bryanmillstein

This is a good question. It's an initial reaction, the fast thinking part of my brain. I suspect it triggers a sense of fear. Here are a few ideas as to why:

- They will think I'm either too slow or not working hard enough. - They will ask me to do it faster which may or may not be feasible. Pushing back on this may be hard. - The question itself adds extra pressure. Someone is waiting for me. - I feel like I'm being watched. - I feel like I'm being micro managed.

The anxiety doesn't last long. Once my rational brain kicks in I move past it quickly. I do wonder though if these small moments of anxiety build up over time.

Interestingly, when I wrote this original post I was thinking about when product managers ask this question rather than a direct manager. I haven't experienced this anxiety when communicating with my manager. The dynamic between engineers and PMs is an interesting one. I don't think the tension between the two groups is talked about enough.

I agree with your opinion. When someone is behind it's almost never because they aren't working hard. However, it's difficult for an individual to make that distinction. This is especially challenging for junior engineers. As I've become more senior this has been less of an issue.

The value Loop gets with this level of access to user data will far outweigh any benefit they offer. No wonder they're giving it away for free. How much do you think users should be charging Loop for this data?

During my college job as a cashier I made the transition to a lead position. About ten years later I went from developer to manager.

I found both transitions to be remarkably similar. My focus shifted from performing tasks to building trust and learning how to motivate.

My main advice: I cannot stress enough the importance of consistent and considered 1:1s. Many in the software industry view these meetings as unimportant status updates and often neglect them. This is a missed opportunity and you would be wise to give them the proper prioritization.

Take advantage of these private sessions to go beyond the projects they are working on. Explore what motivates them and dig deep to uncover their true passion. It will take time for them to open up but you can accelerate this process by sharing personal feelings and putting yourself in a vulnerable position.

I had six direct reports and met with each of them weekly for a one hour session. This is a substantial time commitment and can be emotionally exhausting. In my first few months these meetings intimidated me and it felt like I wasn't making progress. Eventually they became my favorite hours of the week and energized me in a way that software development never had.