Personal Growth for Engineering Leaders
Leading a startup engineering team through growth isn't always easy. To do it well, it's important to understand yourself, what motivates you, and what your core beliefs are.
What Does Success Look Like to You?
First, you need to figure out what success looks like to you. What really motivates you - is it money, status, or something else? Paul Graham, a founder of Y Combinator, warns us not to be fooled by the lure of prestige. He says we shouldn't care about anyone's opinion other than our friends, and we shouldn't let prestige change what we enjoy. This is especially important for startups where the desire for prestige can lead us astray.
Understand Your Core Values
Do you know what your core values are? Have you really thought about what values are most important to you, and whether your life and career choices match them? It's easy to think we understand our core values without really digging deep to find out what they truly are. There are online tests and introspective exercises that can help you figure out these values. Once you understand them, they should guide every decision you make in your career and life. If you compromise on these values, you might end up with less than satisfying career experiences.
Celebrate the Small Victories
Growing a startup isn't something that happens overnight - it's a slow process full of challenges. Jeff Bezos talks about a "10-year journey to become an overnight success". So, it's important to celebrate the small victories along the way. This is good for your motivation and your team's.
Find People You Can Talk To
As a CTO or Head of Engineering, you might start to feel more isolated, especially if you're surrounded by people who aren't tech experts. It's important to find peers and neutral voices who can act as sounding boards to help you feel less alone and offer advice when you need it.
Never Stop Learning
Continuous learning is part of a technologist's life. When you move into leadership roles, you might not be learning new tech skills, but you should be expanding your knowledge in other areas. As startup expert Eric Ries puts it: "The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else." Well-known leaders like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett commit to regular reading to keep their edge.
Keep Your Ambition in Check
Ambition can drive progress, but it can also distract from a broader journey of personal growth. Balance ambition with an overall approach to life quality. Make sure to make time for the people you care about, as relationships are as important as career progression.
Final Thoughts
In the end, growing a startup is a complicated process. The small, multi-skilled teams that are typical of startups face their own unique challenges that need effective leadership. By understanding and using the ideas I've talked about here, startup CTOs and engineering heads can help guide their organizations towards success.