Overview
Highlights
Leading a team
- (1:25) Leading a team is challenging because people rarely receive training for it.
- (2:48) The biggest mistake engineers make is that they assume they just need to find enough work for their employees. In reality, it’s lots more.
- (3:16) Having employees can be one of the biggest challenges, but it also brings great joy and lots of work.
- (4:22) Employing staff isn’t for everyone. They can help you make more money, but they can also bring on a lot more potential risk.
- (7:30) You need to be careful with the relationship between employees and employers.
- (10:04) Having employees is a lot about giving them what they need. Don’t assume loyalty.
- (11:05) For engineers, a lot of their time is spent on the road alone. Check in with your employees and make sure they’re alright.
- (11:55) You need to learn to delegate and accept that people will make mistakes.
Communication
- (19:20) Communication is key – from an operational perspective, but also a human one. Communicating well makes people feel involved.
Hiring
- (21:30) Anyone can say anything, so you have to make sure people have the skills you need. A couple of days of paid work as a trial period is a good way to test for this, as well as how well they fit in culturally.
Leadership
- (25:50) Being a good leader is understanding that you’re always learning.
- (13:40) People work in different ways, and you need to be close to your team in order to spot mistakes and patterns.
- (16:20) Alexa talks about her experiences working through difficult times (such as COVID)