15 lessons from 15 years in tech.
1. Good code can't fix a bad product
2. The power of "what if we do nothing?"
3. There's no "best" solution
4. Simple solutions win
5. Business context is everything
6. Be helpful first
7. Trust changes everything
8. Find your mentors, be a mentor
9. Impact > titles
10. You’re rewarded for getting things done
11. Write to think
12. Get real about estimates
13. Everything’s a negotiation
14. Own your expertise
15. Use side projects to grow
These are the lessons that @owainlewis has learned the hard way in his 15+ years career, where he grew from an engineer all the way to a Software Engineering Director at Oracle.
Read more about the lessons in the latest article here: newsletter.eng-leadership.com/p/15-lessons-f…
The beauty of entrepreneurship: trading corporate collaboration for personal autonomy. Taking risks isn't just about business—it's about finding fulfillment on your own terms. Sometimes, the greatest reward is the journey of defining success for yourself 🚀 #SideHustle
What is one of the biggest productivity killers for engineers?
It's context-switching.
Many times we are interrupted or distracted by a certain thing like:
- changing of priorities,
- meetings or
- we lose focus.
I switch contexts a LOT during my day and this is what helps me:
1. Timeboxing of tasks - A timer with 25 min of focus work and 5 min pause works for me to keep me focused.
2. Meeting time and maker time - I try to reserve my time and combine similar things together. For example: 4 hours for meetings and 4 hours for focus work.
3. I don’t focus on perfect timings anymore. I rather focus on achieving daily and weekly goals.
4. “Just DO it” attitude helps a lot. Sometimes we are all overthinking things. Once you get started, the momentum is going to help you to progress.
P.S. To learn more, you can read the article "Context-switching - one of the worst productivity killers in the engineering industry" here: newsletter.eng-leadership.com/p/context-swit… (paid article)
The genie framework for figuring out what you should do with your life
You're walking home from work, and you come across a magic lamp. You rub the lamp, and this genie comes out.
The genie says I haven't been in this bottle for 10,000 years yet, so I'm not fully formed and
Navigating performance reviews isn't about being nice—it's about being honest. Radical candor means giving feedback that truly helps people grow. Sometimes, the most caring thing you can do is speak up. 🚀 #ProfessionalGrowth#FeedbackMatters
🚀 Are you feeling pressured to climb the corporate ladder? 🤔 Let’s explore why understanding your 'why' is key to true fulfillment!
open.substack.com/pub/thechillde…
Most impactful engineers are always thinking about the users.
What are they doing?
They are:
- Trying to understand the users thoroughly and put themselves in their position.
- Making decisions by having users in mind.
- Always asking themselves if what they and their team is building fits the needs of the users.
They know that everything that has been done is judged by the users and measured by their satisfaction.
So, when you are going to be making your next technical decision, make sure to ask yourself: Would this benefit the users?
P.S. To learn more -> join engineers and leads from Meta, Google, IBM, Revolut in my cohort-based course here: maven.com/gregor-ojsters… (We start on January 21).
🚀 Want to level up your engineering
game? Embrace the product mindset! It’s not just about coding; it’s
about creating products that truly matter. #ProductMindset#SoftwareEngineering
🌟 Feeling anxious? Try this: pause for a moment, take a deep breath, and ask yourself if your worries are based on reality. You might be surprised at what you find! 💭✨ #MentalHealthAwareness#MentalHealthMatters
🌱 Do you ever beat yourself up over mistakes? Remember, they’re just stepping stones to growth! Embrace those slip-ups—they push you out of your comfort zone and help you learn
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