Yakira C

Why I left my job as an engineering manager at one of the top strategy consulting firms in the world

I had a moment on a mountain. Sounds cliché, and yet, it is so true. I think I have most of my aha moments in life on a mountain. For this particular aha moment, I had hiked 2 miles, and I had one more to go to reach my goal. Where I had taken a break, the view was amazing. Not quite where I wanted to be, and nonetheless awe inspiring. Nature is simply beautiful.Before I continue, let's back up for a minute and talk about what led to this beautiful moment in nature.I have been in tech my whole life. From learning to program in grade school to majoring in computer science and getting a couple of masters specializing in human computer interaction to working at product companies and even having a few failed startups no one knows about unless you ask me. I have done the journey from a fresh-out-of-college software engineer all the way to being a software engineering manager. It wasn't always an easy journey, but I enjoyed it.Where I really grew was at my most recent job working at one of the top strategy consulting firms in the world. I had been hired as one of the first senior engineers and was immediately thrust into the world of consulting. It was very different from working at a product company, and I was ready for it. I had been wanting to work directly with clients and talented designers and consultants. What I wanted, I got in spades...for the first year or so. We'll come back to this important note in a bit.I was working on building products for clients, and I was able to help the team grow globally by traveling to different global regions and help build out engineering teams. We were this small and growing startup within a larger company. At the end of it, I had helped build 3 engineering teams in the US, Europe and Asia. Being one of the first engineers and among the first on the global team hired, I was able to help establish a positive, collaborative and fun culture that continues to thrive. What couldn't I do? What couldn't we do?Remember that note? This is where it enters. At about the second year mark, things shifted. They felt different and uncomfortable. Engineering was getting work here or there, but it wasn't the same. The vibe felt off. Our team was still positive, collaborative and fun, but something was not right. Maybe it was me and my growth. Maybe it was something else altogether.I was promoted to engineering manager with direct reports, and I was working with teams on one-off projects. On the surface it may have looked the same. And yet, things were still shifting, and I was questioning what was happening. I have always been one to have frank, open and honest conversations, and I was having those types of conversations with my managers, almost daily, about what was happening.The third year in, nothing was clear anymore. Things were so jumbled and blurry, and honestly, no one really knew what was happening. It was either that or they were avoiding saying it. I needed some time to figure it all out for myself. This is where the mountains and beautiful nature comes in.As beautiful as nature is, it can also be unforgiving. It had been a tough hike just to get to where I was. Stairs, rocky terrain, steep inclines. My legs were burning as well as my lungs.An older couple that had been on the same path was heading back to the start of the trail. They had gone as far as they wanted to go and asked me if I was going to get to the top. I said I was sure going to try.I began my ascent all the while thinking, “Just a little bit more. This will all be worth it when you get to the top.” In those types of moments, I push myself physically, and there is also a mental journey and challenge happening as well. Your body is capable of amazing things, and it all starts with you first believing you can do it and then putting action behind those beliefs.There were definitely times when I was thinking, “This is good, right? I won’t be mad if I stop and go back, right?” Fortunately and unfortunately, that is not how I operate. With my mind set and a plan, I am going to achieve whatever I set out to do. You don’t just stop in achieving your goals because there is an obstacle or something is tough. You find a way to get what you want. If you want a cookie, you will find a way to get a cookie.It took me a bit, and eventually I reached my destination. And it was all worth it. Even better views and a pleasant surprise of being able to see the range of snow-capped mountain peaks that were not visible from below. I have the obligatory nice picture of said mountain peaks behind me.What I love the most about hiking is the mental challenge. The conversations you have with yourself, pushing yourself to keep going, taking it one small goal at a time.So where does this all fit into why I left my job as an engineering manager at one of the top strategy consulting firms in the world?Working at a large consulting firm provides you with so many opportunities. So many areas to work in and great people to work with. With those same opportunities and areas to work in, is the potential to get buried in it all. You can lose site of why you are there, your purpose and your goals. The opportunities, and as a result the potential for challenges I wanted to set for myself, just fizzled out and died. I wasn’t able to set those small goals and achieve them on my way to the larger goal. The larger goal became unclear. And no matter how much I tried to get clarity and my own understanding, it just became even more unclear.Without a goal or a destination, how can you know where you are going and hope to get there? And the goal does not always have to be extremely detailed, although those are the best goals for me. You just need something, whether written or typed out, that says here is where I/we want to go and then figure out the little goals to get there.Whereas before I couldn't see clearly anymore, the mountain, the hike, the challenge brought it all into focus again. I want more opportunities to grow, more opportunities to push myself and do things I have never done, and to set more goals and be able to work towards achieving them. I want to work within my purpose and goals of helping companies build strong, successful teams so that they can in turn build strong, successful products. With my job, I wasn't able to do that, and I became way too comfortable with that reality. And you know what they say about comfort.Comfort is the enemy of progress. - P.T. BarnumI have left one of the top strategy consulting firms in the world and the great people there. A time I will always be grateful for and never forget. And although it is bittersweet, I am extremely excited for the next challenge.I am building a company from the ground up. With all of the experience I have gained throughout my years at various companies, I have learned from the best and am certainly well prepared. As I mentioned before, while I was at the firm, I helped the team I was a part of grow globally by building software engineering teams in the US, Europe and Asia. I had a taste of what it was like to build a business. A company from the ground up is another level. A different challenge. A challenge I accept.My new company, Own It Ventures, provides software engineering team coaching services to companies that currently have engineering teams, are looking to build engineering teams, or want to hire engineering contractors. We help companies recognize and avoid the common pitfalls that lead to engineer burnout and dissatisfaction. With our guidance, companies learn the needs of their engineering teams, become better able to support those teams, foster positive team culture, and ultimately operate effectively to build successful products.If you are looking for an engineering team success coach, get in touch at [email protected] and checkout our website ownit.ventures for more details on services and information we offer.

How to improve the technical performance of a bootcamp engineer - Part 3

In part 1 and part 2 of the series on how to improve the technical performance of an engineer fresh out of coding bootcamp, I discussed getting to know your engineer and setting goals with them. This third and final part of the series helps round out progress, success, and ultimately better technical performance of the engineer.

Celebrate your engineer’s accomplishments.

When you do something profound, say fix a gnarly bug or figure out a new tool to better test your code, you want to share that with the team. You want them to be as excited about it as you are. After all you just did something that you think is great or amazing.Why not do the same for others, especially your direct reports? Personally, seeing my direct reports’ accomplishments and celebrating their successes makes me feel good.When your new engineer accomplishes a goal, celebrate with them. And I don’t mean a one word sentence that in a roundabout way acknowledges their accomplishment. Some people want to be publicly recognized for their accomplishments and others are just fine with a quick message that says, “Good job.” When it comes to a new engineer and the team though, they need to know that the work they are doing is helping and appreciated by the team.Make sure the team is aware of their accomplishments and encourage the engineer to talk about them. This may momentarily embarrass them if they are not comfortable with attention, but they should know that the team is there to encourage them and help them succeed. This builds their confidence in themselves, their skills and their importance to the team’s success. They will want to keep making progress and achieving new goals.At the end of the day, it is important that you as a manager help your new engineer directly out of coding bootcamp to succeed. They may quickly find success or be a fish out of water. If they quickly find success, make sure they do not become stagnant. If they are the fish, help them float. You can do that by getting to know your engineer, setting SMART goals with them and celebrating their accomplishments.While all of these suggestions are aimed towards new engineers fresh out of coding bootcamp, they can most certainly be applied to new, more senior engineers to your company or your new direct reports. I highly recommend giving the suggestions a consideration for current engineers within your organization.

How to improve the technical performance of a bootcamp engineer - Part 2

In part 1 of the series on how to improve the technical performance of an engineer fresh out of coding bootcamp, I discussed ways to get to know your new engineer. Don’t overlook this part as it is a crucial setup to success in part 2, which is...

Set growth goals with your engineer.

How do you measure growth and success? Do you just wake up one day and say I have arrived? Of course not. You have to know where you were going in the first place to know you have arrived, and you have to have taken certain steps to get there.This goes double for a new engineer in a brand new career they have never been in before. They have to know where they are, where they want to go and how to get there. It is your job as their manager to help them get to where they want to go.Once you understand the engineer's strengths and weaknesses, you know what the areas are in which they will excel, the tasks they can accomplish without much help and where they need to build technical muscle.To get the engineer going on the right path, set quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals with them. Keep the goals SMART (specific, manageable, attainable, relevant, time-bound). This can be as simple as "learn how to debug a complex problem on my own this month" or "fix 2 meaty bugs in one week". Make sure they are comfortable with the goals they set for themselves. You want to make sure they do not feel pressured to set huge goals or aim too low on their goals. There is a balance. Hence the suggestion for SMART goals.Check in with the engineer on their progress. Don't micromanage, instead set a regular cadence of 1:1s and ask them how they are feeling in making progress towards their goals. Ask what is going well, what is not going so well and how you and the team can best help them. Ask them to share at least one small win. Getting them in the mindset of seeing progress, even if it is small, will help keep them motivated and moving forward.Pair them with a mentor, someone on the team or in the organization, that they can go to for support or advice in not only navigating their new job as an engineer but also the intricacies of the new company they work for. The presence of a support system for them within the company will help them feel more comfortable and provide an outlet for frustrations or concerns.When goals are accomplished, ask what their key takeaways are and how they can carry what they learned into the next set of goals they set for themselves. Moments of reflection help with feeling proud of how far they have come and what they did to accomplish the goal.If they have mastered a skill, it is time for a new goal. When setting new goals, push them to set goals that move them forward in growth and learning. You want them to continue to progress and not get stagnant.In part 3, I discuss celebrating accomplishments.

How to improve the technical performance of a bootcamp engineer - Part 1

I came across this question recently that caught my attention.Question: Has anyone done a pip [performance improvement plan] for a junior engineer who’s trying pretty hard and is a good culture fit but ultimately just isn’t getting much done? ...she is 10 months out of bootcamp.I decided to take a different approach when answering this question and tackle it from a support perspective rather than a you’ve done something wrong, let’s fix it perspective. Let’s dive in.It is no simple task to change careers. It is even more overwhelming to get your first big job in a new career. An engineer coming out of a coding bootcamp can either be well equipped with complementary skills to immediately succeed or be a fish out of water and need a little more support to help them along. If an engineer is the fish, don't be so quick to let them go when they flounder for a while. In this 3 part series, I will discuss ways to help guide bootcamp engineers to success in their first technical position.With that being said, let’s begin with part 1.

Get to know your new engineer.

Imagine for a minute that you have just met someone and you are immediately asked to work with them. Do you jump right in or do you take some time for introductions? Things can get quite awkward in this scenario if your personalities clash or you both want to be the leader at the same time.These same considerations go for your first interactions with the engineer fresh out of coding bootcamp, and really anyone that you manage. This first part is crucial and will lay the foundation for your relationship with them and how they interact with you and the rest of the team going forward.As this engineer’s manager you may not have been involved in hiring them. And if you were involved, your 30 minutes to an hour with them was certainly not enough time to really get to know them. Because who really knows someone after a more formal conversation with a time constraint in a room or over a video conferencing platform? I certainly never do.Sit down with the engineer for 2-3 sessions where you have informal conversations with them. Get to know their backgrounds, what they were doing before they decided to go to a coding bootcamp, their passions and interests, etc... Get to know why they decided on a career change, what they are most looking forward to learning in this new job or where they see themselves in the next couple of years. Let them do most of the talking. Ask questions here and there, but let them do most of the talking. You want them to feel comfortable talking about anything that interests or concerns them.Don’t fret If the first session is like pulling teeth. Some people are more nervous than others when it comes to one-on-one conversations. Try having a coffee or lunch or doing an icebreaker activity in the next session. In COVID times, this can even be done over Zoom. Let them order something, if they choose this option, and expense it.You will also want to see how they interact in group settings. Are they quiet or do they feel comfortable enough with the team to contribute to the conversations? Set up some time for team get-togethers to talk about tech, team issues, play online games or just shoot the breeze.Pair them with a senior engineer for the first few weeks so you can have another viewpoint on how they like to work. Check in with the senior engineer to get their feedback on where the new engineer excels or might need more support.Once you get to know your new engineer one-on-one and in group settings you will be able to understand their mannerisms, thought processes, strengths and weaknesses, and where you can help them grow.In part 2, I will discuss setting growth goals.

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