Building data engineering teams from scratch & transitioning to a full-scale data function w/ Colleen Tartow #160

The Engineering Leadership Podcast

#MBA #Business #ELC #Tech #Podcasting Education #Special Features

51:40

Despite having a strong product idea, Reid Hoffman’s first startup collapsed, forcing him to return investors’ capital. This tough experience reshaped his approach to entrepreneurship. By embracing failure, iterating quickly, and adapting relentlessly, he went on to become a leader at PayPal and later, the co-founder of LinkedIn. In this episode, Reid shares the concept of blitzscaling, which prioritizes speed over perfection, smart strategies for taking risks, and insights on achieving rapid market dominance. In this episode, Hala and Reid will discuss: (00:00) Introduction (01:32) Building Impact-Driven Businesses (02:56) Why We Need More Entrepreneurs (04:31) The Vision Behind LinkedIn’s Success (06:43) Lessons from a Failed Startup (09:26) Making Quick, Intense Decisions at PayPal (12:39) Blitzscaling: Prioritizing Speed Over Efficiency (18:10) Maintaining Company Culture While Scaling (21:20) The Power of Early Market Dominance (25:01) The Five Stages of Company Growth (28:54) Strategies for Taking Intelligent Risks (31:44) Why Product Perfection Delays Success (33:25) Pivoting Early to Seize New Opportunities (36:18) Entrepreneurship as a Team Sport Reid Hoffman is an entrepreneur, investor, partner at Greylock, and co-founder of LinkedIn and Inflection AI. He was an executive at PayPal and a founding investor in several companies, including OpenAI. Reid actively supports various non-profits and has received numerous accolades, including an honorary CBE from the Queen of England and the Salute to Greatness Award from the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for his philanthropic efforts. Resources Mentioned: Reid’s Book, Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies : amzn.to/4jnQkfQ Sponsored By: OpenPhone - Get 20% off 6 months at openphone.com/PROFITING Shopify - Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at youngandprofiting.co/shopify Airbnb - Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb.com/host Rocket Money - Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to rocketmoney.com/profiting Indeed - Get a $75 job credit at indeed.com/profiting RobinHood - Receive your 3% boost on annual IRA contributions, sign up at robinhood.com/gold Active Deals - youngandprofiting.com/deals Key YAP Links Reviews - ratethispodcast.com/yap Youtube - youtube.com/c/YoungandProfiting LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/htaha/ Instagram - instagram.com/yapwithhala/ Social + Podcast Services: yapmedia.com Transcripts - youngandprofiting.com/episodes-new All Show Keywords: Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship podcast, Business, Business podcast, Self Improvement, Self-Improvement, Personal development, Starting a business, Strategy, Investing, Sales, Selling, Psychology, Productivity, Entrepreneurs, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Technology, Marketing, Negotiation, Money, Finance, Side hustle, Startup, mental health, Career, Leadership, Mindset, Health, Growth mindset. Career, Success, Entrepreneurship, Productivity, Careers, Startup, Entrepreneurs, Business Ideas, Growth Hacks, Career Development, Money Management, Opportunities, Professionals, Workplace, Career podcast, Entrepreneurship podcast…

hace un año 42:37

MP3•Episodio en casa

As the Field CTO & Head of Strategy @ VAST Data, Colleen Tartow, Ph.D., has a vast resume of building data engineering teams from scratch and beyond. Colleen discusses the necessary components for developing new or reorienting existing data programs, strategies for effective communication & collaboration between data & eng functions, the implications of AI technology on data engineering, and integrating cross-functional partners into the data eng planning process & road map. Plus Colleen shares about building the hiring process for data eng functions, when the “data engineering” term or role didn’t exist yet, and how you can apply that to other emerging or undefined functions!

ABOUT COLLEEN TARTOW

Colleen Tartow, Ph.D. is Field CTO and Head of Strategy at VAST Data and has 20+ years of experience in data, analytics, engineering, and consulting. Adept at assisting organizations in deriving value from a data-driven culture, she has successfully led diverse data, engineering, and analytics teams through the development of complex global data management solutions and architecting enterprise data systems. Her demonstrated excellence in data, engineering, analytics, and diversity leadership makes her a trusted senior advisor among executives. An experienced speaker, author, valued mentor and startup advisor, Colleen holds degrees in astrophysics and lives in Massachusetts.

"Everyone wants to be data driven, right? Like no one's going to say, 'No, we don't want data. We just want to function with opinions.' Like nobody's actually going to say that. But that said, getting started on that can be really challenging...
With anything, you have to go back to what does the business really need. Going back to the revenue drivers and the business pain points that you're going to help solve, whether it's monetizing your data directly or using data as an enablement function to actually help in other areas and so I think getting the organization to understand that data is a product of the business and then sort of working back from there into what does that specifically mean.”

- Colleen Tartow

Interested in joining an ELC Peer Group?

ELCs Peer Groups provide a virtual, curated, and ongoing peer learning opportunity to help you navigate the unknown, uncover solutions and accelerate your learning with a small group of trusted peers.

Apply to join a peer group HERE: sfelc.com/peerGroups

SHOW NOTES:

Colleen’s experience building a data program from scratch (2:25)
What it used to be like building a data engineering team (4:43)
Narrowing to first principles when hiring for / building a data eng team (6:44)
Frameworks to advocate for more resources to build your org’s data function (7:53)
Knowing when you need to transition your data side project to a full data program (10:11)
Building data teams from a zero to one perspective (13:05)
What “onboarding as discovery” conversations look like (14:38)
Joining an existing team to implement a defined data-focused function (16:14)
How to have effective conversations & collaborate with other eng functions (19:19)
Prioritization strategies when refocusing / creating the data eng org roadmap (21:20)
How to integrate cross-functional partners into the data eng planning process (22:51)
The implication of AI on data teams & its intersection with eng teams (24:09)
Colleen’s decision-making framework (27:54)
Recommendations for tackling complex data pipelines in different ways (29:27)
Navigating the paradigm of AI & data eng’s impact on other eng orgs (31:31)
What the ideal collaboration between data & eng looks like (34:01)
Recommendations for dealing with points of friction (35:21)
Steps for aligning data & eng under the same goals (37:16)
Rapid fire questions (39:04)

LINKS AND RESOURCES

The Lioness of Boston - Emily Franklin’s deeply evocative novel of the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a daring visionary who created an inimitable legacy in American art and transformed the city of Boston itself.

This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:

Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host

Jerry Li - Co-Host

Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/

Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/

Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/

223 episodios

Building data engineering teams from scratch & transitioning to a full-scale data function w/ Colleen Tartow #160

The Engineering Leadership Podcast

64 subscribers

published hace un año

MP3•Episodio en casa

ABOUT COLLEEN TARTOW

"Everyone wants to be data driven, right? Like no one's going to say, 'No, we don't want data. We just want to function with opinions.' Like nobody's actually going to say that. But that said, getting started on that can be really challenging...
With anything, you have to go back to what does the business really need. Going back to the revenue drivers and the business pain points that you're going to help solve, whether it's monetizing your data directly or using data as an enablement function to actually help in other areas and so I think getting the organization to understand that data is a product of the business and then sort of working back from there into what does that specifically mean.”

- Colleen Tartow

Interested in joining an ELC Peer Group?

Apply to join a peer group HERE: sfelc.com/peerGroups

SHOW NOTES:

Colleen’s experience building a data program from scratch (2:25)
What it used to be like building a data engineering team (4:43)
Narrowing to first principles when hiring for / building a data eng team (6:44)
Frameworks to advocate for more resources to build your org’s data function (7:53)
Knowing when you need to transition your data side project to a full data program (10:11)
Building data teams from a zero to one perspective (13:05)
What “onboarding as discovery” conversations look like (14:38)
Joining an existing team to implement a defined data-focused function (16:14)
How to have effective conversations & collaborate with other eng functions (19:19)
Prioritization strategies when refocusing / creating the data eng org roadmap (21:20)
How to integrate cross-functional partners into the data eng planning process (22:51)
The implication of AI on data teams & its intersection with eng teams (24:09)
Colleen’s decision-making framework (27:54)
Recommendations for tackling complex data pipelines in different ways (29:27)
Navigating the paradigm of AI & data eng’s impact on other eng orgs (31:31)
What the ideal collaboration between data & eng looks like (34:01)
Recommendations for dealing with points of friction (35:21)
Steps for aligning data & eng under the same goals (37:16)
Rapid fire questions (39:04)

LINKS AND RESOURCES

The Lioness of Boston - Emily Franklin’s deeply evocative novel of the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a daring visionary who created an inimitable legacy in American art and transformed the city of Boston itself.

This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:

Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host

Jerry Li - Co-Host

Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/

Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/

Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/

223 episodios

#MBA #Business #ELC #Tech #Podcasting Education #Special Features

Todos los episodios

1
From early days to IPO: Scaling leadership, enterprise growth, product ownership, & outgrowing your failure modes w/ Jon Hyman #215 57:14

hace 5 días57:14

57:14

ABOUT JON HYMAN Jon Hyman is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Braze, the customer engagement platform that delivers messaging experiences across push, email, in-app, and more. He leads the charge for building the platform’s technical systems and infrastructure as well as overseeing the company’s technical operations and engineering team. Prior to Braze, Jon served as lead engineer for the Core Technology group at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund. There, he managed a team that maintained 80+ software assets and was responsible for the security and stability of critical trading systems. Jon met cofounder Bill Magnuson during his time at Bridgewater, and together they won the 2011 TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon. Jon is a recipient of the SmartCEO Executive Management Award in the CIO/CTO Category for New York. Jon holds a B.A. from Harvard University in Computer Science. ABOUT BRAZE Braze is the leading customer engagement platform that empowers brands to Be Absolutely Engaging.™ Braze allows any marketer to collect and take action on any amount of data from any source, so they can creatively engage with customers in real time, across channels from one platform. From cross-channel messaging and journey orchestration to Al-powered experimentation and optimization, Braze enables companies to build and maintain absolutely engaging relationships with their customers that foster growth and loyalty. The company has been recognized as a 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Companies to Work For, 2024 Best Small & Medium Workplaces in Europe by Great Place to Work®, 2024 Fortune Best Workplaces for Women™ by Great Place to Work® and was named a Leader by Gartner® in the 2024 Magic Quadrant™ for Multichannel Marketing Hubs and a Strong Performer in The Forrester Wave™: Email Marketing Service Providers, Q3 2024. Braze is headquartered in New York with 15 offices across North America, Europe, and APAC. Learn more at braze.com . SHOW NOTES: What Jon learned from being the only person on call for his company’s first four years (2:56) Knowing when it’s time to get help managing your servers, ops, scaling, etc. (5:42) Establishing areas of product ownership & other scaling lessons from the early days (9:25) Frameworks for conversations on splitting of products across teams (12:00) The challenges, complexities & strategies behind assigning ownership in the early days (14:40) Founding Braze (18:01) Why Braze? The story & insights behind the original vision for Braze (20:08) Identifying Braze’s product market fit (22:34) Early-stage PMF challenges faced by Jon & his co-founders (25:40) Pivoting to focus on enterprise customers (27:48) “Let’s integrate the SDK right now” - founder-led sales ideas to validate your product (29:22) Behind the decision to hire a chief revenue officer for the first time (34:02) The evolution of enterprise & its impact on Braze’s product offering (36:42) Growing out of your early-stage failure modes (39:00) Why it’s important to make personnel decisions quickly (41:22) Setting & maintaining a vision pre IPO vs. post IPO (44:21) Jon’s next leadership evolution & growth areas he is focusing on (49:50) Rapid fire questions (52:53) LINKS AND RESOURCES When We Cease to Understand the World - Benjamín Labatut’s fictional examination of the lives of real-life scientists and thinkers whose discoveries resulted in moral consequences beyond their imagining. At a breakneck pace and with a wealth of disturbing detail, Labatut uses the imaginative resources of fiction to tell the stories of Fritz Haber, Alexander Grothendieck, Werner Heisenberg, and Erwin Schrödinger, the scientists and mathematicians who expanded our notions of the possible. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Essential questions & leadership principles to navigate change, fear & uncertainty w/ Rukmini Reddy #214 45:38

hace 12 días45:38

45:38

ABOUT RUKMINI REDDY Rukmini Reddy is the Senior Vice President of Engineering, responsible for managing product and platform delivery, infrastructure, and data science. Reddy joins PagerDuty from Slack where she guided the vision, strategy, and execution of a comprehensive re-architecture, transforming the messaging software into an automation platform that empowered users to streamline their work. Additionally, Rukmini spent over a decade in senior executive roles at various enterprise companies, where she built a strong track record in driving engineering and product strategy during periods of hyper-growth and product transformation across SaaS, B2B, and B2C business models. Rukmini has a master of science degree in computer engineering from the University of Arkansas and earned a bachelor’s degree from Osmania University in computer science and engineering. SHOW NOTES: How the role of engineering leadership has evolved from 2021 to 2025 (2:35) The rising importance of financial acumen & enduring importance of resilience in engineering leadership (5:28) Key questions to ground and align your team with mission, vision, customer impact, and position to win the market (7:04) What it means to become the leader your business needs (9:31) “Hugging the elephant” and overcoming fear & uncertainty in 2021 vs. today (12:26) Five questions to help you lead your team through transitions and change (16:03) How to incorporate this framework to drive org change with empathy (18:10) How to address questions about job security and future roles within an organization (20:21) Strategies to guide your team through unspoken fears & unknowns (23:47) Rukmini’s advice to create high-trust, high-impact sources of support through fear, uncertainty, and doubt for the first time (25:19) Navigating org change from first principles (27:21) How to move from the “informed pessimism” dip to “curious optimism” as a team & org (30:00) Using evangelism & experimentation to tackle common adoption fears (34:07) Examples of enablement & skill development / delivery (37:32) The role of enforcement in the adoption transformation curve (39:07) Rapid fire questions (42:33) LINKS AND RESOURCES Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters -Richard P. Rumelt clarifies the muddled thinking underlying too many strategies and provides a clear way to create and implement a powerful action-oriented strategy for the real world. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Building platforms, ecosystems & open-source communities: Lessons from Viam & MongoDB w/ Eliot Horowitz @ Viam #213 42:54

hace 19 días42:54

42:54

ABOUT ELIOT HOROWITZ Eliot Horowitz is the Founder and CEO of Viam, an engineering platform unlocking AI, automation, and data for devices in the physical world. With a deep commitment to advancing technology, Eliot leads Viam in helping companies build solutions across robotics, food and beverage, climate, marine, industrial manufacturing, and more. A career software developer and technology leader, Eliot co-founded MongoDB in 2007, writing the core code base for the pioneering database and leading the engineering and product teams for 13 years as CTO. MongoDB, which went public in 2017, has since reached a market cap of over $20 billion. Before MongoDB, he co-founded the ecommerce company ShopWiki and served as CTO, and he began his career in software development in the R&D group of adtech firm DoubleClick. Eliot is passionate about using technology to address pressing societal issues, including working with WAVS to protect marine life in the North Atlantic and supporting Billion Oyster Project’s work to help restore New York Harbor’s ecosystem. SHOW NOTES: The origin story of founding Viam (2:56) How Viam can be a game-changing platform, accelerating robotics software & hardware 10x to 100x (4:33) The ideation journey behind Viam: Building a platform that simplifies the integration of hardware and software development (6:11) Solving challenges with seamless APIs, a modular system, the right abstraction layers, and a comprehensive platform (9:54) Key questions for identifying the right abstraction layers at Viam (11:32) Optimizing your platform for flexibility and ease of use (13:32) The evolution of product building, from first-hand experience to customer-driven (16:33) How Eliot’s MongoDB Experience shaped Viam’s user-centric approach, open-source strategy, business model & ecosystem approach (18:48) Cultivating developer communities & leveraging community insights at MongoDB & Viam (23:01) Frameworks for deciding on your business model & pricing (24:52) Eliot’s approach to building developer tools & products used by engineers (26:23) Aligning your eng team & stakeholders on the product vision (29:51) What it means to deeply understand engineers and how they interact with your product (31:10) Strategies for eng leaders to better connect with customers (34:38) Viam’s real-world applications & what’s next (36:31) Rapid fire questions (39:31) LINKS AND RESOURCES Viam - At Viam, we believe in the power of technology to make our world smarter, happier, and more sustainable. We're building a revolutionary engineering platform for problem-solving in the physical world, so that innovators from all disciplines can address humanity's most complex challenges with practical solutions. Together with our partners, we're committed to making a lasting positive impact on industries, communities, and the planet. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Leading transformation, inspiring vision & empowering teams to operate autonomously w/ Kevin Stewart #212 47:33

hace 26 días47:33

47:33

ABOUT KEVIN STEWART Kevin Stewart is an engineering executive focused on building teams to build products. He has helped shape the engineering culture at a number of startups, digital agencies and cloud companies. Kevin is particularly experienced in leading remote and distributed teams to consistently deliver quality products. Although he currently resides in Seattle, Kevin is a lifelong New Yorker with dreams of relocating to a sunny island in the Caribbean. SHOW NOTES: Determining what you think is broken vs. what is actually broken (2:57) Focusing on the root issues around leadership & decision-making (4:46) Strategies for identifying the root cause of what is broken (9:08) A framework for diagnosing issues, making a compelling case to stakeholders, and driving high-impact change (10:59) Factors that impact decision making authority on your teams (13:53) Signals that your org faces learned helplessness & how to override it (16:13) Kevin’s advice for leaders who realize they contribute to a fearful environment (18:26) Kevin’s journey @ Splice and aligning personal values with the company mission (21:02) Challenges behind new strategy rollouts and the need for a customer-centric “north star” (26:26) Witnessing the emotional impact of your product on customers (29:44) Repetition is key when it comes to reinforcing your org’s vision (30:48) Prioritizing your time & resources between strategic and tactical work (32:32) Frameworks for aggressively auditing your calendar (35:47) How to empower your team and delegate. so they can operate autonomously and you can shift your focus to strategy and business objectives (37:37) Rapid fire questions (41:38) LINKS AND RESOURCES The Nvidia Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant - Tae Kim’s deeply reported business history of the chip-designer Nvidia—from its founding in 1993 to its recent emergence as one of the most valuable corporations in the world—explaining how the company’s culture, overseen by cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang, has powered its incredible success. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Accelerating & upskilling your AI learning journey w/ Maher Hanafi #211 46:44

hace 5 weeks46:44

46:44

ABOUT MAHER HANAFI Maher Hanafi is a seasoned technology engineering leader, driving digital transformation and delivering impactful SaaS solutions. As Senior Vice President of Engineering at Betterworks, he leads the AI vision and applications for their AI-powered performance management software, overseeing the integration of AI tools that enhance HR functions like performance reviews, goal setting and employee development. Maher's passion for technology centers on the transformative potential of AI, particularly Generative AI. He views it as a powerful tool capable of learning, adapting and solving real-world problems, and champions its responsible development to empower individuals. Maher's vision extends beyond technology, aiming to revolutionize tech workplaces by fostering human potential alongside cutting-edge solutions. He employs a people-centric leadership style, building collaborative environments that empower teams to excel. This commitment to empowerment extends to mentoring fellow engineering leaders and sharing his knowledge through public speaking. ABOUT COREY COTO Corey Coto is a creative, data-driven, and innovative executive. He founded Kaizen Insights to help enterprises create business intelligence with their people. Corey was SVP of Product, Design and Engineering at a Vista Equity Partners portfolio company and held engineering leadership roles at Amazon, CoStar Group, and Liberty Mutual. He is a Founder Institute Mentor, an ELC Seattle Chapter Lead, and a startup advisor. Software is his favorite artistic medium because of its power to quickly move the needle on big ideas that can benefit people and the planet. He believes there has never been a better time to build. The future is bright! SHOW NOTES: When Maher realized he needed to rethink his approach to AI & upskill quickly (3:38) Milestones across Maher’s AI knowledge progression (7:42) Set aside time for your eng team to experiment & apply AI learnings (11:09) Why intentionally building different use cases leads to better outcomes (14:22) The importance of revisiting AI decisions as a team (16:53) Frameworks for determining how deep to go into each learning area (19:37) How to navigate the challenges of going from proof of concept to production (22:43) Evaluating the ROI of AI applications (26:47) Strategies for deciding which resources / operating expenses go toward AI use cases (29:24) Tips for developing stakeholder confidence in your AI strategy (32:36) How non-technical experts can build AI awareness & confidence (36:22) Betterworks’ AI roadmap for 2025 (38:48) Rapid fire questions (40:58) LINKS AND RESOURCES Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Daniel H. Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life. He examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action in a unique book that will change how we think and transform how we live. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Data governance, adversarial testing & more - Essential strategies to scale AI responsibly in a shifting regulatory environment w/ Jim Palmer #210 48:58

hace 6 weeks48:58

48:58

ABOUT JIM PALMER Jim Palmer is the Chief AI Officer at Dialpad. Previously he was CTO and Co-Founder of TalkIQ, a conversational intelligence start-up with expertise in real-time speech recognition and natural language processing, acquired by Dialpad in May of 2018. Prior to TalkIQ, he was the founding engineer on the eBay Now local delivery service. SHOW NOTES: Tips and cheat codes for navigating AI governance (3:30) Breaking down red teaming & adversarial testing in AI governance (8:02) Launching and scaling adversarial testing efforts (11:27) Unexpected benefits unlocked with adversarial testing (13:43) Understanding data governance and strategic AI investments (15:38) Building resilient AI from concept to customer validation (19:28) Exploring early feature validation and pattern recognition in AI (22:38) Adaptability in data management and ensuring safe, ethical data use while adapting to evolving legal and governance requirements (26:51) How to prepare data for safe and sustainable long-term use (30:02) Strategies for compliant data practices in a regulated world (32:43) Building data deletion systems with model training in mind (35:14) Current events and trends shaping adaptability and durability in the AI ecosystem (38:38) The role of a Chief AI Officer (41:20) Rapid fire questions (44:35) LINKS AND RESOURCES Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World - With deep and exclusive reporting, across hundreds of interviews, New York Times Silicon Valley journalist Cade Metz brings you into the rooms where these questions are being answered. Where an extraordinarily powerful new artificial intelligence has been built into our biggest companies, our social discourse, and our daily lives, with few of us even noticing. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Capturing & synthesizing unbiased insights from users, your open source community & yourself w/ James Campbell #209 43:59

hace 7 weeks43:59

43:59

ABOUT JAMES CAMPBELL James Campbell is the co-founder and CTO at Great Expectations, the leading open-source data quality product. Prior to his life at a startup, James spent nearly 15 years working across a variety of quantitative and qualitative analytic roles in the US intelligence community, ultimately serving as Chief Data Scientist at CIA. He studied Math and Philosophy at Yale, and international security at Georgetown. He is passionate about creating tools that help communicate uncertainty and build intuition about complex systems. This episode is brought to you by Clipboard Health Clipboard Health is looking for the next generation of exceptional software engineering leaders , not just managers. They’re a profitable unicorn, backed by top-tier investors, and they take the craft of engineering management seriously. Clipboard Health matches highly qualified healthcare workers with nearby facilities to fulfill millions of shifts a year - revolutionizing healthcare staffing with a fast, flexible, and user-friendly platform. Learn more & browse their open roles at clipboardhealth.com/engineering SHOW NOTES: The origin story of Great Expectations & James’ founding journey (3:28) Pitching / validating your idea through community (6:24) Transitioning from federal government to co-founder of a company (9:20) Recommendations when considering the founder / collaboration path (11:30) James’ experience starting with open source & getting 10k stars on GitHub (13:15) Engaging with your audience to drive growth & share your product’s message (15:17) How open source impacts Great Expectations’ marketing / communication (16:58) Navigating the tension between product vision & product roadmap (19:21) Where that tension showed up in Great Expectations’ early days (22:11) Capturing & synthesizing insights from your users (23:54) Strategies for removing biases from product-related decisions (25:37) Finding the balance between your perspective & community insights (27:13) James’ perspective on different levels of product analysis (29:54) Lessons learned from Great Expectations’ phase changes (31:22) Takeaways from the org’s latest experience / transition (34:51) Defining the “Heilmeier Catechism” & how it impacts James’ leadership style (37:07) Rapid fire questions (40:40) LINKS AND RESOURCES CIA Guide to Analytic Tradecraft - Primer published by the CIA to assist analysts in dealing with the perennial problems of intelligence. American Prometheus - Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s definitive biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a brilliant physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Upskilling: practices to improve hiring, storytelling & structuring personal/leadership problems with engineering principles #208 43:39

hace 8 weeks43:39

43:39

ABOUT COLLEEN TARTOW Colleen Tartow, Ph.D. is Field CTO and Head of Strategy at VAST Data and has 20+ years of experience in data, analytics, engineering, and consulting. Adept at assisting organizations in deriving value from a data-driven culture, she has successfully led diverse data, engineering, and analytics teams through the development of complex global data management solutions and architecting enterprise data systems. Her demonstrated excellence in data, engineering, analytics, and diversity leadership makes her a trusted senior advisor among executives. An experienced speaker, author, valued mentor and startup advisor, Colleen holds degrees in astrophysics and lives in Massachusetts. ABOUT JIM LIU Jim Liu is an accomplished engineering leader with a track record of driving business outcomes at companies like StockX and Nordstrom. He is also an active community builder with Engineering Leader Community and Angel Investor communities. Jim and his family reside in Seattle, WA. ABOUT DIVYA ALAVARTHI Divya Alavarthi is an experienced engineering and business leader with 14+ years of expertise in architecture, engineering, product delivery, pre-sales, professional services, and organizational leadership. She developed Salesforce Platform architecture standards, best practices, and minimal viable architectures. She supported a talent pool of 5000+ architects and developers resulting in improved strategic agility, speed to market, and business value in large-scale multi-cloud implementations. This episode is brought to you by Clipboard Health Clipboard Health is looking for the next generation of exceptional software engineering leaders , not just managers. They’re a profitable unicorn, backed by top-tier investors, and they take the craft of engineering management seriously. Clipboard Health matches highly qualified healthcare workers with nearby facilities to fulfill millions of shifts a year - revolutionizing healthcare staffing with a fast, flexible, and user-friendly platform. Learn more & browse their open roles at clipboardhealth.com/engineering SHOW NOTES: The importance of leadership in hiring (1:29) The Tartow Method Explained: Key aspects of a successful hiring practice (3:57) How to build out the interview process & ask the right questions (6:14) Behavioral Interviews and good responses: Tips for gaining clarity from interviewees on abstract skills (7:52) Where eng leaders can start building their hiring skill set (9:16) Colleen’s experience co-leading ELC Boston & advice for 1st time event attendees (10:36) Understanding how to model problems as engineering challenges (14:41) How to use an engineering mindset to tackle personal problems (16:35) Jim’s process for deconstructing problems & solving them like an engineer (18:38) Tips for building / applying your skill set around abstracting problems (21:27) Jim’s perspective on getting involved with a local ELC community (24:36) Ways to help make the most out of your first ELC local experience (27:05) Divya shares about the power of storytelling in engineering leadership (30:07) Build the narrative about your product’s business impact (32:24) An example of bringing different demos & storytelling together (34:09) Frameworks for effective storytelling: build a narrative around a product / demo (36:16) How to start improving your storytelling today (37:35) Divya’s favorite moments with the ELC Seattle chapter & how to get involved (39:42) LINKS AND RESOURCES Check out all of our local chapters & get involved here: elc.community/home/clubs This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
GTM Insights from Top DevTool companies w/ David Mytton #207 51:20

hace 9 weeks51:20

51:20

ABOUT DAVID MYTTON A dynamic approach to tech innovation, security, sustainability, and developer empowerment can be seen in everything David Mytton touches. As co-founder of Console and host of the Console DevTools Podcast , he delights in keeping developers ahead of the curve with the tools they need the most. As the founder of Server Density (acquired by StackPath ), he created a product that helped organizations manage mission-critical IT environments. As a sustainable computing researcher at Oxford and a global green tech speaker, he’s brought much-needed attention to the impact of cloud emissions and the water and energy consumption of the data centers that fuel our online lives. Now, as founder and CEO of Arcjet , he’s helping developers and businesses protect their apps with just a few lines of code. His professional career is a direct reflection of his relentless pursuit of making tech smarter and greener. How he invests his spare time showcases his unwavering commitment to mentoring developers and building the communities they need to succeed. SHOW NOTES: David’s founder journey, starting with Server Density (3:20) Behind the early decision to start a company & start building a product (4:50) Key lessons from bootstrapping, raising funding, and being acquired (8:30) How those early lessons shaped Arcjet & Console (10:30) Why VC money can make finding experienced engineers easier (13:16) Strategies to help early teams build their first product / prototype (14:56) Considering company outcomes: Should you build a company just to sell it? (16:23) Signals that it’s the right time for a sale / acquisition (18:14) The story behind Arcjet (20:30) “What makes a great DevTool company” & strategic insights that shaped Arcjet (23:37) Key practices that helped shape Arcjet’s GTM plan (25:36) David’s approach to experimentation and discovery (27:36) The impact of documentation on dev tool companies (31:35) How discovery pathways for dev tools impact sales (33:28) Making the decision-making process easier for users & buyers (35:01) Translating dev tool benefits for finance teams vs. developers (39:56) The impact of design on dev tool companies (42:37) Rapid fire questions (46:02) LINKS AND RESOURCES David’s reading list a16z Blog The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz, a leading venture capitalist, modern management expert, and New York Times bestselling author, combines lessons both from history and from modern organizational practice with practical and often surprising advice to help executives build cultures that can weather both good and bad times. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World - Niall Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution of finance, from its origins in ancient Mesopotamia to the latest upheavals on what he calls Planet Finance. The Lessons of History - In this illuminating and thoughtful book, Will and Ariel Durant have succeeded in distilling for the reader the accumulated store of knowledge and experience from their four decades of work on the ten monumental volumes of "The Story of Civilization." The result is a survey of human history, full of dazzling insights into the nature of human experience, the evolution of civilization, the culture of man. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Navigating Rapid Change: Skills to Cultivate Resilience, Adaptability & Creativity in Engineering Teams w/ Melody Meckfessel #206 41:17

hace 10 weeks41:17

41:17

ABOUT MELODY MECKFESSEL Melody Meckfessel is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Jasper.ai , the world’s leading AI marketing platform. In her role, Melody shapes the technical vision of the company, oversees product delivery, and spearheads AI research to develop new capabilities that accelerate business outcomes for enterprise marketers. Before joining Jasper.ai , Melody co-founded and served as CEO of Observable, a data visualization platform that empowers teams to understand their businesses through data. She also spent over a decade at Google as Vice President of Engineering, where she led core infrastructure, Search, and DevOps teams for Google and Google Cloud Platform, impacting millions of users worldwide. Melody is recognized for her hands-on approach to engineering leadership and her expertise in building large-scale distributed systems. Her work is crucial in solving complex problems at scale for enterprise companies. She is passionate about defining the future of work with AI, where humans come first. This episode is brought to you by Clipboard Health Clipboard Health is looking for the next generation of exceptional software engineering leaders , not just managers. They’re a profitable unicorn, backed by top-tier investors, and they take the craft of engineering management seriously. Clipboard Health matches highly qualified healthcare workers with nearby facilities to fulfill millions of shifts a year - revolutionizing healthcare staffing with a fast, flexible, and user-friendly platform. Learn more & browse their open roles at clipboardhealth.com/engineering SHOW NOTES: Melody’s perspective on the tech industry’s rapid rate of change right now (2:53) Critical questions to guide investment decisions on “what to build & how“ in a rapidly evolving market (5:57) Strategies for navigating rapid change internally within eng teams (10:07) What it means to be an AI-first engineering organization (12:30) Changes in goals, metrics, and processes to shape your org and guide you through rapid change (15:33) Developing agile communication processes (18:39) Navigating ambiguity as a learned skill - practical ways to strengthen your ability to navigate uncertainty (20:09) Implementing a framework of curiosity & openness within eng teams (22:40) Why great things can’t be planned (26:21) Becoming dynamic and resilient - how to thrive amid uncertainty and constant industry shifts (28:57) How to shift from prescriptive to inspirational - using illustrated inspiration to empower teams (32:00) Breaking through self-imposed limitations - understanding where eng leaders may limit themselves (33:48) Melody’s perspective on fostering a culture of creativity within eng teams (35:06) Rapid fire questions (37:13) LINKS AND RESOURCES The Qualified Sales Leader: Proven Lessons from a Five Time CRO - John McMahon shares valuable lessons for sales leaders and sales reps selling enterprise software solutions. In a conversational and easy to read narrative style, this must-read book provides learnings on how sales leaders can help their reps sell more for higher average deal sizes to executive level buyers. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Building Trust: Strategic humor, bridging communication gaps & enabling your team to do more #205 36:36

hace 11 weeks36:36

36:36

ABOUT ANDY KORTZ Andy Kortz is currently the Chief Technology Officer at Integra Testing, where he leads technology transformation and drives operational efficiency in aggressive growth organizations. Andy also is a co-lead for the ELC Local Chapter initiative in Chicago. With over 20 years of experience in enterprise architecture and software development, Andy has consistently delivered innovative solutions while reducing IT expenses and improving application value. Drawing on his expertise in cloud technologies, data solutions, and integrations, Andy focuses on fostering a culture of continuous learning, building and empowering high-performing teams, and delivering customer-centric solutions in fast-paced environments. ABOUT JAMES TYACK James Tyack leads the Learner Success team at Coursera, creating engaging and personalized learning experiences for millions of learners worldwide. An avid user of Coursera and a lifelong learner himself, James is passionate about leveraging technology, including AI, to transform lives through education. Prior to Coursera, he led integration and growth teams at PagerDuty, driving innovation and adoption of incident response tools and best practices. Beyond his professional work, James is the chapter lead for the South Bay Engineering Leadership Community (ELC) group, fostering collaboration among tech leaders. He is also a proud dad to a one-year-old, balancing his career and personal life with a deep commitment to growth and connection. ABOUT JOHN ROSS John Ross is the Director of Infrastructure and Cloud at KUBRA, expertly navigating IT infrastructure and cloud solutions. Based in Toronto, John's career showcases a diverse range of experiences from large corporations to dynamic startups. He has a knack for aligning technology with business objectives, building robust teams, and managing platform migrations to the cloud. With experience in leading industry names like Ingram Micro and Symantec, as well as in the telecommunications sector, John combines strategic insight with a personable approach. His passion for sailing mirrors his love for innovation and precision in professional pursuits. This episode is brought to you by Clipboard Health Clipboard Health is looking for the next generation of exceptional software engineering leaders , not just managers. They’re a profitable unicorn, backed by top-tier investors, and they take the craft of engineering management seriously. Clipboard Health matches highly qualified healthcare workers with nearby facilities to fulfill millions of shifts a year - revolutionizing healthcare staffing with a fast, flexible, and user-friendly platform. Learn more & browse their open roles at clipboardhealth.com/engineering SHOW NOTES: Scaling communication practices in parallel with scaling your org with Andy Kortz (1:18) Tools for bridging communication gaps between groups & building trust (2:49) Use humor strategically to break tension / build trust (5:16) Andy’s introduction to ELC Chicago & the best parts of that community (8:57) Engineering challenges / conversations from ELC Chicago (10:24) What engineering leaders can learn from the best online courses - making a “Day One” commitment with James Tyack (12:28) Frameworks for putting the “Day One” commitment into practice (14:49) What making a “Day One” commitment looks like @ Coursera (17:59) Why the commitment needs to be made explicit (19:25) Practical exercises to encourage innovation & foster creativity (21:06) Strategies for getting hands-on with your learning (23:10) James’s experience with ELC South Bay & connecting with leaders in a specific space (25:05) How to make the most out of attending your first ELC event (26:27) How to level up your teams through servant leadership with John Ross (27:52) Realizing you’re the bottleneck & tips for stepping back / increasing team trust (30:49) John’s experience with ELC Toronto & what ELC means to him (33:12) LINKS AND RESOURCES Check out all of our local chapters & get involved here: elc.community/home/clubs This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Faster iteration & execution: Insights from Google Workspace’s AI product experience journey w/ Anurag Agarwal #204 44:56

hace 11 weeks44:56

44:56

ABOUT ANURAG AGARWAL Anurag Agarwal leads the Google Workspace engineering organization, overseeing products such as Gmail, Calendar, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet that help billions of users and customers across the world to connect, create, and build together. With over 18 years of experience at Google, Anurag’s expertise spans a wide range of consumer and enterprise products and technologies. His career began in the Display Ads team, where he played a pivotal role in developing publisher ad-serving products from the ground up. He then worked on the Search Ads team driving a number of large-scale infrastructure improvements and leading initiatives such as online-to-offline measurement and monetization of surfaces like Maps and Discover. Prior to his role in Workspace, he spearheaded some early-stage incubation projects at Google like Google Health’s CareStudio project aimed to help clinicians get a comprehensive view of patient’s health information. Anurag spent his childhood in Delhi, India and now resides in the Bay Area with his family. SHOW NOTES: A current update on Google Workspace (2:46) Strategies for getting teams to faster iteration & execution (4:41) Prioritizing the right problems & how to set a unified vision to work toward (7:11) Questions to ask to help rationalize during prioritization conversations (10:48) Components of streamlining the decision-making process (13:33) Anurag’s recommendations for facilitating decision-making conversations (15:00) How to encourage your team to ask the right questions & push back (16:55) Frameworks for identifying areas of inefficiency / friction (20:17) Steps for increasing confidence on the front end for an AI product experience (23:38) Filtering insights for faster iteration on AI product concepts (25:59) Measure user impact & make adjustments quickly based on that feedback (27:38) Reducing barriers to feature discovery (29:33) Enabling discovery & engagement of new product experiences (32:05) The role of pilots when testing different product experience changes (35:17) The future product launches Anurag is most excited (39:10) Rapid fire questions (40:36) LINKS AND RESOURCES Google AI is now included, with no add-ons required or usage limits, in Workspace Business and Enterprise plans. Find out more: https://goo.gle/3PsIwf1 How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen - Driven by his trademark sense of curiosity and his determination to grow as a person, David Brooks draws from the fields of psychology and neuroscience and from the worlds of theater, philosophy, history, and education to present a welcoming, hopeful, integrated approach to helping readers become more understanding and considerate toward others, and to find the joy that comes from being seen. Along the way it offers a possible remedy for a society that is riven by fragmentation, hostility, and misperception. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Winning Hearts & Minds: Effective Strategies for Leading Through Change from IC to EM, post M&A and more w/ Kathryn Vandiver #203 42:35

hace 13 weeks42:35

42:35

Kathryn Vandiver (Former VP of Engineering @ Quanata) shares insights on providing new leadership during significant organizational change. First, we dissect what transitioning from an individual contributor to engineering manager is like. Then, we discuss what it’s like stepping into an EM role informally vs. formally; how to host conversations that foster trust; tips for transforming teams from competition to collaboration; helping people get unstuck; and tools for changing hearts and minds. Kathryn also covers frameworks for creating collective agreements between eng leaders & eng teams – and identifying what a successful outcome for collective agreements looks like. ABOUT KATHRYN VANDIVER With over 30 years of experience as a global engineering leader, Kathryn has guided companies ranging from agile startups to Fortune 500 enterprises toward growth and scalability in both B2B and B2C technology areas. She has held leadership roles at VMWare, HPE, NetApp, and Quanata, a State Farm Company. Specializing in engineering and team culture turnarounds, she frequently steps in to provide decisive leadership during periods of transition. Kathryn is committed to valuing every team member's unique contributions, actively seeking the perspectives of both influencers and naysayers to foster positive change. Her collaborative approach has consistently helped teams double or even triple business growth, significantly enhancing company value through successful turnarounds. Passionate about 'paying it forward,' Kathryn mentors, teaches leadership skills, and supports young women in tech on their career journeys. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking the trails of the Bay Area and spending quality time with her family. SHOW NOTES: Shifting from projects to people - dissecting the mindset shift from IC to engineering manager (2:21) What makes the transition from IC to EM challenging (5:05) Taking on informal EM responsibilities vs. a formalized role (8:13) Frameworks for building trust through early conversations (10:13) Tips for approaching the scenario of a resistant / combative team (12:15) Transforming teams during an M&A, from competition to collaboration (14:20) Why listening is key to changing hearts & minds as an eng leader (17:34) Practices to help people get unstuck in their perspective (20:50) Questions to help people uncover where they’re stuck & think critically (23:13) Kathryn’s approach to identifying criteria for success (24:30) How to determine what the endpoint looks like (26:27) Processes for creating collective agreements of how people operate (28:18) Identifying the expectations your team has of you as a leader (31:58) Common areas of friction when creating these collective agreements (33:46) Steps leaders can take to resolve friction within the agreement process (35:13) Signs that your collective agreement practice is successful (36:38) Rapid fire questions (40:01) LINKS AND RESOURCES Super Psyched: Unleash the Power of the 4 Types of Connection and Live the Life You Love - Connection is everything. Let Adam Dorsay, the leading therapist to Silicon Valley’s top executives, help you become super psyched by discovering your personalized formula for more energy, higher performance, better relationships, and a more meaningful life. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
The four modes of coaching & navigating career growth in expanding or contracting companies w/ James Birchler #202 49:03

hace 14 weeks49:03

49:03

We discuss the four modes of coaching and navigate career growth in expanding / contracting companies with James Birchler. James shares highlights from the recent coaching / mentoring workshop he facilitated, and breaks down how each mode of coaching differs tactically. We also cover the dilemma of linear career/leadership growth vs. exponential company growth, different common communication challenges eng leaders face, why people / organizational challenges are harder than technical issues, and how to prepare for & execute uncomfortable conversations. James also shares his unique journey to technical leadership & how past management roles – even in non-tech spaces – have helped shape his thoughts on coaching & eng leadership today. ABOUT JAMES BIRCHLER James Birchler is an engineering and product development leader, technical advisor, and an accredited Executive Coach from the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Executive Coaching Institute. In his coaching practice, James focuses on self-awareness, integrity, accountability, and fostering a growth mindset that supports continuous learning and high performance. He focuses his technical advisory practice on common mechanisms and playbooks required at different phases and inflection points of startup growth and scaling: Hiring and interviewing, product development methodologies including Lean Startup and Agile, operational meeting cadence and communication flow, people management, technical leadership, vision/mission development, alignment, and execution. James implemented the Lean Startup methodologies with Eric Ries at IMVU (literally the first Lean Startup ), where his team helped start the DevOps movement by building the infrastructure to ship code to production 50 times a day (which was a lot at the time!) and coining the term “continuous deployment.” He has more than 20 years of experience leading high-performance teams in growth environments, including startups and scaled organizations, including Amazon. He has delivered great consumer software products and implemented product development and innovation processes based on continuous learning and improvement. Presently James advises and coaches Series A+ startups in the US and Europe, and leads innovation practices in hyper-growth areas of last mile delivery technology for Amazon. Previously my roles included VP of Engineering & Operations, VP of Engineering, and Founder at several technology startups including IMVU, Caffeine.tv, SmugMug, iCracked, The Arts Coop, and Letters & Science. You can find James at jamesbirchler.com , LinkedIn , and Substack . SHOW NOTES: Highlights from James’ recent coaching & mentoring workshop (2:41) Shared challenges around building trust in eng teams (5:25) The differences between coaching vs. mentoring (7:01) Building trust in order to best support your team members as a manager (9:38) Defining the advising mode of coaching (11:54) How supporting differs from advising (14:29) The story behind James’ technical leadership journey (16:55) Transitioning from a PhD program & environmental planning career into tech (20:19) The dilemma of career growth: linear leadership growth vs. exponential company growth (23:53) Why organizational challenges are more complicated than technical puzzles (26:49) Navigating career growth during company contraction from the employee perspective (28:02) Preparing for uncomfortable conversations as a coach / manager (31:50) Strategies for actually having those tough conversations (35:36) Frameworks for helping others identify what they want (37:58) Rapid fire questions (42:44) LINKS AND RESOURCES Stop 'Coaching' Your Tech Team (And What To Do Instead) - James’ substack post on the four modes of development breaking down the core differences of coaching, advising, mentoring, and supporting roles and explaining how trust is the secret ingredient to all four. jamesbirchler.com - James’ website where you can find info about his executive coaching and resources for engineering leaders and founders. How to lead with radical candor | Kim Scott - NYT bestselling author, Kim Scott, has cracked the code on giving valuable feedback in a way that builds genuine relationships, drives results, and creates positive workplaces. What Are People For? - In the twenty-two essays collected here, Wendell Berry conveys a deep concern for the American economic system and the gluttonous American consumer. Berry talks to the reader as one would talk to a next-door neighbor: never preachy, he comes across as someone offering sound advice. In the end, these essays offer rays of hope in an otherwise bleak forecast of America's future. Berry's program presents convincing steps for America's agricultural and cultural survival. New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong - Happiness expert Stephanie Harrison draws upon hundreds of studies to offer a life-changing guide to finding the happiness you have been looking for, all based on a decade of research and brought to life with beautiful artwork. Accelerate: Building and Scaling High-Performing Technology Organizations - Through four years of groundbreaking research, Dr. Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim set out to find a way to measure software delivery performance—and what drives it—using rigorous statistical methods. This book presents both the findings and the science behind that research. Readers will discover how to measure the performance of their teams, and what capabilities they should invest in to drive higher performance. Conversations on Science, Culture, and Time: Michel Serres with Bruno Latour - Although elected to the prestigious French Academy in 1990, Michel Serres has long been considered a maverick--a provocative thinker whose prolific writings on culture, science and philosophy have often baffled more than they have enlightened. In these five lively interviews with sociologist Bruno Latour, this increasingly important cultural figure sheds light on the ideas that inspire his highly original, challenging, and transdisciplinary essays. This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team: Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host Jerry Li - Co-Host Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/ Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/ Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/…

1
Unleashing potential in your employees & strategies to grow leadership skills in your org w/ Natalie Glance #201 41:51

hace 17 weeks41:51