Leading in Tech, week 5 case

Case: the go-to engineer wants the hard feature again

The biggest client demo in company history is in eight weeks.

The proven engineer expects to lead it, again. Two mid-levels are ready to grow, at the cost of 30 percent more time and less certain polish.

You will now hear the full case, one page, 5 minutes. Listen for what has already been tried.

Leading in Tech, week 5 case

Case: the laws in tension

  • Explosive Growth: every critical project to the same person adds output and loses a growth cycle
  • Empowerment: leading with "assists" is the costume of growth, not growth
  • Priorities: the demo is urgent; the team's ceiling is important

Three laws, and they do not point to the same kickoff.

Leading in Tech, week 5 case

One assignment, both tracks

Whether you lead a team of reports or lead technical direction without reports, multiplying costs the same thing.

EMs multiply by developing leaders among reports. ICs multiply by developing other go-to engineers.

Both pay the same price: the next delivery may be slower while people grow.

Leading in Tech, week 5 case

Activity: prepare your camp

Assigned camps, 10 minutes. One camp argues: Dina leads, the demo is not the place to practice. The other argues: Ali and Farah lead, Dina consults, the team's ceiling is worth the risk.

Build your opening and your best evidence from the case text.

Challenge: what is the other camp's strongest attack on you?