What is it?

“Engineering Management Tapas for new engineering managers” is a combination of 1:1 coaching, mentoring and training to upskill your new software engineering managers quickly and effectively.

Who is it for?

It is for new software engineering managers who are in their first or second year. They are responsible for a software engineering team and they are the people managers of the software engineers on that team.

How long will the program run?

EMs participate over the course of roughly 6 months.

What is the participant’s expected time investment?

It is only ~ 1 hour/week.

What will participants learn?

Currently, the training part of my program consists of 6 main modules that I regard as highly relevant when starting out as a new EM and people manager:

1.) Understanding the EM role

• Role expectations. Typical challenges when becoming a manager. Letting go your Legos. The nature of management work. Becoming aware of your leadership motive, style and vision.

2.) Employee engagement & performance

• The science behind motivation. The importance of autonomy, mastery and purpose. Predictors of high engagement and performance. Motivating your people. Creating an environment where people can thrive.

3.) Effective 1-to-1 meetings

• Why 1:1s are critical. Making your 1:1s more productive. Desired outcomes: Making people feel connected, engaged, valued, aligned and supported. Fostering a coaching habit.

4.) People & career development

• Giving feedback. Setting expectations. People development based on strengths & values. Career laddering. Running performance reviews that bring value.

5.) Creating safe & inclusive environments

• The power of psychological safety for learning, innovation and growth. Building trust. Positive error cultures. Situational humility. Diverse teams and being inclusive as a leader

6.) Improving software delivery performance

• The “Accelerate” State of the DevOps research. The 24 key drivers of software delivery performance. Burnout & making work sustainable. DORA metrics. Limitations of quantitative metrics. The SPACE framework. Measuring developer experience (DX)

My program also includes 6 coaching sessions à ~60 min where I coach the new managers on the concern that is currently the most pressing to them.

More modules coming soon, including:

• Time- & self-management

• Difficult conversations & managing conflict

• Facilitating effective team meetings

• Team coaching

• Diversity, equity and inclusion

• Leading in a remote or hybrid setting

• Technical decision making

• Defining a tech strategy and vision

• Hiring & onboarding

What is the immediate ROI for your company?

• Faster onboarding of your new EMs

• More time your for strategic work because soon more tasks can be delegated

• Fewer beginner's mistakes and thus more satisfied employees

• Less fluctuation and therefore less cost- and time-intensive hiring and onboarding

• Your developers stay longer, so know-how and quality stay with you

• Good team leads and high performing teams that get more work done

• Your managers don't want to go back to the IC role, because they make the transition successfully.

Why is your program called “Tapas”?

The “tapas” part stems from Avdi Grimm’s programming screencast series “Ruby Tapas” that I enjoyed watching many years ago. Every Ruby Tapas video was only about 2-10 minutes long. I enjoyed learning Ruby in small bits and bites.

Managers are usually very busy and have very little time to spare. Therefore I also wanted to create a learning program for them that is very compressed, crisp and easily digestible.

The EM Tapas videos are only <= 12 minutes long and participants are expected to invest only about 1 hour/week.

How do you work as a coach?

• I am a certified systemic personal and business coach.

• My coaching approach is "I help you to help yourself" by applying well-proven coaching methods. This means usually I won’t give advice. This attitude is essential in the classical coaching mindset where it is a fundamental belief that the clients themselves are the best experts for their own and very individual solutions. As a coach, I cannot know which solution will work best for you. Besides, self-developed solutions have a much more lasting effect because they are custom-made.

• When coaching new managers and only where helpful and appropriate, I will also offer advice exceptionally and act as a mentor. I will always make it transparent whenever I change hats and leave the classic coaching role.

What are the key features of your program?

• Compressed knowledge transfer: Training videos on most relevant EM topics

• Customizable: Coaching topics based on the participant’s current needs

• Hands-on: Learning-by-doing via small practical exercises and homework where the new managers apply what they have just learned

• Crisp and easily digestible: Time investment of ~1 hour each week

• Individual and personal support: Context specific help for current most pressing concerns

• Trustful and confidential: Guidance through a trustful 1:1 coaching and mentoring relationship with an external personal coach

What is the price of your program?

Currently, my program costs 2.500 EUR + 19% German vat.