It’s a turbulent time for our industry. If, two years ago, kicking off a project meant ramping up a new team of senior engineers, today companies don’t have the same luxury. Doing more with less, prioritizing work that matters most, and ensuring top performance within the existing team are the goals of today’s engineering leaders.
This was the main topic of my discussion with Anne-Laure Huin, VP of Engineering at Mollie and former Senior Engineering Manager at Uber. We delved into the impact of the hiring slowdowns on delivering value for customers and adapting the approach of shipping new features to make the most of the changed circumstances.
Interestingly, high performance for Anne-Laure is not about an all-senior team. We discussed balancing seniority within teams and how you can strategically grow with juniors and interns if you have a process in place to set them up for success.
Anne-Laure brings a lot of insights from her experience in Mollie and Uber. You’ll find this discussion especially valuable if you’re struggling to deliver at the same pace as you used to, without being able to scale your team accordingly.
Here are my favorite highlights from this episode:
When scaling teams with limited resources, paying attention to the candidate’s alignment with the company’s vision and values can take you further than assessing tech skills only.
Shipping new features with limited resources requires a deep understanding of the investment vs. impact of the planned feature.
If you’re growing with junior hires, investing in effective onboarding and mentorship programs is crucial.
Promoting from within is a good strategy if the person is ready and well aware of the expectations of the new role. It’s important to distinguish management and individual contributor tracks as distinct career paths, each with different requirements and opportunities to grow.
Metrics are important and they give managers insight on what can be improved. However, managers play a crucial role in understanding and interpreting metrics, and it’s important to use them in context and not blindly trust them.
P.S. There seems to be a glitch with the Apple Podcast button on the side - if you’re unable to open the podcast using that button, try this link instead.
This episode is brought to you by Adeva, a global talent network that connects the world’s best companies with the world’s best tech talent.
Adeva provides access to a global network of top-tier tech and product talent, ready to hit the ground running. With the ability to introduce a candidate within 24 hours and an exceptional 98% success rate on trial engagements, Adeva offers the flexibility for companies to scale their teams up or down as needed.
If you’re looking to expand your team, drive momentum in new projects, or need to backfill a role, Adeva might be the solution you need.
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