Engineering managers who no longer code can use dogfooding as their "maker time." It's a way to contribute directly to product quality, maintain empathy for users and engineers, and build rapport with their team by demonstrating they care about the end product.
For long-tenured employees at big tech companies, a key motivator for leaving can be the desire to prove their skills are transferable outside a familiar ecosystem. It's a deliberate choice to exit a comfort zone and learn a new way of working.
Great mentors explicitly clarify whether a mentee seeks direct advice (mentoring) or guidance to find their own solutions (coaching). This distinction, along with mentee-driven goals, makes the relationship more effective and respects the mentee's agency.
Transitioning to managing managers requires shifting from direct oversight to a partnership model. This involves identifying managers' unique skills to 'divide and conquer' while balancing delegation with verification to stay connected to the project's reality without micromanaging.
High-pressure "war rooms" can create focus but severely damage team morale if their duration is underestimated. Fiona Fung reflects that leaders must have deliberate conversations about the trade-offs and set realistic expectations for these intense periods.
The best way to receive constructive feedback is to simply listen. Resist the engineering impulse to immediately "debug" the situation by asking questions, which can make the giver feel they must justify their feedback. Absorb it first, then reflect and follow up later.
Championing kindness isn't just about being nice. A simple act of flexibility or understanding can be profoundly impactful for a colleague who is silently navigating personal hardship. This underscores the human element in high-pressure work environments.