Category: management

Years ago, a colleague asked me what an engineering manager should do, so I thought about it, wrote up a quick list, and shared it with them. I was happy with it, so I kept it and shared it with others from time to time.

A few years after that, I published it to the public, and eventually a friend posted it to Hacker News, and it made the top page. I got a lot of good feedback, and I decided to do a revision. Now that I’m finally getting around to it, I decided to publish it to Github as a means of getting feedback. It is open sourced under the Apache 2.0 license. Pull requests are welcome!

A simple framework for mentoring someone you work with:

1. Clearly, and optionally passionately, articulate your values and what drives you.

2. Take a personal interest in the person you are mentoring. Listen to what they tell you. Share your relevant lessons from your experience.

3. Clearly explain the potential you see the mentee.

4. Engage with their interests and give them a stretch assignment that they can handle.

5. Assure them that you will be around to help.

6. When they run into trouble, don’t be afraid to give specific guidance.

7. Be there to listen and provide support when they need it. Demonstrate empathy.

I didn’t come up with this on my own, nor did I read it in a book. This is what Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, Lester Bangs, did in the film Almost Famous.