It was an interesting real experience of mine recently, and I got somewhat of a shock despite understanding the power of passion.

I was having a blood draw at a clinic. "Ouch," I said to myself without letting it come out. The nurse missed the vein. "Ouch, again!" I thought, hoping, "please work...

"It's not the hours you put in, but what you put into the hours." -Sam Ewing

People naturally focus on effort/activities because they are visible, tangible, and easy to measure. For instance, "I fixed 132 bugs this month," "I checked in over 5,000 lines of code," or even, "I launched a new...

First Principles Thinking

Following "First Principles Thinking", let's first answer a fundamental question. Why are Engineering Manager (EM) roles needed the first place?

An EM serves several critical functions:

• Strategic alignment: Ensuring the team’s goals align with business...

AI has brought sweeping changes to the software engineering landscape, transforming how developers work and the skills they need. While AI offers exciting possibilities, it also introduces challenges to software engineers. Here are impacts AI has on software engineering profession...

For many people, job hunting is an infrequent ordeal—something that happens every few years, requiring grueling months of applications and interviews. Once they land the job, they relax until the next cycle begins. But this mindset misses a key truth: success comes from continuous...

Today's high tech job market is the toughest in years. For new college grads, it is even more challenging. I understand the pain, because I experienced the downturn from the dot com bubble burst, right after I graduated. One unique situation in this downturn is that AI can automate a lot...

I receive LinkedIn reach-outs regularly, many of which are from job seekers looking to connect with potential hiring managers. Kudos to those who take the initiative to reach out! However, I spotted a common problem in many of the reach-out messages that gets in the way for establishing a...

Yeah, you heard that right! We should treat other the way they want to be treated instead! The logic behind it is quite simple, but it took a while for me to fully connected the dots. After switching the perspective, there is a whole new world to discover. I’m also astonished by...

As engineers, we want to not only build great products but also see them succeed in the marketplace and be embraced by many customers. Successful products and strong brands go hand in hand. But how to build a strong brand? This is a million dollar question, however “touchpoint” is a...

While teaching product management certificate, I met lots of bright students looking to transition into PM career and got the following question from a lot of them. How to navigate through the catch-22 during the career transition, e.g., engineer->PM, IC->manager (that’s right, this...