’s forthcoming book, “AI-Assisted Programming”. He shares how AI can assist developers in various tasks, such as explaining code, identifying potential issues, generating tests, and exploring new possibilities.

Listen to this episode to explore the intersection of legacy code, AI, and the future of software development!  

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Michael Feathers’s Bio
Michael Feathers is the Founder and Director of R7K Research & Conveyance, a company specializing in software and organization design. Over the past 20 years he has consulted with hundreds of organizations, supporting them with general software design issues, process change and code revitalization.

A frequent presenter at national and international conferences, Michael is also the author of the book Working Effectively with Legacy Code.

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Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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“Product marketing’s purpose is to drive product adoption by shaping market perception through strategic marketing activities that align with business goals.”

Are you making the mistake of focusing too much on product and not enough on the market? In this episode, Martina Lauchengo, a partner at Costanoa Ventures and the author of the SVPG book “LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products”, discusses the often-overlooked importance of marketing in the success of tech products.

Martina challenges the traditional notion of “product market fit,” suggesting “market product fit” instead, because a product’s value is determined by the market’s capacity to absorb it. She emphasizes the critical role of go-to-market strategy in informing product development and driving adoption.

We explore the four fundamentals of product marketing outlined in Martina’s book: ambassador, strategist, storyteller, and evangelist. Martina shares real-world examples of how these principles have been applied successfully, highlighting the importance of understanding customer needs, crafting compelling narratives, and enabling authentic evangelism.

Tune in to discover valuable insights into how to rethink marketing for your tech products and achieve greater success.  

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Martina Lauchengco’s Bio
Martina spent 30 years as a marketing and product leader. She started her career working on market-defining software, Microsoft Office and Netscape Navigator. She teaches what she’s learned with SVPG and is a lecturer at UC Berkeley’s graduate school of engineering. As a partner at Costanoa Ventures, she sits on multiple boards and coaches startups. She is the author of LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing Tech Products, a #1 Amazon Best Seller. Martina holds a B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University. She’s a native Californian, mother of two, and proud wife to Chris.

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Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/194.
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“We should always learn intentionally. And the best learning is by doing. Extra time used to practice something is always worth it."

Dr. Milan Milanović is a seasoned CTO and the author of the popular “Tech World with Milan” newsletter. In this episode, Milan shares his insights on what it takes to become a great software engineer.

Milan emphasizes that technical skills, while crucial, are just one part of the equation. Soft skills, a product-focused mindset, and a commitment to continuous learning are equally vital for long-term success in the ever-evolving tech industry. He delves into the key attributes that distinguish great engineers, revealing the surprising truth about why we should focus on learning the fundamentals, how to learn new skills and become an expert, delivering high-quality engineering, and practical strategies to boost productivity.  

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Milan Milanović’s Bio
Milan is a CTO with more than 20 years of experience in the industry. His main areas of interest include software architecture, cloud computing solutions, web and mobile solutions, agile methods, and managing software teams to deliver innovative and high-quality products. He is an avid author who helps more than 300.000 engineers and managers to build great careers and products. He also works as a High-Performance & Career Coach.

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Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/193.
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“The four common obstacles that are stopping engineers in progressing in their journey are the imposter syndrome, burnout, trouble dealing with other people, and self marketing struggles."

Dagna Bieda is an engineer turned coach and the author of “Brain Refactor”. In this episode, Dagna discusses the common obstacles that prevent engineers from progressing in their careers. She also introduces her latest book, “Brain Refactor,” which offers strategies for overcoming these obstacles and achieving success in tech.

Dagna emphasizes the importance of understanding our “legacy mental code” and how it can impact our career growth. She outlines an algorithm for reprogramming our legacy mental code, discussing practical steps for identifying the root causes, planning the refactors, scripting new responses, and continuously executing improvements.

Towards the end, Dagda dives deeper into handling burnout and dealing with other people and provides practical tips to resolve those common bugs.  

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Dagna Bieda’s Bio
Dagna Bieda is an Engineer turned Coach for Engineers and ambitious professionals in tech. With 10+ years of coding experience and coaching since 2019, she’s the tough love, “been in your shoes” kinda Coach. Her clients' backgrounds include a spectrum ranging from ICs to CTOs, from small startups to FAANG+ companies, from 2 to 20+ years of experience, and from self-taught devs through career-changing Bootcamp grads to college grads and PhDs. She helps her clients reach their potential and exciting career opportunities by refactoring their brains.

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Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/192.
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“One key highlight of the report is that there’s a massive disconnect between engineering leaders and engineers about developer experience."

Andrew Boyagi is a DevOps Evangelist at Atlassian. In this episode, Andrew shares the key findings of the State of Developer Experience Report 2024, including the disconnect between engineering leaders and engineers, the impact of AI on developer experience, and the importance of measuring and improving developer productivity.

Andrew shares practical advice on how to improve developer experience in our organization, emphasizing the importance of communication, continuous improvement, and transparency. We also delve into the role of internal platforms in enhancing developer experience and the importance of engineering culture.

If you’re interested in learning more about developer experience and looking for ways to improve developer productivity, this episode is for you!  

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Andrew Boyagi’s Bio
Andrew is a DevOps Evangelist at Atlassian with more than 20 years of experience in software delivery and service management in enterprise organizations. He provides a practical perspective on how teams and organizations can maximize the benefits of DevOps based on real-life experience.

Before joining Atlassian, Andrew was an Executive Manager at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, where he established and matured a platform engineering function that supported 7,000 engineers. Andrew holds an MBA from Southern Cross University.

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Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

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Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/191.
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“The three core expectations of a Staff+ engineer are having a high blast radius impact, able to do multi-scale planning & influence, and having high ownership & autonomy level.”

What does it take to become a Staff+ engineer? Thiago Ghisi, an experienced engineering leader and a Director of Engineering at Nubank, reveals the secrets in this episode. We discuss the path to becoming a Staff+ engineer and explore the attributes that set successful Staff+ engineers apart.

Thiago emphasizes that technical skills alone are not enough and outlines the three core expectations and three key behaviors for Staff+ engineers to demonstrate. Our conversation concludes with a discussion of the importance of finding role models and learning from their behaviors and approaches rather than following checklists.

If you’re an aspiring Staff+ engineer or simply interested in career growth in tech, don’t miss this episode! Tune in now to unlock the secrets to Staff+ success.  

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Thiago Ghisi’s Bio
Thiago Ghisi is the Director of Engineering for the Mobile Platform team at Nubank. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the software industry, having worked at companies like Apple, ThoughtWorks, and Amex. Ghisi has worn multiple hats - from Programmer to Project Manager to Quality Engineer, back to Engineering, and finally, Engineering Management, where he has been leading cross-functional teams in the Mobile FinTech space for the past eight years. He also hosts a podcast called “Engineering Advice You Didn’t Ask For” and writes extensively about Career & Leadership in Tech on LinkedIn & Twitter.

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Our Sponsors

Enjoy an exceptional developer experience with JetBrains. Whatever programming language and technology you use, JetBrains IDEs provide the tools you need to go beyond simple code editing and excel as a developer.
Check out FREE coding software options and special offers on jetbrains.com/store/#discounts.
Make it happen. With code.

Manning Publications is a premier publisher of technical books on computer and software development topics for both experienced developers and new learners alike. Manning prides itself on being independently owned and operated, and for paving the way for innovative initiatives, such as early access book content and protection-free PDF formats that are now industry standard.
Get a 40% discount for Tech Lead Journal listeners by using the code techlead24 for all products in all formats.

Like this episode?
Show notes & transcript: techleadjournal.dev/episodes/190.
Follow @techleadjournal on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Buy me a coffee or become a patron.