Rome wasn’t built in a day…

Establishing a high-performing, long-term oriented, and efficient Engineering team.

I consider myself fortunate to have held the role of founding member within an offshore engineering center established by an international technology firm. Over the course of the last half-decade, I have fulfilled the role of Head of Engineering within the company. The purpose of this article is to discuss the strategies I have employed to establish a profoundly productive software engineering team characterized by a strong organizational culture and a steadfast long-term vision.

The initial hiring decisions are of paramount importance.

When initiating a team from the ground up, the most critical step is to make a select few strategic hires. It’s imperative to assemble a team characterized by trustworthiness and dependability. This entails choosing individuals who possess intelligence, as they can be molded to perform optimally, and whose best efforts can be harnessed. Furthermore, I prioritize attributes such as willingness and attitude over prior experience.

I concur with Simon Sinek’s viewpoint, which emphasizes the significance of a medium-performing member with high levels of trust, over a high-performing yet toxic individual, within a startup team.

Establishing a solid foundation of trust within your team is essential.

It holds immense significance that your team members place their trust in you, and it’s crucial to remember that trust operates as a two-way dynamic. Trust is something that must be earned through actions, not merely through words.

It is essential to possess a firm grasp of technical skills and domain knowledge while consistently staying updated to ensure effectiveness and success.

To effectively lead an engineering team, a profound understanding of both technology and business is imperative. Non-technical leaders often face skepticism from technical team members; thus, your explanations and ideas must be easily graspable. Collaborate with experts when necessary. Moreover, remaining up-to-date with rapidly evolving technology is vital to steer clear of obsolescence.

Develop a comprehensive plan for each phase in advance and establish short-term goals to guide your progress effectively

Possessing a long-term vision for your team is of paramount importance. Right from the outset, I held distinct plans, and I’m willing to offer a few illustrative examples.

During our early stages as a startup, our principal aim was to expedite the deployment of artifacts to Production Environments while minimizing the presence of bugs. This strategy was driven by the goal of securing long-term service maintenance agreements, which in turn provided the necessary resources for future expansion endeavors.

Subsequently, in the second stage, our focus shifted towards addressing quality concerns. This led to the implementation of certain action items, including the augmentation of Quality Assurance capabilities and the introduction of refined Engineering Processes.

Following that, we embarked on the process of formalizing standards and procedures across the entire Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Our endeavor encompassed the adoption of world-class engineering practices, with the assignment of responsible roles dedicated to upholding these standards.

Finally, our attention turned towards the realms of Productization, Automation, and Reusability, where we concentrated on the effective implementation of these initiatives.

Cultivate an organizational culture that engenders such loyalty and satisfaction among your staff that they have no desire to depart.

Continuously contemplate what the optimal company culture would be from the perspective of a junior employee. What factors contribute to their contentment? Conversely, also reflect on what aspects tend to cause employee dissatisfaction.

Establishing and upholding a genuinely flat hierarchical environment is vital to facilitate the seamless flow of ideas from top to bottom. The inclusion of the term ‘genuine’ is pivotal, as many companies claim to adopt such an approach, but often fall short in its practical implementation.

Culture serves as the lifeblood of an organization, binding all units cohesively. It represents the optimal and sole method for retaining top talent once the mandate requirements have been met.

Familiarize your team not solely with technical expertise, but also with the commercial facets of the business.

While any engineer can produce code, providing them with education about business operations and clients’ expectations, along with encouraging them to adopt a business-oriented mindset, fosters innovation. This approach enables the formulation of optimal solutions to address business challenges effectively.

In addition to focusing solely on technological aspects, engage in discussions with your team about solutions. Aid them in comprehending high-level issues by adopting a bird’s-eye view perspective.

Cultivate an environment that encourages individuals to challenge the status quo and propose alternatives without the fear of rejection. This approach aids them in embracing changes with a fearless outlook.

Expose your team to challenges and consistently provide opportunities for continuous learning.

Exposing the team to challenges serves as a means to cultivate critical thinking skills. Given the rapid pace of technological evolution, maintaining a continuous learning process and staying updated with external developments is of paramount importance.

In the grand scheme, the significance lies in prevailing in the war, even if a battle or two may be lost along the way.

In the event of minor failures, it’s essential to support the team and not let them down. These instances should serve as lessons for learning, prompting the implementation of action items to prevent future occurrences.

Prioritize process improvement over merely addressing isolated issues, as this approach contributes to sustained progress.

Face the pressure emanating from both upper leadership and your subordinates with resilience and strength akin to that of carbon fiber.

At times, assuming the role of a mediator and absorbing pressure from both top management and your immediate team can be incredibly challenging. Leadership, much like riding a bicycle, demands maintaining the right balance while continually propelling forward.

Adapt the hiring strategy according to your expansion trajectory and financial capacity.

In the initial stages, startups often lack the luxury of recruiting top-tier industry professionals. However, as growth and financial capacity expand, it becomes imperative to modify hiring strategies and recalibrate the target employee market.

Facilitate internal growth opportunities for your staff within the organization.

Strive to create a well-defined career progression trajectory that aligns with the region of operation, and establish transparent Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for promotions and salary increments. In conjunction with the company’s expansion, prioritizing the advancement of employees’ careers and personal lives holds substantial significance from my standpoint.

Exhibit strong resistance to detrimental behaviors and actions within the team.

React promptly and publicly make decisions when identifying a negative influence that could detrimentally affect the company culture. This approach ensures that the entire team becomes aware of the unacceptable behavior and sees that it is being addressed.

Your most accomplished employee can also pose the greatest risk.

Your most dependable employee, upon whom you heavily rely, also represents your most significant risk. Consider the scenario where this individual does not show up tomorrow. Establishing succession plans within an established team is therefore of utmost importance.

In my perspective, creating a succession plan should involve open discussions with the individuals concerned, ensuring their input and support in the process.

Think globally, act locally.

In managing a global team, it’s imperative to recognize the richness and diversity of cultures that make up the workforce. Embracing and respecting these cultural differences is not just a matter of sensitivity, but a strategic imperative for success. Each culture brings with it a unique set of values, work styles, and communication norms. To truly harness the collective strength of a global team, we must treat each culture individually, understanding and valuing their distinct contributions. It’s a recognition that ‘umbrella solutions’ rarely fit the bill in such a dynamic and diverse environment. This is where ‘The rubber hits the ground’ — by customizing our approaches to align with the specific needs and values of each culture, we can unlock the full potential of our team, fostering an inclusive and collaborative atmosphere that leads to the best outcomes.

Finally, Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Constructing an exceptionally positive culture and building a team that is both dedicated and skilled, fostering high performance and low employee turnover, requires a significant investment of time and effort.

Nevertheless, it is crucial to recognize that only a handful of poor decisions can swiftly dismantle this foundation.