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The Shortest Path to User Value in Product Engineering Projects
A set of questions and mental models I've found useful to challenge the status quo and ship value to users faster
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Ilija Eftimov

May 2024

Why Skipping 1:1s as a Manager is a Terrible Idea
A list of 6 non-obvious side-effects of managers skipping 1:1s with their reports.
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Ilija Eftimov

April 2024

Why Reorganizations are the Kryptonite of Productivity, Product Engineering and well-gelled Teams
Stable organizations might appear slow. But smooth means fast.
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Ilija Eftimov
How Engineering Managers can Help Tech Leads on Projects in Duress
A practical guide on how to help tech leads when the going gets tough and the pressure builds up
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Ilija Eftimov

March 2024

The Ignorant Engineering Leader
How being open about your knowledge gaps can make your a better engineering leader, with practical examples.
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Ilija Eftimov
How to Conduct an Annual Performance Review as an Engineering Manager
🎁 Absolutely everything you need to know, plus a performance review tool for subscribers.
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Ilija Eftimov

February 2024

Why Meetings can be High-ROI activity and How Engineers can Learn to Lead them
Leading meetings can be a useful skill, if you know what you're doing.
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Ilija Eftimov
Strategies and Practical Tactics to Make the Back-to-Office Transition Work for You and Your Teams
How engineering managers can support the work and lives of the individuals on their teams by implementing flexible return-to-office policies, in a…
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Ilija Eftimov

January 2024

How I would enter the software engineering field, if I had to do it over again
Ten step approach that I would apply if I were to join the tech industry again.
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Ilija Eftimov
Identifying and Countering Bias during Performance Reviews: A Practical Guide for Engineering Managers
How manager's biases can affect annual performance reviews & what to do about it.
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Ilija Eftimov
Leading Through Change: How I Deal with Team Departures
My personal framework and approach to handling and navigating around a team member's departure
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Ilija Eftimov

December 2023

Breaking the News: A Blueprint to Communicate Timeline Changes in Engineering Projects
A template how to tell your stakeholders that your team won't meet the project deadline, without burning bridges.
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Ilija Eftimov
© 2024 Ilija Eftimov
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