Tag: Engineering Leadership

  • S2E34 – Unmasking Burnout

    Show Notes Burnout transcends mere feelings of being overwhelmed; it’s a profound state that can drastically affect personal well-being and the productivity of organizations. Despite its significance to individuals and their workplaces, it remains a concept often enshrouded in mystery and misinformation. Leveraging validated academic research and personal insights, Andy and Mon-Chaio present practical strategies…

  • S2E32 – Addressing Wicked Problems: Clumsy Solutions and the Role of Uncertainty

    Show Notes In episode 29, Andy and Mon-Chaio explored Grint’s taxonomy of tame, critical, and wicked problems and how different problem categories required different leadership tactics. However, Grint had a lot more to say about the tactics necessary to adequately address wicked problems. In this episode, our hosts delve deeper into Grint’s paper and introduce…

  • S2E30 – MX (not the DNS records!)

    Show Notes  In this episode of the TTL podcast, the hosts, Andy and Mon Chiao, discuss the concept of ‘Management Experience’ and its distinction from ‘Employee Experience.’ They explore the importance of management surveys, the challenges of delegation, and ethical implications in a hierarchical setting. They debate the effectiveness of the proposed four pillars for…

  • S2E29 – Critical, Tame, and Wicked Problems

    Show Notes One way of categorizing problems faced by engineering organizations is Keith Grint’s framework of wicked, tame, and critical problems. These problem types, each with their unique characteristics and challenges, require distinct approaches to effectively address them. Join Andy and Mon-Chaio as they provide practical insights and real-world examples to illustrate how engineering leaders…

  • S2E27 – Evaluating Leadership Excellence

    Show Notes It’s something that all companies do and yet it’s still a very misunderstood topic: evaluating the performance of people managers. The majority of methods regularly used for measuring managers rely heavily on superficial metrics and outdated practices that fail to capture the true essence of effective leadership. Join Andy and Mon-Chaio as they…

  • S2E26 – Out of the wartime crisis trap

    Show Notes  In this episode of the Tactics for Tech Leadership podcast, hosts Andy and Mon-chaio explore where leaders should spend their time, touching on the importance of signaling dedication, performance, identity, and power through time management. They discuss the contrast between crisis, wartime leadership, and peacetime stability, emphasizing the Eisenhower Matrix as a tool…

  • S2E24 – Leadership Insights from the Plato Elevate Conference

    Show Notes  In this episode of the TTL podcast, Mon-Chaio and Andy review the recent Plato Elevate Conference in San Francisco. As a unique gathering focused on engineering leadership, Mon-Chaio shares his key takeaways from sessions on effective reorgs, experiments in culture engineering, and the innovative EngOS. The duo also explores the broader value of…

  • S2E21 – VacationCast – A Small Story of Language Diversity

    Show Notes Join Mon-Chaio in this VacationCast episode where he recounts an anecdote from his past involving collaboration, inclusion, and using diverse language in a business environment. References Transcript Mon-Chaio: Hi everyone, and welcome to this week’s episode of The TTL Podcast. Andy is off on a bike adventure somewhere. I think the last I…

  • S2E18 – Leadership Beyond Extroversion

    Show Notes Both conventional wisdom and widespread anecdotes point to the conclusion that extroverts make better leaders. But is there any evidence of this, or is this another belief with little basis in fact? In this episode, Andy and Mon-Chaio examine the misconceptions around introversion and extroversion and dive into the research around the relationship…

  • S2E16 – Misleader Majority

    Show Notes The lack of exceptional leadership in tech companies is far from ideal, and this issue is exacerbated by the widespread presence of poor leaders. The situation becomes particularly troubling when these inadequate leaders believe they are competent or even exceptional. Join Andy and Mon-Chaio in their conversation as they explore the reasons behind…