Welcome to ManagersClub, where you can learn from the world’s most successful and diverse engineering leaders and managers, as well as find curated management resources to help and inspire you to be a great engineering leader.
ManagersClub on YouTube (link)
ManagersClub Podcast
In-depth conversations about engineering management with lessons and tips to make you a better leader and improve your career.
In this interview, we follow the journey of Swathi Sundar, an engineering manager at Benchling and ex-Uber, who, as a tech lead, was suddenly made an engineering manager overnight. Through her personal experiences, Swathi shares the challenges and lessons she learned during this transition period. From managing expectations and leading a team to deal with the pressure and responsibilities of the new software engineering manager role, this video offers valuable insights for anyone looking to move into a management position in the tech industry. Watch now to learn how she navigated this sudden change and emerged as a successful engineering leader.
Swathi also shares her strategies for effectively communicating with her team and stakeholders, as well as how she adapted to the new responsibilities and expectations that come with being an engineering manager. Swathi covers growing a new tech lead. Finally, she also provides tips on transitioning to a new company as an engineering manager. This video is a must-watch for anyone looking to transition smoothly from an engineering role to a management role in the tech industry. With Swathi’s personal experiences and practical advice, you’ll gain valuable insights on navigating this challenging but rewarding journey.
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:20 How Swathi became a manager overnight
- 1:02 How big was your team and what did you do?
- 2:50 What are some things that you quickly had to get up to speed with on management?
- 4:48 Growing a new tech lead 6:13 Difficulty letting go….
- 7:44 Resources that helped you become a manager
- ‘9:13 New relationship with direct reports
- 12:28 Changes during COVID pandemic
- 15:50 Performance management
- 16:39 Final lessons from Uber
- 18:17 Moving to a new company
- 21:03 Additional advice on transitioning to be a manager at a new company
- 22:23 Managing sideways and up
- 25:00 Do you miss coding?
- 26:10 Engineers, code engineering managers write.
- 29:55 Parting advice
RESOURCES
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/swathisundar/
- You’re in Charge — Now What?: The 8 Point Plan : https://amzn.to/3wsxTiG
- Swathi’s writings on medium: https://swathi-sundar.medium.com/
ABOUT ME: I’m Vidal, an author, podcaster, and engineering manager working at LinkedIn in the SF Bay Area. I am on a mission to help and inspire engineering leaders everywhere!
MY BOOKS
- ⭐️ The Software Engineering Manager Interview Guide https://amazon.com/dp/B086JMXP28
- ⭐️ Time Management Tips for Engineering Managers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HM6LSCL
- ⭐️ How to Write an Engineering Manager Resume, https://vidalgraupera.gumroad.com/l/esbgw
CONNECT WITH ME
- ⭐️ My website: https://www.managersclub.com
- ⭐️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vidalgraupera
- ⭐️ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vgraupera
- ⭐️ ManagersClub LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13846374/
- ⭐️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@managersclub
#engineeringmanagement #leadershipdevelopment #womenintech
—
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/managersclub/support
Looking for Ways to Team Build Remotely? This list of Games to Play with Remote or Hybrid Teams Can Help.
This list aims to compile games and activities that can be easily played with remote or hybrid teams over Zoom calls without much setup required for team casual chats. Feel free to suggest in the comments if you find more! Credit for the initial version of this list goes to Beatrix Jones.
Leadership Lessons — Swapna Savant Director of Engineering
Learn to be a great engineering leader. This week I speak with Swapna Savant Director of Engineering at Headspace Health and founder of adaptUp. We talk about presenting to executives, the necessity of inclusive job descriptions in hiring, self-awareness, setting realistic goals rather than aiming for the stars, plus networking ideas, and more!
Improve Your Presentations with Neil Thompson from Teach the Geek to Speak
Teach the Geek to Speak’s Neil Thompson discusses improving presentations this week. We cover: What are engineers’ biggest public speaking challenges? How should presenters prepare? What’s the difference between non-technical and technical audiences? Does the rise of WFH affect how to do presentations over Zoom vs. face-to-face best? And more!
Engineering Leadership with Chintan Shah, VP Engineering at Collective & ex-Uber
Chintan Shan, VP of Engineering at Collective & ex-Uber joins me this week. We talk about the Jobs to be Done framework and great advice for sourcing candidates. In addition, he shares some key points for new managers and two good book recommendations for managers.
Engineering Leadership with Guillermo Manzo, Senior Manager Expedia & US Marine
Guillermo Manzo, Senior Engineering Manager at Expedia, joins me this week. We hear how he went from the Marine Corps to a successful engineering leader. Guillermo offers leadership and delegation tips. We discuss hiring diversity. And we cover his approach to career advancement and leveling up his direct reports among other things.
How to Define the Strategy and Vision for Engineering Teams
How do engineering leaders conceive and document their teams’ strategy and vision? How do they best communicate that strategy to their teams? The recording and transcript are here: https://www.lohika.com/strategy-vision-for-engineering-teams Next week ManagersClub is hosting its first live event in cooperation with Lohika on Tue, Apr…
What is a Fractional CTO with Morgan Craft
In this interview, I speak with Morgan Craft, a fractional CTO in NYC and founder of gitBabel. We discuss what a fractional CTO is, how someone can become one, the challenges, the business of being a fractional CTO, including how much money engineering leaders can make doing it. Morgan also shares some great advice on running a consultancy business and a startup, working with startups, time management, and book recommendations.
People and Product Focused Engineering Leadership with Happy Wang
In this episode, I speak with Happy Wang, SVP of Engineering at Everbridge. We talk about how to be a people and product-focused engineering leader. Happy discusses her approach to hiring at startups and career development. In addition, she shares some key points for new managers and some good book recommendations for managers.
36 Inspiring Interviews with Women Engineering Leaders
This International Women’s Day, I’d like to acknowledge and thank all the extraordinary women engineering leaders featured on ManagersClub. Listen or read these 36 inspiring interviews with women engineering leaders. They are paving the way for change by breaking barriers at work and in their…
Being a Great Coach with Anjuan Simmons Engineering Coach at Help Scout
In this podcast, I talk with Anjuan Simmons, Engineering Coach at Help Scout. We discuss how an engineering manager is like a coach. Anjuan has some great advice for aspiring engineering managers. We discuss a key insight between dissatisfaction and satisfaction. He talks about his player-centric approach, unique approach to time management, as well as some great reading recommendations and critical insights.
