?? What do the tech layoffs really tell us?
Yassine Kachchani
I publish Exec Engineering, a weekly digest on Engineering + Talent | Co-founder & CEO at Gemography
Thanks for reading Exec. Eng. a weekly newsletter for the busy tech executive.
If it’s your first time stopping by — Hi, I’m Yassine. I spend a big chunk of my time digging into Engineering Management and Talent Acquisition, especially where the two overlap. I share the most interesting resources I come across in this newsletter, all curated by hand.
Hope the insights bring value.
Hiring Engineers
?? Experts forecasting this year's tech hiring trends (Ruehie Jaiya Karri / Hackerearth)
Experts predict 2023 tech hiring trends as companies aim to retain top talent and deal with the hiring freeze. These trends include a continued focus on culture, diversity, equity, and inclusion, support for employees, and balancing business and personal growth. Quiet quitting will remain a factor, as will the dialogue between talent and employer. HR professionals and engineering managers are advised to prepare to do more with less in the coming year.
?? The rise of the citizen developer will accelerate business efficiency (Katie Madding / Forbes)
Due to a shortage of skilled software workers, businesses are turning to citizen developers to help with product development. A citizen developer is an employee who uses low-code/no-code tools to create applications for their own use or for others. By 2023, there will be at least four times as many citizen developers as professional developers in large companies. To have a successful citizen developer program, businesses must have an internal review framework, clear definitions of tools, IT and engineering support, and celebrate their work. Citizen development has many benefits, including reduced pressure on IT teams, faster time to market, increased productivity and innovation, and reduced costs.
?? What do the tech layoffs really tell us? (Eira May / The Stack Overflow Podcast)
The home team talks about the current state of the tech industry, with a focus on the recent tech layoffs and the options for software engineers beyond the tech industry. The discussion also touches on the rise of analog technology and the need for tools to manage distractions.
?? A better mindset toward resource planning (Aadil Maan / Building Romes)
Effective resource planning requires a combination of the right mindset and realistic goals and timelines. The "pay to play" mentality, where resources are requested without consideration of the challenges of rapid hiring, can lead to overburdened employees and tech debt. The "do what you can with what you have" approach, where resources are adjusted and reallocated based on realistic goals, is more efficient and effective. The best way to plan resources is to start with what can be done with the available resources.
?? Owning your unique experience (Jean Hsu / Jean’s Newsletter)
The author is discussing the common experience of professionals in different fields feeling like they have gaps or deficiencies in their careers, and how this can lead to regret and self-doubt. However, the author encourages people to shift their mindset from a place of deficiency to a place of owning their unique path and experiences and to focus on what brings them joy and energizes them. By embracing their own experiences, skills, and knowledge, people can supplement their career growth with new learning and seek opportunities that align with their passions and goals.
Managing Engineers
?? Prevent quiet quitting by setting healthy boundaries at work (Dorottya Csikai, Sophie Wade / Level Up Engineering Podcast)
Sophie Wade, the founder of Flexcel Network, provides advice on how to prevent quiet quitting, both for employees and leaders. To prevent quiet quitting as an employee, one should assess the situation, consider relocating their skills, and recognize burnout. To prevent quiet quitting as a leader, one should build trust, smooth out generational differences, and engage everyone in the workplace. The episode also touches on job security, work-life balance, and recent indifference as factors that contribute to quiet quitting.
?? A deeper understanding of creativity at work (Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, Martin Seligman / HBR IdeaCast)
Creativity is crucial for innovation and business success, according to Gabriella Rosen Kellerman and Martin Seligman. They identify four types of creativity and emphasize the importance of developing these skills in the age of artificial intelligence advancements.
?? Leading through an economic downturn and bridging the gap between engineering & business (Ryan Graciano / The Engineering Leadership Podcast)
Ryan Graciano, Co-Founder and CTO of Credit Karma, discusses his experiences starting a company during an economic downturn, evolving his leadership style, and running lean operations. He offers advice on bridging the gap between engineering and business, scaling the company, and correcting team and organizational dysfunctions. He shares examples of successful and failed leadership experiments that influenced his leadership style.
?????? Lead without blame: building resilient learning teams (Diana Larsen / TechLead Journal)
The focus on blame in an organization can lead to less productivity, creativity, and energy as people spend more energy avoiding blame than being productive. Instead of a blaming culture, organizations should adopt a learning culture by using the 3 essential motivators and 4 resilience factors to build resilient learning teams.
领英推荐
?? LinearB: the quest for engineering productivity (Luca Rossi / Refactoring)
The article is a deep dive into the culture, processes, and product of LinearB, a company that creates tools to help engineers and managers collaborate effectively. The company's vision is to revolutionize the way engineers and managers work together, and the article covers how LinearB is executing on that vision through a suite of tools. The article also provides a case study on the workflows of a tight-knit product and engineering team navigating a complex space.
Remote Trend
?? Getting remote working right (Michael Chui, Nicholas Bloom / Forward Thinking Podcast)
In this episode, Michael Chui interviews Nicholas Bloom, a professor of Economics at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. The topics discussed include the history of remote work, how it can improve productivity, effective practices for hybrid work, and the difference in views between employers and employees on remote work.
?? Balancing employee trust, empowerment, and compliance in a remote-work world (Shawn Farshchi / Forbes)
Companies are still struggling with remote work management, even after two years of it being a mandate. Many employees are demanding it as a condition of employment. HR leaders see the benefits of remote work but struggle with the relinquishment of control and the concerns of tax and immigration compliance. This article talks about finding the right balance between freedom, empowerment, and compliance by educating employees about the risks, creating a policy with employee wellness in mind, running a trial, making the process simple and clear, and more.
?? Building high-performing remote teams (Mark Cruth / Quartz)
The article discusses the shift of companies such as Disney, Google, and Twitter to require employees to work in the office four days a week. The author believes that a focus on digital tools has led to neglect in communication and alignment practices. They offer a solution in the form of a guide called "Work Life Impact" aimed at improving remote work outcomes by building team cohesion and psychological safety. The guide involves setting the stage, identifying impact areas, reflecting and discussing, creating an action plan, and following up.
?? Fundamentals to secure remote workers (Christian Aboujaoude / Cyber Insights for Executives)
The author highlights the need for a new approach to cybersecurity as remote work becomes more common. They argue that a new culture and mindset are necessary to meet current and future challenges. To change this culture, the author recommends three critical aspects: education, technology, and procedures and practices.
Misc
Top posts of the week
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