Scaling Tech - The Blueprint for Successful Tech Teams

Latest Episodes:

How to Debug Your Team to Boost Performance with Lisa van Gelder Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

Did you know that some principles of code debugging can transform your tech team's productivity? Lisa van Gelder, a tech veteran with over 25 years of experience, shares her journey from debugging code to debugging entire teams.

Lisa explains the concept of 'debugging' a tech team, akin to debugging code, which is crucial to identifying and resolving productivity and performance issues. She outlines the importance of metrics, specifically the DORA metrics and cycle time.

Lisa advocates for a comprehensive debugging strategy involving data analysis and team conversations to uncover and address problems, emphasizing mastery, autonomy, purpose, and psychological safety as essential elements.

The conversation also highlights challenges and best practices for managing small and large teams and the necessity of stakeholder communication when making changes to avoid negative consequences.

If you are a tech leader, this conversation will give you insights on managing and improving your team’s performance effectively, so tune in!

"You really want to debug a team if you don't know what's going on. If you know what's going on, cool, hopefully, you can fix it. But if you don't know, that's when debugging comes into it. " ~ Lisa van Gelder

In This Episode:

- What is team debugging?

- How to start team debugging

- Interpreting metrics and team dynamics

- Best practices for gathering data and team insights

- Frameworks for interpreting data and understanding team issues

- Debugging different team sizes

- How to manage adverse debugging outcomes

- When to debug a team

And much more!

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

- Learn more about DORA metrics - https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-sre/using-the-four-keys-to-measure-your-devops-performance

- Buy “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel Pink - https://a.co/d/4OtPnKA

Connect with Lisa van Gelder :

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-van-gelder

- Twitter - https://twitter.com/lisa_van_gelder

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-consulting/

English is the New Python with Rob O’Brien and Moin Haque Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

In a world where traditional programming skills are evolving faster than ever, tech leaders must adapt to stay ahead. Today’s guests, Rob O’Brien and Moin Haque, discuss the emerging concept of "English is the new Python."

Rob is a partner at Stride and has over 10 years of experience in product and management consulting. Moin is a lead technologist at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) with over 20 years of experience in tech and data analytics.

Rob and Moin explain how natural language interfaces are creating efficiencies and reshaping various tech fields. They highlight the critical role of prompt engineering in effectively utilizing AI technologies.

The guests provide practical steps for organizations to adapt to the evolution, such as building knowledge graphs and ensuring a strong data foundation. The conversation also emphasizes the evolving role of technologists and the growing importance of communication and critical reasoning skills for tech leaders.

As a tech leader, it’s time for you to embrace the shift towards natural language and AI. Tune in to learn how you can adapt your leadership strategies to stay competitive and drive innovation in your organization.

"In my experience with technology, there's always been some level of inherent or implicit inefficiency, but when you have the ability to communicate in natural language, there's an efficiency there. And if done right, there's also a greater efficacy. " ~ Rob O'Brien

In This Episode:

- English is the new Python: What does this mean?

- How do you know when technologies are wrong?

- Natural language disruption: Challenges and opportunities for organizations

- The role of prompt engineers in building natural language interfaces

- External resources on natural language and prompt engineering

- Advice for the next generation of technologists

- The future of natural language interfaces

And much more!

Connect with Rob O'Brien:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-o-brien-82865b25

Connect with Moin Haque:

- Website - https://www.iff.com/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/haquem

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-consulting/

Remote Work 3 Years Later With Sean Campbell May 21, 2024

Show notes

Remote work became increasingly attractive to employees after the pandemic because of its flexibility. Consequently, organizations now have easy access to the best talents worldwide. However, managers have to constantly deal with the overlap of the employees’ home and work life.

How can managers help remote workers achieve work-life balance and create objective performance measures to optimize their productivity? Today’s guest has valuable insights for managing remote teams.

Sean Campbell, CEO and founder of Cascade Insights, is a well-regarded consultant, speaker, author, trainer, mentor, and educator. Sean shares insights on remote work productivity and work-life balance tips from his expertise in leading remote companies for over 24 years.

He emphasizes the need for managers to master asynchronous communication and remote workers to sharpen their writing skills. In addition, companies should adapt hiring and management strategies to the remote work model and invest in their digital footprint.

Sean also underscores the need for clear performance measures and the importance of embracing flexibility while setting reasonable business constraints to ensure productivity and employee satisfaction in remote settings.

If you're grappling with dwindling productivity among your remote workers or seeking practical strategies to help your employees achieve a healthier work-life balance, this episode is for you!

"I think no matter the size of the firm, you absolutely have to invest in your digital footprint because that's how everybody finds you now. " ~ Sean Campbell

In This Episode:

- Sean’s 24-year journey, and the evolution of remote work

- The importance of a strong digital footprint

- Eras of remote work: From impossible to hybrid

- Best practices for managing remote workers

- Tips for balancing work and home life for remote employees

And much more!

Connect with Sean Campbell:

- Website - https://www.cascadeinsights.com/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/seancampbell

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-consulting/

How to Enter an Industry as a Tech Leader Where you are NOT a Domain Expert with Kevin Lupowitz May 07, 2024

Show notes

Getting a new job in today’s labor market is challenging, especially for senior tech leaders exploring new domains. New technologies have emerged, making it harder for job applicants to prove their skills. How do you transition to a new industry as a tech leader without domain expertise?

Today’s guest, Kevin Lupowitz, is a seasoned tech leader with over 20 years of experience. He shares his story of transitioning from financial technology to a pivotal role as the head of technology at CLEAR, a global biometrics security company, without prior experience.

How did he do it? Kevin learned the importance of demonstrating impact in previous roles, leveraging adjacent skills, and the willingness to learn. He also emphasizes the crucial role of adapting to new technologies, building trust and maintaining it through achieving milestone goals, and clear communication with hiring managers.

So, if you are ready for the big switch, tune in to learn how best to present yourself in job applications and the value of being open to new domains in today's challenging labor market.

"One thing I would encourage people to do is be more open-minded if they're looking for new opportunities. It's okay to look for opportunities outside of your kind of historical domain that you've been operating in. " ~ Kevin Lupowitz.

In This Episode:

- Kevin's journey from fintech to CLEAR's tech leader

- Leveraging lack of domain expertise as an asset

- The surprises and challenges of a tech transition

- Adapting to the evolving labor market: Insights for tech leaders

- Tips for hiring and being hired in tech

And more!

Connect with Kevin Lupowitz:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/klupowitz

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-consulting/

How to Create a Culture of Performance in Teams with Fabio Lessa Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

Is your performance review process hindering your team’s optimal performance?

In assessing performance, companies often share OKRs equally among team members and then review individual performance at the end of the year based on these shared OKRs.

But this approach seems to offer no incentive for teamwork or higher performance.

So, how should tech leaders review team performance without hurting teamwork?

My guest, Fabio Lessa, is here to help us identify the best strategies for creating a performance-oriented culture within tech teams. Fabio leads Duolingo’s platform engineering team and has over 15 years of experience building engineering teams at startups and large companies, such as Spotify and SoundCloud.

In this episode, Fabio shares Duolingo’s recent experience with the “tiger teams” approach to boosting performance. Forming a tiger team involves freeing specialists from regular responsibilities to focus on a particular task.

Fabio observed that tiger teams outperform average teams because all team members pay undivided attention to the task. In fact, one such tiger team exceeded performance expectations by completing a 3-month task in just 2 weeks!

The key? Tech leaders must create a distraction-free environment and break down complex tasks. Tech leaders must also set clear goals and communicate how the project’s scope contributes to the company’s goals.

Tune in for this and more insights on how to boost your team’s performance.

"The main way to impact performance is at the environment level, not at the individual." ~ Fabio Lessa

In This Episode:

- Team leadership lessons from the Tiger Teams approach

- Causes of poor team management and how to fix them

- How to create a culture of performance in teams

- Why team predictability and continuous improvement are critical

- Team characteristics that support a culture of performance

And more!

Connect with Fabio Lessa

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabiolessa

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-consulting/

The Critical Role of Financial Literacy for Tech Leaders with Anil Beniwal Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

How do you achieve a company’s mission and financial success in tough economic times? My guest, Anil Beniwal, is here to help us navigate this balance.

Anil is Arcadia's CTO and has over two decades of experience in the tech industry. He shares valuable insights on why financial understanding is crucial for CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and Heads of Products.

Financial literacy enables CTOs and other leaders to assess the potential ROI of investment, mitigate financial risks, and prioritize spending on projects that bring the highest value to the company.

Financially literate leaders communicate more effectively and collaborate with other departments, including finance, operational, and commercial departments. Effective communication is also critical for leaders to demonstrate the value of technology investments and secure funding from stakeholders.

Anil also highlights the importance of financial transparency, especially with employees. Transparency builds trust between employees and leaders. Employees make better decisions when they understand the impact of their decisions on the bottom line. However, CTOs must balance transparency and discretion to avoid misinterpretation of financials.

Where do you draw the line in financial transparency as a CTO? My guest has valuable insights on this and more, so tune in!

"Financial literacy equips the CTO with the ability to make really informed decisions that align technology investments with strategic goals." ~ Anil Beniwal

In This Episode:

- The role of employee financial literacy in achieving a company’s mission

- How to balance financial outcomes with technical outcomes

- How financial literacy contributes to a tech leader's success

- Strategies for enhancing financial literacy among tech leaders

- How to balance financial transparency with discretion

And more!

Connect with Anil Beniwal:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/abeniwal

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn Page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-build/

How Spotify Optimizes Platform Reuse for Operational Efficiency with Marcus Frödin Mar 26, 2024

Show notes

In times of financial constraint, how can tech companies strike the right balance between innovation and efficiency? As budgets tighten and resources become scarce, leaders must make tough decisions about where to invest their time and money.

One strategy that has proven effective for many organizations is platform reuse. By building internal platforms that can be leveraged across multiple teams and projects, companies can reduce duplication of effort, improve time to market, and free up resources for more innovative pursuits.

Today’s episode guest, Marcus Frödin, VP of Engineering for Music at Spotify shares his insights on how to identify the best candidates for platform reuse, how to communicate the benefits to stakeholders, and how to navigate the challenges of shifting from a mindset of abundance to one of constraint.

Drawing on his experience at Spotify, Marcus provides real-world examples of how platform reuse has contributed to operational efficiency and faster time to market for new products like Spotify for Podcasters and Spotify for Audiobooks.

Whether you're a tech leader looking to optimize your resources or an engineer curious about the benefits of platform thinking, this episode is packed with valuable insights and practical advice. Join us as we explore the art and science of balancing innovation and efficiency in constrained times.

"Constraint breeds innovation. And so I think as a technology industry... when you have more tight boundaries, it forces leaders to make more explicit trade-offs." ~ Marcus Frödin

In This Episode:

- Introducing Marcus Frödin

- Shifting from abundance to constraint and how it affects platform reuse decisions

- How to identify the best candidates for platform reuse

- Amortization of reuse

- Preventing security and vulnerability risks in platform reuse

- Communicating platform shifts across the organization

- Addressing team concerns during platform changes

- Balancing innovation and efficiency in platform reuse

- Leveraging constraints to drive innovation in tech teams

- Successful examples of platform reuse contributing to operational efficiency

- Spotify's platform reuse strategy for faster time to market

And more!

Connect with Marcus Frödin:

- Website - https://leaddev.com/community/marcus-frodin

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusfrodin/

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-consulting/

Agile Kata With Joe Krebs Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

How can we effect change in our tech teams to become more agile? Perhaps you've tried Scrum Agile and found that you're stuck with new vocabulary for the same old problems. If so, you may be ready for Agile Kata!

Originating in martial arts, a 'Kata' involves deliberate, repetitive practice to master a form. By practicing business agility with Agile Kata, an organization can build new habits and skills to shift a corporate culture. It certainly worked for Toyota.

Today's guest is Joe Krebs, the creator of the Agile Kata certification program, host of the Agile.fm podcast, and founder of Incrementor which specializes in agile training.

There couldn't be a more knowledgeable person to speak on the virtues of Agile Kata than Joe!

Today's episode is sure to make you consider how you can incorporate the patterns of change management into your tech team and business! It's a fresh, hot topic that we are sure you will enjoy. Please join us.

"You can see it (Agile Kata) as a pattern of change management towards any kind of agility." ~ Joe Krebs

In This Episode:

- What is Agile Kata?

- Agile Kata in four steps

- How to get from your current condition to your target condition

- How to combine Agile Kata with Scrum

- How to use Agile Kata instead of Scrum

- Agile Kata as a grassroots movement

- Where does Agile Kata fit in with OKRs?

- How do I know if I need Agile Kata for my tech team?

- Do you need an Agile Kata coach for implementation?

And more!

Connect with Joe Krebs:

- Agile Kata Book - https://www.agilekatabook.com/

- Agile Kata Certification - https://www.agilekata.pro/

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-consulting/

Conway’s Law and Breaking Down Dev Team Silo With Krishna Bala Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

How can we break down dev team silos for increased communication and a better-quality end product? Reversing Conway's Law is one way to go about it, and today's guest has a wealth of experience on how to do just that!

Krishna Bala is the Senior VP of Engineering at Proscia, a medical imaging startup that is fighting cancer with AI-enabled Digital Pathology.

Using the case study of Proscia itself, Krishna outlines the benefits of building common elements across teams and handling change management when reorganizing roles and teams.

There is also an in-depth explanation of Conway's Law as well, for those tech companies looking to break down the barriers to better communication between their teams and not be limited in their output by their organizational structure.

Higher quality product by design awaits. We just have to reverse a law to do it. Krishna's knowledge of how to build your organization to achieve its goals will surely be appreciated. Please join us.

"As humans, I think we're just comfortable staying in that hierarchy, staying in our own little system. Work is hard enough, challenging enough that you basically say, 'Okay, this is my box; I'm going to innovate within that box'." ~ Krishna Bala

In This Episode:

- Why are silos bad?

- What is Conway's Law?

- Reversing Conway's Law: what does that entail?

- What good comes from breaking down siloes?

- How is Krishna using this thinking in his work today?

- Organizing a deliberate common core team

- Changing the tires while the car is moving!

- Appreciating the importance of change management

- Figuring out the release cadence for your common core team

And more!

Connect with Krishna Bala:

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbala97/

- Website - https://proscia.com/

Connect with Debbie Madden:

- Website - https://www.stride.build/

- LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbiemadden1/

- LinkedIn Page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-build/

Scaling Tech Teams To Stand the Test of Time with Brian Lanehart Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

Given the challenging times that we live in, how do we scale tech teams that stand the test of time? Brian Lanehart is President, CTO, Chief Risk Officer, & Co-Founder at Momnt.

Pronounced 'moment', Momnt is a fintech platform that makes lending easy for your business and financing easy for your customers.

Launching in March of 2020, this is a fascinating story that involves coders answering phones to deal with customers while building out their roadmap and starting to scale on the eve of a global pandemic.

Brian's experience, coupled with his co-founders' investment in company culture, holds the key to how Momnt has been able to scale so quickly.

Today's episode of Scaling Tech covers everything from trauma bonding to the intersection between data models and generative AI, not to mention an appreciation of the holistic approach that is required to build a team (and data model) that is robust enough to stand the test of time. Please join us.

"I'm gonna take all the complexity on the delivery team so the user's perspective can be as simple as humanly possible. And so every time we make a decision: is this going to make someone's life better, more secure, faster, or easier? That was the decision driver." ~ Brian Lanehart

In This Episode:

- How do you build in preparation for a fast scale?

- Momnt's lean, phone-answering team at launch

- Can novice entrepreneurs pull off coding this complex?

- Overcoming the burden of legacy code

- How is generative AI changing things?

- How has rapid growth affected employee morale?

- Creating a culture that allows you to go off-script

- What is critical to Momnt's success going forward?

And more!

Connect with Brian Lanehart:

- Website - https://www.momnt.com/about-us