The Retrospective
The Retrospective

The Retrospective

Jeremy Brown & Péter Szász

Overview
Episodes

Details

The Retrospective: A Podcast for Engineering Leaders

If you want to learn more about leading engineering teams, this podcast can help you improve your skills and grow in your role.

We are Péter Szász and Jeremy Brown, experienced technology leaders and your hosts.

We created this podcast to help people who manage tech teams or want to learn how to do so.

We cover principles and concepts, provide how-to guides and tools to help you meet common challenges, share stories from our experiences, and offer advice on how to be effective leaders in the tech world.

Each 20-30-minute episode discusses one topic.

We aim to cover all areas related to engineering leadership:

  • How to grow your career and become an engineering manager
  • Starting to manage a new team and helping new people join your team
  • Delivering results that align with the business goals
  • Working well with other teams in the company
  • Enabling team and individual success
  • Building and maintaining a strong organizational culture
  • Hiring practices and growing your team
  • Managing managers and scaling leadership
  • Team topologies and organizational structure

The podcast is helpful for:

  • Engineering managers and those who want to become engineering managers.
  • Those on the technical leadership track and who want to grow their leadership skills.
  • Senior managers who want to improve themselves and the managers they coach.

Recent Episodes

S2:E04 - What Puts the Senior in Senior Software Engineer?
NOV 12, 2024
S2:E04 - What Puts the Senior in Senior Software Engineer?
<p>In this episode of The Retrospective podcast, co-hosts Jeremy and Peter delve into the characteristics that define a senior software engineer. They explore the multifaceted nature of seniority, emphasizing that it is not just about years of experience but a blend of technical expertise, business awareness, team impact, and leadership skills. Through analogies and personal anecdotes, they illustrate how senior engineers are not just adept at coding but also act as multipliers of their team’s success. They discuss the holistic view and forward-thinking mindset expected of senior engineers, drawing on examples from their own careers. The episode also touches on the importance of fostering growth in others, handling technical debt pragmatically, and effectively communicating complex technical topics. </p> <p>Advice is offered to engineering managers on how to guide team members aspiring to reach senior levels, emphasizing the importance of demonstrating these traits consistently over time.</p> <p>Here are some articles and further food for thought:</p> <p><a href="https://hackernoon.com/senior-engineers-reduce-risk-5ab2adc13c97">Senior Engineers Reduce Risk</a></p> <p><a href="https://roadmap.sh/guides/levels-of-seniority">Levels of Seniority</a></p> <p><a href="https://swizec.com/blog/why-senior-engineers-get-nothing-done/">Why senior engineers get nothing done</a></p> <p><a href="https://skamille.medium.com/an-incomplete-list-of-skills-senior-engineers-need-beyond-coding-8ed4a521b29f">An incomplete list of skills senior engineers need, beyond coding</a></p> <p>Looking a bit further ahead of the Senior level:</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/box-tech-blog/what-a-senior-staff-software-engineer-actually-does-f3fc140d5f33">What a Senior Staff Software Engineer Actually Does</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.theengineeringmanager.com/managing-managers/vp-director-what/">VP, Director, what?</a></p> <p>00:00 Intro</p> <p>00:36 Overview</p> <p>01:40 Senior People Operate on a Different Time Horizon</p> <p>05:07 The Impact a Senior Engineer Can Have</p> <p>06:38 Technical Expertise</p> <p>08:16 Team Impact</p> <p>11:44 Business Awareness</p> <p>16:02 How They Behave</p> <p>18:34 Demonstrating Leadership</p> <p>20:29 Advice for Engineering Managers</p> <p>25:42 Summing it up!</p> <p>26:18 Outro</p>
play-circle
27 MIN
S2: E02 - Recognising and Tackling Quiet Quitting
OCT 14, 2024
S2: E02 - Recognising and Tackling Quiet Quitting
<p>In this episode of The Retrospective, Peter and Jeremy discuss ‘quiet quitting’ in the workplace, a situation in which employees lose motivation and only do the minimum required.</p> <p>They discuss how to spot the signs and the reasons behind them, such as changes in company culture or personal struggles.</p> <p>The conversation also covers how managers can help motivate their team and maintain a positive environment, using strategies like giving feedback and recognising good work.</p> <p>They also mention the challenges of dealing with quiet quitting, especially when working remotely, and share tips on effectively supporting your team.</p> <p>00:00 Introduction</p> <p>00:25 Quiet Quitting</p> <p>03:07 Situations that can trigger quiet quitting</p> <p>05:55 It’s not always the company!</p> <p>06:18 What Motivates People?</p> <p>07:11 How circumstances can trigger quiet quitting</p> <p>08:09 Recognising the signs in a remote and in office team members</p> <p>09:08 Cultural differences</p> <p>11:44 The consequences of quiet quitting</p> <p>15:41 How to handle quiet quitting as a manager</p> <p>20:19 Don’t forget to focus on the whole team</p> <p>21:11 What are the levers managers have?</p> <p>25:35 Don’t get sucked in!</p> <p>27:22 Remove blockers</p> <p>28:03 Provide Clarity</p> <p>28:29 One to ones are critical</p> <p>28:54 Praise and encourage</p> <p>30:12 Get in touch if you are struggling</p> <p>30:32 You can’t save everyone!</p> <p>30:57 Summary</p>
play-circle
32 MIN
#10 The Retrospective 1st October 2024 - Getting Hired: The Recruiter's Perspective with Peter Batiz
SEP 30, 2024
#10 The Retrospective 1st October 2024 - Getting Hired: The Recruiter's Perspective with Peter Batiz
<p><strong>Getting Hired: The Recruiter's Perspective with special guest Peter Batiz</strong> This episode covers the challenges and opportunities engineering managers face, the importance of adapting to market changes, and building strong relationships with recruiters. Learn strategic negotiation tactics, key questions to ask during the interview process, and how to leverage publicly available information for informed decision-making. Whether you're employed and contemplating a change or actively seeking new opportunities, gain invaluable insights and practical tips to excel in today's tech job scene. Plus, get a sneak peek into the exciting changes coming in season two. 00:00 The Retrospective S1 E10: Getting Hired - The Recruiter's Perspective with Peter Batiz 00:13 Introduction 02:44 Hiring Scene Shifts after 2022 04:00 Technical Skills in Managerial Positions 08:17 Other Differentiators like Remote and Domain Experience 11:24 Quality vs. Quantity of Applications 13:53 Flexibility: The Number One Differenciator to Get The Job 15:38 Remote Work in the Current Climate 17:37 2024 August Hiring Market Improvements 21:56 Economic Reasons of the Current Hiring Climate 23:23 Current Climate is a Return to Normal 27:22 Expectations from Managers in the Current Climate 31:00 Company Culture Shifts 35:23 AI and Kubernetes experience is a Differenciator 39:58 Career Security vs. Job Security 41:32 Successful CV Characteristics 44:13 The role of AI in Hiring 48:57 Show your Impact to Stand Out 52:06 Automatic Job Application Bot 55:14 Job Sites beyond LinkedIn 56:33 Inteviewing Advices 01:01:06 Recruiter Relationships 01:07:40 Advice for EMs Considering Quitting 01:11:19 How to Validate an Offer 01:14:51 Negotiating 01:21:47 Outro </p>
play-circle
83 MIN