[Discussion] What Would You Change in the Following Approach? A few weeks ago, I received a message from a recent UCLA graduate—we’ll call him Alex—who was deep into preparing for Amazon’s SDE 1 interview process. His message was short but urgent: “I don’t have enough stories for the behavioral …
Continue ReadingHow to Deal with Junior Developers Who Seek Feedback but Resist Change Navigating the complexities of software development can be challenging, especially when you’re working with junior developers who frequently seek your feedback but seem to dismiss it in favor of their own ideas. This …
Continue ReadingVery Incompetent Team Member: Navigating Workplace Dynamics In any professional environment, particularly within large organizations, team dynamics can become complicated when one member consistently underperforms. The challenge often lies in addressing these issues without coming off as a …
Continue ReadingAnalyzing LeetCode Problem 1617: Count Subtrees with Max Distance Between Cities As a budding software engineer, I embarked on a journey to enhance my problem-solving skills using LeetCode. One of the challenges I encountered was LeetCode Problem 1617, which revolves around counting subtrees based …
Continue ReadingAre There Exercises You’ve Done That You’ve Found Useful When Starting to Manage a New Team? Starting to manage a new team can be both exciting and daunting. It presents an opportunity to shape the team’s culture, improve processes, and drive results. However, it also comes with …
Continue ReadingI’ve used TDD throughout my career—have you tried it? What challenges or misconceptions hold your team back from adopting it? Test-Driven Development (TDD) has been a hot topic in software engineering circles for years, yet it remains a polarizing subject. Having used TDD throughout my career, …
Continue ReadingHow to Help Your Team Member Improve Without Insulting Them In the collaborative world of software development, we often encounter situations where a team member’s work might not meet the expected standards. This can lead to frustration not only for the person reviewing the code but also for the …
Continue ReadingWhat Style 1:1 Do You Run with Your Reports & Manager? In the ever-evolving landscape of remote work, one-on-one (1:1) meetings have become essential for managers and their teams. They offer a dedicated time to connect, share feedback, and discuss individual achievements and challenges. Having …
Continue ReadingNavigating the Challenges of Structuring an EM Book Hey everyone, I recently published a post detailing my struggles with structuring the engineering management book I’m currently working on. If you find this topic intriguing or relatable, I invite you to check it out here. The Dilemma of Structure …
Continue ReadingGood Questions/Problems for Assessing Documentation Skills in Technical Interviews When it comes to interviewing candidates for software development positions, one of the often-overlooked skills is documentation. In a field that thrives on clear communication, the ability to document code and …
Continue ReadingSafe vs ALL-IN Engineering Management In the fast-paced world of technology, the role of engineering managers is more critical than ever. As leaders, they face a fundamental choice in their management style: to adopt a ‘safe’ approach or to go ‘ALL-IN.’ This post will explore …
Continue Reading