Scarlet Ink

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People Managers

Managers Make Teams Deliver More Value, Not Deliver More Output
True productivity for a team is measured by the value created, not the work completed. The job of a manager is to focus on the value hidden behind the…
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Dave Anderson
2
A Non-Coding Engineering Manager is One Thing, But What About Non-Technical?
A hotly debated topic is how technical an engineering manager needs to be. I dive into the topic, including ways a non-technical leader can learn.
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Dave Anderson
7
A Day in the Life of a Software Development Manager with 14 Direct Reports
A story of too much work, too many reports, and perhaps too much ambition.
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Dave Anderson
3
A Day in the Life of an Amazon Tech Director Poaching a Senior Engineer
Recruiting from internal Amazon teams is a proven way to gain experienced members for your team. If you're careful, and convincing.
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Dave Anderson
7
A Day in the Life of a Senior Manager at Amazon Creating the World's Worst Operations Meeting
I decided that we needed an ops meeting. Unfortunately, my attempt didn't go as planned.
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Dave Anderson
3
Motivation — The Secrets Behind How to Create Drive in Yourself and Others
A walk through of the major components of motivation (autonomy, mastery, purpose), and the tools you can use to build an energizing workplace.
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Dave Anderson
2
A Detailed Account of a Failed Principal Promotion
Not everything we do will be successful. We learn a ton from failure. Unfortunately for managers, our failures sometimes impact our teams as well.
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Dave Anderson
9
Promoting an Employee in Two Days, a Management Story
Don't let process or policy or schedule stop you from doing the right thing. Ignore expectations and think of what you're capable of accomplishing.
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Dave Anderson
1
A Day in the Life of a Senior Manager at Amazon
A representative log of what one day might look like for a Senior Manager at Amazon.
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Dave Anderson
3
Removing or creating stress for optimal performance. Eustress vs Distress.
Too much stress or too little stress can cause issues. We'll discuss how to dial that in, and create a high-performance and high retention team.
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Dave Anderson
Unlearning at Scale: 3 Things That Led to My Success, But I Had to Drop on My Path to Director
Skills you learn earlier in your career may help or hinder you later. Learn to recognize when they're hindering you.
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Dave Anderson
"Can't Code! Not inclined to Hire?" - Why Engineering Managers Don't Need to be Great Coders
An explanation of why managers do not need to code, and probably shouldn't.
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Dave Anderson
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