In this episode of the ‘Retrospective’ podcast, we discuss the importance of taking breaks of various lengths to maintain energy, resilience, and mental health. We explain the concepts of macro breaks (e.g., vacations), meso breaks (e.g., long lunches, proper day-closing rituals), and micro breaks (e.g., standing up, brief stretches). We share actionable tips on planning and executing these breaks, emphasizing the need to disconnect truly during vacations, the benefits of time-blocking in your calendar, and using tools like Pomodoro for maximizing productivity. The episode also touches on the physical and mental health benefits of these practices and briefly mentions team-based breaks.

Timeline

00:00 Introduction

00:30 The Importance of Taking Breaks

01:16 Burnout in Middle Management

03:42 Types of Breaks: Macro, Meso, and Micro

05:11 Planning and Executing Effective Vacations

11:14 Incorporating Meso Breaks into Your Day

18:57 The Power of Micro Breaks

27:01 Conclusion and Season Wrap-Up

Links from the episode

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In this episode, we explore a challenge that plagues every engineering team: the constant stream of interruptions that disrupt our workflows. Drawing from our combined experiences working with dozens of engineering teams, we introduce the concept of the “firefighter” role - a structured approach to managing unplanned work that’s transformed how teams handle interruptions.

We dive into the science behind context switching, examine why solutions often fail, and explore a practical framework that turns interruptions from productivity killers into opportunities for systematic improvement.

Key topics we cover:

Show Notes:

How engineering teams handle unplanned work - this article captured my thoughts exactly and includes some really good visualisations of the different approaches.

The Cost of Interrupted Work: More Speed and Stress - UC Irvine study

And a FastCompany article about the study.

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In this episode, we discuss the topic of technical dept. We start with the basic definition, then share techniques about measuring, arguing about and addressing tech debt. A key concept is connecting the issues of technical dept to business goals, to show the concrete pain it causes to organizations. We also discuss prioritization tips and various good and bad examples we saw in our experience.

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In this episode of The Retrospective podcast, co-hosts Jeremy and Peter delve into the characteristics that define a senior software engineer. They explore the multifaceted nature of seniority, emphasizing that it is not just about years of experience but a blend of technical expertise, business awareness, team impact, and leadership skills. Through analogies and personal anecdotes, they illustrate how senior engineers are not just adept at coding but also act as multipliers of their team’s success. They discuss the holistic view and forward-thinking mindset expected of senior engineers, drawing on examples from their own careers. The episode also touches on the importance of fostering growth in others, handling technical debt pragmatically, and effectively communicating complex technical topics. 

Advice is offered to engineering managers on how to guide team members aspiring to reach senior levels, emphasizing the importance of demonstrating these traits consistently over time.

Here are some articles and further food for thought:

Senior Engineers Reduce Risk

Levels of Seniority

Why senior engineers get nothing done

An incomplete list of skills senior engineers need, beyond coding

Looking a bit further ahead of the Senior level:

What a Senior Staff Software Engineer Actually Does

VP, Director, what?

00:00 Intro

00:36 Overview

01:40 Senior People Operate on a Different Time Horizon

05:07 The Impact a Senior Engineer Can Have

06:38 Technical Expertise

08:16 Team Impact

11:44 Business Awareness

16:02 How They Behave

18:34 Demonstrating Leadership

20:29 Advice for Engineering Managers

25:42 Summing it up!

26:18 Outro

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In this episode of the ‘Retrospective’ podcast, Jeremy and Peter explore crucial strategies for engineering managers transitioning to new teams. Emphasizing the importance of early trust-building, quick wins, and effective communication, they reference ‘The First 90 Days’ by Michael D. Watkins. They discuss understanding team dynamics, emotional intelligence, and the role of the previous manager in easing transitions. Key topics include assessing team strengths, managing technical debt, aligning with business goals, and fostering a safe-to-fail culture. The episode concludes with practical advice for new managers navigating stakeholder relationships and ensuring team member growth.

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In this episode of The Retrospective, Peter and Jeremy discuss ‘quiet quitting’ in the workplace, a situation in which employees lose motivation and only do the minimum required.

They discuss how to spot the signs and the reasons behind them, such as changes in company culture or personal struggles.

The conversation also covers how managers can help motivate their team and maintain a positive environment, using strategies like giving feedback and recognising good work.

They also mention the challenges of dealing with quiet quitting, especially when working remotely, and share tips on effectively supporting your team.

00:00 Introduction

00:25 Quiet Quitting

03:07 Situations that can trigger quiet quitting

05:55 It’s not always the company!

06:18 What Motivates People?

07:11 How circumstances can trigger quiet quitting

08:09 Recognising the signs in a remote and in office team members

09:08 Cultural differences

11:44 The consequences of quiet quitting

15:41 How to handle quiet quitting as a manager

20:19 Don’t forget to focus on the whole team

21:11 What are the levers managers have?

25:35 Don’t get sucked in!

27:22 Remove blockers

28:03 Provide Clarity

28:29 One to ones are critical

28:54 Praise and encourage

30:12 Get in touch if you are struggling

30:32 You can’t save everyone!

30:57 Summary

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Join Peter and Jeremy as they kickoff the first episode of Season 2, reflecting on their learnings from Season 1 and outlining exciting changes and plans for the new season.

They discuss their experiences with podcasting, the challenges of editing, and the valuable feedback they received.

This episode covers their motivation to provide focused, impactful content for early-stage engineering managers and leaders, and introduces format changes like shorter, more focused episodes, audio-only format, and potential guest interviews around relevant topics.

00:00 Intros

00:29 Reflections on Season One

01:23 What We Learnt and the Feedback We Got

03:57 Plans for Season Two - focusing on Engineering Managers

04:38 Format Changes - 20 - 30 mins, Audio Only

05:50 One Episode Per Topic

07:13 Interviews and Special Episodes

08:31 Wrapping Up

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Getting Hired: The Recruiter's Perspective with special guest Peter Batiz

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Péter and Jeremy discuss the last stage of the interviewing process: the offer. They include strategies for managing job transitions, including securing roles, negotiating offers, and resigning professionally. The conversation shifts to the transformation of content creation with the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, examining the initial advantages and later toxicities induced by engagement-driven algorithms. The discussion concludes with Péter's new website, whatistiling.com.

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In the second part of the 8th episode of the podcast, Jeremy and Péter discuss engineering manager interview strategies, focusing on Péter’s co-authored article about interviewing for an EM position. They emphasize the importance of the hiring manager interview for showcasing decision-making trustworthiness and delve into technical tests, case studies, and the role of psychometric tests and AI-assisted coding in interviews. To round off, they discuss effectively handling job offers and meeting the prospective team to ensure a cultural fit.

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