Power, Influence and Authority in Engineering Leadership - Dinosaur.js

Leadership opportunities are available at all levels of an organization, but some are more evident or clearly defined than others. Helping an organization achieve its goals may require us to step up as engineering leaders. As individual contributors, we may be able to support our team in negotiating the scope of a feature, facilitating a meeting or looking into that part of our codebase everyone shies away from. How about improving processes, helping define the culture or even the career journey of an organization? Do we need to be managers to have explicit authority to be agents of change? Maybe ... or maybe not

This talk explores different challenges that engineering teams have through the lens of power, influence or authority from the perspective of engineers or managers. If you've ever wondered if you should step into management, this talk can give you some insight into the right tool or role needed to be an agent for positive change. After this talk, you should have a better idea of whether making the management career change can give you the tools you need to grow and help others in the process.

Transcript

1. !
   Power, Influence and Authority
   in Engineering Leadership
   @buritica
   

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4. "Juan, I think I want to go
   into Engineering
   Management"
   — an engineer
   

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5. Why?
   

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6. "I would like to help my
   team move forward"
   — same engineer
   

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7. Why would management allow
   you to make change?
   

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8. "Because I would have
   authority"
   — same engineer
   

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9. !
   Not so fast
   

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10. What kinds of change are you
    looking for?
    

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15. Authority
    

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16. Authority
    the power or right to give orders,
    make decisions, and enforce
    

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18. !
    Authority
    

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19. Authority
    the power to influence others,
    especially because of one's
    commanding manner or one's
    recognized knowledge about
    something.
    

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20. !
    Authority
    

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21. What authority does
    an engineer have?*
    * in a "healthy" org
    

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22. Authority
    Conventionally, authority is
    legitimate
    ⚡
    power
    

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23. By hiring
    you confer legitimate power over
    a technical domain
    

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24. Authority of an IC
    function individualContributor () {
    let authority = ['technical-domain']
    }
    

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25. Authority
    is not static
    

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26. Experience
    can modify authority
    

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27. Autonomy of an IC
    function individualContributor () {
    let authority = ['technical-domain']
    if (experienced) {
    authority.push('own-time')
    }
    }
    

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28. Experience as a modifier
    • JR IC: little authority over their time
    • Sr Eng: some authority over their time and other's time
    • Staff Eng: full authority over their time and some over
    other's
    

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29. Modifiers vary depending on
    company, org, team, and even
    manager
    

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30. So I can change all the softwares?
    

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31. Maybe...
    

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32. How much does your team trust
    you ...
    

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33. ... and what is your scope of
    influence?
    

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34. Everytime you make decisions
    you trade on trust
    

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35. Architectural decisions
    require higher trust than
    implementation ones
    

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36. What authority does a
    manager have?
    

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37. Authority of a manager
    function manager () {
    let authority = ['people, processes']
    if (experienced) {
    authority.push('strategy')
    }
    }
    

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38. Autonomy of a manager
    function manager () {
    // ...
    let autonomy = authority.indexOf('own-time')
    authority.pop(autonomy)
    }
    

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39. So I can change all the peoples
    and processes?
    

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40. Maybe...
    

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41. How much does your team trust
    you ...
    

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42. What is your scope of influence?
    

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43. or might I say, closure?
    

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44. Management has authority over
    software through people &
    process
    

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45. Authority Closures
    function vp() {
    function director() {
    function manager() {
    function individualContributor(){
    // software
    }
    }
    }
    }
    

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46. Management authority isn't
    enough all the time ...
    

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48. ... also, authority closures don't
    tend to work the other way
    around
    

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49. Authority Closures
    function individualContributor() {
    function manager() {
    function director() {
    function vp(){
    const compensation = '$$$'
    const process = 'waterfall'
    }
    }
    }
    }
    

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50. But sometimes, there is hope!
    

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52. We all have the opportunity to
    step up as leaders
    

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53. * Disclaimer leadership takes
    time, effort and patience.
    

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54. But most importantly
    trust
    

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55. Authority Closures
    function individualContributor() {
    function manager() {
    function director() {
    function vp(){
    const onCall = 'rotation'
    }
    }
    }
    }
    

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56. Building trust can
    help you pierce your
    closure
    

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57. Authority Closures
    function vp() {
    let oncall = 'rotation'
    function director() {
    function manager() {
    function individualContributor(){
    onCall = 'team owned'
    }
    }
    }
    }
    

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59. "Juan, I think I want to go
    into Engineering
    Management"
    — an engineer
    

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60. "So you're saying I don't
    need to be a manager"
    — an engineer
    

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61. Not entirely ...
    

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62. I want to encourage you to be a
    leader
    

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63. The intent of leadership is to
    deliver outcomes for the greater
    good
    

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64. We're part of an industry that has
    an abnormal amount of power to
    cause change in the world
    

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66. Working in
    technology gives you
    authority over the
    future of people at a
    never before scale
    

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67. Knowing about your "authority
    closures" may give you the ability
    to focus change
    

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68. Stepping into management is a
    career change
    

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69. But stepping up as an IC leader is
    a lower risk way of getting
    experience
    

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70. .. and building trust
    

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72. ... so that you can eventually
    make the change you want
    

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73. We need more and better
    engineering managers
    

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74. No matter how hard you try
    you will be someone's worst boss
    

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75. But it will all be worth it
    when you become someone's
    best boss
    

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76. And accept you can't change it all
    

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78. Thanks
    @buritica
    

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79. Photo Credits
    ESMAD
    

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