[3/3] The Engineering Executive's Primer (Category Management)

Continuing the first posts about this cool book (0, 1, 2) With a review of the book, I would like to talk about the following chapters.

7) Participating in Mergers and Acquisitions In this chapter, the author talks about the participation of IT top managers in merge & acquisitions processes. To begin with, the author analyzes the complex motives for m&a actions - conventionally, the goals of the team that conducts transactions are different from the goals of engineering teams. In general, it is important to have a general view of the process and an understanding of the business strategy in order to assess whether the acquisition meets the objectives of the company and identify potential risks. Separately, the author describes a structured approach to the assessment of acquisitions from an engineering point of view, which includes creating templates to assess the complexity of implementation, integration problems, scalability, security, compliance, costs and engineering culture. It is also important to plan integrations between the merged companies – a clear integration plan is essential to effectively manage the post-acquisition transition. This includes decisions on technology integration, team restructuring, and leadership roles. And then you have to manage this process.

😍 Developing Leadership Styles The author offers a model of three approaches to management Leading with policy – for repeatable decisions that need to be made consistently by different people within the organization Leading from consensus – for infrequent decisions with context that is shared among multiple stakeholders. Leading with conviction – for decisions without a clear proposal, when the parties involved differ greatly or when the decision has a significant long-term impact on your organization In this chapter, the author gives examples from his experience in different companies. (Digg, Uber, Stripe, Calm). And then it says that you need to be able to work on the leveling of those leadership styles that are unusual for you. This will allow you to become a more general manager:)

9) Managing Your Priorities and Energy In this chapter, the author talks about his strategy for solving problems of the type "Company - Team - Me". Initially, the author recommended making decisions based on hierarchy: first, the company, then the team, and last, personal interests. This approach has been used to ensure that decisions are aligned with company goals, rather than personal or team preferences. However, the author later realized that such a rigid structure can lead to burnout and loss of motivation among employees. The author emphasizes the importance of energy management as a positive-sum process. It is assumed that giving people the opportunity to do work that inspires them, even if it does not meet immediate priorities, can increase overall productivity and job satisfaction.

As a result, the concept of "Company, Team, Self" is changed to the "Eventual Quid Pro Quo" approach, which balances the company's priorities with personal energy needs. This approach encourages prioritizing inspirational work when needed to maintain long-term engagement and effectiveness. The author emphasizes the need for flexibility in the application of strategies. It is argued that while following the right priorities is important, it should not come at the expense of personal energy and motivation. Leaders must adapt their approaches to their personal needs and the context of their roles.

It will continue in the next post.

#Engineering #Management #Leadership #Processes #SystemDesign #SystemThinking #SystemEngineering