Effective Engineering Manager

Slava Imeshev and Adam Axelrod•www.effectiveem.com

The Effective Engineering Manager podcast provides proven solutions and best practices to software engineering managers of all levels that allow them to effectively manage teams to deliver results on time and with high quality. This podcast is presented to you by Slava Imeshev and Adam Axelrod. Sharing our knowledge, we leverage 25+ years of our combined engineering management experience in getting stuff done. We share practical recommendations on getting stuff done, project and program management, engineering processes and tools, managing horizontally and vertically, establishing and running effective software development lifecycle, effective meetings and time management, building and managing teams, people management, growing engineering and management careers, and more. Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.

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Episodes

Engineering Management and AI – Part 1/3 – Value

In this first episode of three, we provide a practical introduction to AI for engineering managers. We share that value AI and Large Language Models, or LLM, offer to engineering managers and their teams. In the end we provide a check list for engineering managers to start get value from AI today.

Dec 11, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 40

Maintaining Team Morale Through Tough Times

In this episode, we talk about what causes tough times for companies and how being smart with money and saving up can help keep the business healthy during downturns. We focus on how leaders can boost team morale when things get tough, using tools like one-on-one meetings, positive feedback, kudos programs, and team outings. We also cover the importance of strong engineering leadership, coaching, and career development when facing changes in the organization. Tune in for practical tips and strat...

Jun 05, 2024•29 min•Season 1Ep. 39

Managing Hyperperformers

We dedicate this episode to managing hyper performers. We define who the hyperperformers are, what distinguishes them from the rest of the team and how to manage hyperperformers for the maximum results while retaining them. We share management practices to avoid. In the end provide a checklist that our listeners can use to manage hyperperformers effectively.

Mar 12, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 38

Building Effective Strategy

We present the essential components of developing and communicating a strategy in engineering management, emphasize the need for strategies to be documented, measurable, and aligned with business needs. We share the importance of having a strategy as an engineering manager aspiring to drive change and innovation. We emphasize the need for a clear vision, meaningful goals tied to business value, and continuous iteration. We stress the importance of buy-in in the success of a strategy, highlightin...

Dec 31, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 37

Tim Wenzel: Building Exceptional Teams

We are featuring a guest, Tim Wenzel, who is a Silicon Valley native, expert in recruiting, including building early teams and PayPal and Tesla, and a founder and an executive recruiter at The (A)Lyst Group. Tim shares practical recommendations on feedback, candidate experience, and building teams in dynamic startup environments. In the end, Tim shares a checklist that our listeners can start using today to build exceptional teams.

Aug 03, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 36

Cultivating Trust

We dive deep into the importance of trust in engineering management, and how it impacts productivity. We share that trust is built and reinforced over time. We highlight the different layers of trust, including organizational, team, and individual trust, and emphasize the need for consistency and building trust through actions. We explore the subtle distinction between expectations and trust. We also discuss the emotional toll of mistrust caused by broken trust. In the end we provide a checklist...

Jun 27, 2023•30 min•Season 3Ep. 35

Effective Dependency Management

We share how to manage project dependencies in a way that brings results. We are going to define what a dependency is and how to manage your dependencies to ensure that projects you are a part of are delivered on time and with quality. In the end we will provide a checklist that our listeners can use to ensure that their dependencies are always satisfied.

May 18, 2023•18 min•Season 1Ep. 34

Managing Innovation

We offer an effective way of introducing innovation to an engineering team and getting results regardless of the organization size. In the end we offer an actionable checklist that engineering managers can use to start innovating today.

Jan 01, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 33

Managing Up: Complaining

We are starting a series on managing up. In this episode we talk about how not to communicate work issues to your boss. We define what complaining is and why complaining is ineffective. We provide a checklist that our listeners can use to see if their upward communications are in the complaining territory.

Nov 06, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 32

Effective Remote Work

In this episode, Adam and Slava discuss the new normal of the remote workplace. We discuss the challenges in working remote, key benefits to being remote, and provide guidance for managers to effectively manage remote teams and maximize healthy productivity.

Sep 21, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 31