In this episode, we sit down with Eric Mignot to explore the Core Protocols and how they can help teams build software products (though they apply to products in general) in a sustainable, high-performance way while avoiding burnout.
We talk about mindful communication through protocols like check-in, ask for help, and the decider, and how important it is to communicate intent explicitly rather than leave it to another person's interpretation. Eric shares how you can start using these protocols individually even when your team doesn't know them. He also emphasizes that the protocols work better when they are adopted voluntarily, and that they cannot be forced on teams.
Eric also talks about his journey from Scrum coach and instructor to discovering these protocols, and how technical excellence and human connection both matter when it comes to preventing burnout. We talk about the challenges of achieving real unanimity, the importance of self-awareness, and that sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is ask for help, without necessarily having all the answers or a well-defined, concrete ask first.
We have avoided talking about generative AI and LLMs. No more. In this episode we decided to discuss the topic and expose the reasoning why we have been careful and have avoided it so far.
We share our perspectives as experienced software engineers (not AI experts) navigating the hype, anxiety, and reality of LLMs.
We discuss our approach and experiments with LLMs, from initial hesitation to finding practical use cases that work for us, while exploring the broader implications for software engineering careers.
The conversation covers what LLMs actually do versus what people think they do, the risks of losing critical thinking skills, and why we believe the fears about AI replacing software engineers are largely out of place.
In this episode we chat about burn out. Yes, again... because this topic deserves an always ongoing conversation.This time Nav Rao, a self-described "floating software engineer" with experience in early-stage startups across New Zealand and Australia, joins us to discuss the topic.Nav shares his candid experiences of burning out multiple times throughout his career, warning signs that indicate you are heading towards burnout, and we discuss how burnout manifests: from overwhelming stress to crushing boredom, feeling lack of purpose, and organizational dysfunction, plus the compounding effects of repeated burnout cycles.The conversation covers strategies for recovery and why traditional advice like "touch grass" goes only so far without addressing systemic workplace issues. We also reflect on how the current state of the tech industry, including AI pressure and current market status is affecting engineers and driving them towards burn out.
In this episode, we explore leadership principles as tools to navigate complex situations and daily challenges.
We discuss how these short, memorable phrases can serve as practical decision-making tools, become mental triggers to drive positive or desired behavior, and drive culture (both at work and sometimes at home).
From overcoming procrastination to dealing with setbacks, we share a few of our personal leadership principles and techniques, like reframing procrastination, avoiding dwelling on mistakes (while still learning from them), and recognizing battles that are not worth fighting.
Because we worked at Amazon for a long time, we examine Amazon's leadership principles to show how these frameworks can work as genuine decision-making tools and culture drivers rather than empty corporate statements (well, some of them at least :-) ). We explore specific examples like “Disagree and Commit” and how this could be useful in meetings and decision making, or how the tension between “Bias for Action” and “Dive Deep” is intentional (and even valuable).
We also cover how these principles are used in interviewing processes and offer advice for candidates preparing for behavioral interviews at companies that use similar frameworks.
Remember, if you use Leadership Principles in your life or work, feel free to share them with us in the comments or in LinkedIn, we would love to hear from you and learn new ones.
Episode Notes:
"Good" from Jocko Willink (Link to the Akira song/version which I like)
In this episode, we discuss an essential question: how do we learn in software engineering?
The conversation explores the need (and pressure) of continuous learning in our field and the anxiety of feeling constantly left behind by industry changes, together with strategies that have worked for us.
Topics include learning by doing versus passive consumption of information, finding opportunities to grow at work, and why stepping outside your comfort zone is important.
Learning evolves throughout our careers: early on there is eagerness to absorb new technologies, while later the focus shifts to recognizing familiar patterns across frameworks as experience grows. Eventually, soft skills and good judgment become as important as technical knowledge.
The discussion also touches on the impact of generative AI on learning, balancing staying current with avoiding information overload, and why pursuing interests outside of software engineering matters.
In this episode, we dive into the addictive nature of gaming and social media with our guest Ilya Bezdelev, co-founder of Metacast and author of The Pragmatic Podcaster.
We explore our personal struggles with digital addictions, doom scrolling, constant notifications, and mobile games designed with casino-like psychological hooks. These platforms are intentionally engineered to maximize engagement at any cost, so we talk about the impact on our productivity and mental health, and share practical strategies we've used to break free from these cycles. We also talk about the search for more intentional tech use and how finding meaningful accomplishment can replace these addictive dopamine hits.
Links:
In this episode, we talk about legacy systems: we explore what makes a system "legacy", why engineers often avoid working with them, and what strategies help to effectively work with these systems.
We share our thoughts on how legacy systems have evolved throughout our careers, what is there to learn from them (and operations in general), and why some of these systems are actually very successful systems worth respecting.
We also offer some practical advice to make incremental improvements on legacy systems, using patterns like the "strangler fig" rather than attempting complete rewrites (which are most of the time not the best approach).
Also, don't miss the story of dealing with challenging legacy code (including a jaw-dropping Perl-Java hybrid, and a VB6 mudball of 20000 lines of unreadable business logic code).
Episode Notes:
Inspired by recent corporate mandates for return-to-office, in this episode we explore the landscape of remote work and its impact on software engineering careers. We talk about our experiences transitioning in-office to remote work during the pandemic, looking at how collaboration, meetings, and productivity changed in unexpected ways. From our experiences with both models, we analyze challenges and benefits of remote work (as well as in-office), from managing distractions to improved work-life balance. We dive into what we think is the future of remote work, company culture, and what these changes mean for engineering careers going forward.
In this episode, we take a step back and reflect on our podcast journey and personal experiences in 2024.
We discuss the process of launching and growing our podcast, including our evolving approach to recording, editing, and content creation.
We share our personal and professional highlights from the year, including mentoring experiences, exploring new skills (like learning to fly airplanes), and our goals for the podcast and work life in 2025.
It's a candid, behind-the-scenes look at our ongoing adventure in tech, podcasting, and personal growth.
Show notes:
Ilya Bezdelev, The Pragmatic Podcaster: https://www.metacastpodcast.com/p/book or https://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Podcaster-Step-step-Starting/dp/B0CFCY7HG3
In this episode, we explore the software design process as a key element of engineering culture. From concept to delivery, we share insights on creating designs that deliver value quickly while keeping teams aligned and engaged, without getting lost in unnecessary complexity. Drawing from our different perspectives and roles across our careers, we discuss how to make design processes work, focusing on practical value rather than bureaucracy, and highlighting the importance of clear communication and productive feedback loops.
In this episode, we dive deep into the complex world of engineering culture. We explore what defines culture in an engineering organization, how to identify areas that need change, and strategies for influencing and transforming team dynamics. Drawing from our experiences at Amazon and other companies, we discuss the challenges of cultural transformation, the importance of mechanisms, leadership principles, and the delicate balance between pushing for change and avoiding burnout. We share practical insights on how individual engineers can become catalysts for positive organizational shifts.
In this episode, we discuss the challenging issue of burnout that many engineers face in their careers. We share our personal experiences with burnout and offer strategies for identifying and managing it based on what has worked for us and others we've spoken with. The conversation covers causes, symptoms, and how to approach difficult situations in a realistic way while maintaining self-awareness and avoiding self-punishment.
In this episode, we explore mentorship in the world of software engineering. We share our personal journeys of going from Amazon to coaching and mentoring, and compare notes on our different strategies and techniques. We also reflect on our own experiences as mentees and the impact it's had on our own careers.
In this episode, we try to answer the question "how do I grow in my career?" We discuss career tracks and leveling, promotions, individual contributor roles vs. people management, and other related topics.
Technical interviewing is a hotbed of differing opinions, but its importance has loomed larger in recent years due to the challenging job market. In this episode, we explore software interviewing from both a candidate and employer perspective, debunk common misconceptions, and generally try to shed some light on a complicated topic.
In our first episode, we introduce ourselves and explain the goals of the podcast. Then we dive into our first topic: exploring the skills and traits we've observed in good software engineers, why they matter, and how to cultivate them.
