Even in good times it requires a lot of effort to be a really great people manager.

 

However - good times usually mean growth and profitability, which afford managers the opportunity to reward their people.   Reward through cold, hard cash – bonus and raises – but also good times allow managers to show employees’ career development as the organization grows.

 

In tough times managers need to go back to fundamentals.

 

First – be a great communicator. During tough times be as transparent as possible with the state of [...] read more »

 

My sister reminded me that October is Women’s History Month and this year’s theme is “Women in the Lead”.

 

Research by Engineers Canada in 2004 shows that enrollment in engineering programs increased until 2000, but since then enrollment has leveled off and there are now signs of decline. So although more women are joining the technology sector, it has long been a man’s world and, considering the statistics, this will probably continue for years to come.

  So, in honor of Women’s History Month, [...] read more »

 

Over the years I have mentored many engineers who are at a point where they are thinking about moving into management. We end up talking a lot about what makes a good manager, but I always try to move the conversation to whether the management role is something they would actually enjoy.

  It is important for a [...] read more »

The month of August is pretty quiet around the office. Kids are out of school, and here in Canada it has finally thawed out enough to go outside. Some people are taking advantage to get a couple of weeks of sun on their face before kids are back in school, then Halloween, [...] read more »

    At this time of year I really admire my mother. A teacher for over thirty years she probably churned out more than 2,000 report cards. I remember especially those years she was a Kindergarten teacher and had a full class [...] read more »

Changes in communication and collaboration technology help us access more labor markets than ever before. Now it is becoming more common to see engineers from all around the world working together to design and deliver new products. 

 

While it can be beneficial, there are a few things to keep in mind when setting up a multi-city team.

 

Architecture

  Make sure your product [...] read more »

In the book “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell, the final chapter talks about a revolution in the world of classical music.

  Over the past decades, unions were formed which fought for proper contracts, health benefits, and fairness in hiring practices.   Audition processes became more formalized; musicians were identified by number instead of name,  and screens were erected between the hiring committee and the person auditioning. The new audition processes triggered a change which was not [...] read more »

 

The schedule has slipped. The budget is blown. The design is wrong.

 

If you are a leader, sooner or later you are going to be dealt bad news. And, if there is one thing that baffles me about the technology sector, it is how we ended up with such a disproportionate number of hot head leaders who cannot handle it! Personally I have witnessed sputtering to full blown eruption – it manifests itself in different ways but the result are the same.

 

So, to all you hot heads out there – here is my advice:

  Chill out! - Make your team an [...] read more »

 

We’ve all had our “Aha! Moments” – sudden and unexpected moments of clarity.

  Flashback to me as a newly minted senior leader – brave, keen, and naïve. Part of what drove me up the management ranks was my people skills; I liked the human side of the business as much as the technology side. And I was good with people, I liked to communicate and I tried to be a good listener. I liked harmony in my teams and spent a lot of time and energy as “armchair psychologist” mediating between individuals, between teams and between [...] read more »

They're good - and they know it. The brilliant engineer, the best of the best, the superstar... You've hired them or you've inherited them, now you need to survive them. 

Logic dictates to make the best product you need the [...] read more »