Strategies for Managing Your Inbox
Shortly after I published my article on Inbox Zero, a friend sent me a text that said, "As I've been cleaning stuff out of my inbox, more have loaded. There are now 21k+ in my inbox. I think I'm giving up on this endeavor. Sorry." Although it works for me, Inbox Zero...
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Saved by Inbox Zero
There's a tickle in the back of your mind. It whispers, "Why are you reading this dumb blog post? Your email is stacking up. There are 6,000 messages in your inbox, and 400 are unread. Open your inbox and despair!" If that’s you, I am sorry to hear it. But I’m happy...
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BLUF Your Way Through Engineering Email
Help someone else (or yourself) turn long, painful email into quick reads that get open and acted upon.
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Is anyone listening?
Lead your team with buy-in and confidence. If you think that no one is listening it may be time to adjust your leadership style.
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12 Books for First Time Engineering Managers
A friend asked me to recommend a reading list for first time engineering managers. While lamenting my inability to narrow my reading list down to a reasonable handful, I realized that I might provide a broader coverage if I tapped a few other engineering managers for...
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Get More Mileage from Your Commute
There are days when it's the most painful 30 (or 45 or 60 or more) minutes of your day. Commuting to work. And then you get to do it all over again later that day when you head home. According to multiple studies (2004, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019), your commute...
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Stop Overengineering Things (Including Beer)
I can’t believe this day finally arrived! I kept thinking that surely, sooner or later, I’d get to merge two of my favorite topics into a single post and today is the day. Thanks to AB InBev and Carlsberg, I finally get to write about engineering and beer. Woohoo!...
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You Keep Using That Word
"Inconceivable!" exclaimed Vizzini. "You keep using that word," said Inigo. "I do not think it means what you think it means.” Have you ever thought that during a meeting when someone is rattling off engineering jargon? Yeah, me too. And as hilarious as I find the...
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Don’t be a Digital Leader
It had been just over two months … two freakin’ months … since I’d talked to my boss. I knew this because I pulled out my phone, opened his contact page, and looked at the history. The only call longer than 20 seconds occurred 63 days prior. Yes, our email...
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Unpaid Internship? Hard Pass!
What would happen if I had this conversation with the neighborhood kid who stopped by to ask if he could mow my yard? Neighborhood Kid: “Hey mister, would you like me to mow your yard?” Me: “That’s a great idea. And I have an even better idea. How about you mow my...
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Volunteer Service = Professional Growth
Let's get this conversation out of the way first: You: "Umm … volunteerism? I thought this blog was about engineering."Me: "It is. This is about using your engineering skills outside of work to further your career and better your community."You: "Ah, nifty. Please...
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Duck Wrangler (aka Project Manager)
Managing an engineering project is a lot like being a professional duck wrangler. People and projects are wandering around, mostly in small clusters, moving a variety of directions, and making a lot of noise. The bad news is many of your small herds got off course and...
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An Extrovert Among Engineering Introverts
"I don't expect anyone else to be as excited as I am. Even with copious amounts of caffeine." Airon Black, CSPO, PMC-IV, and Extrovert I still laugh about this quote from my conversation with Airon Black, a product marketing manager for BigCommerce in Austin, Texas....
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