Engineering Leadership in Uncertain Times

leadership_shift:
  growth_era:
    resources: Abundant
    hiring: Always yes
    projects: Start many, see what works
    failure: Acceptable cost of learning
    timeline: Long-term bets welcome

  uncertain_times:
    resources: Constrained
    hiring: Justify every role
    projects: Focus on essentials
    failure: Scrutinized closely
    timeline: Show results quickly

team_needs:
  clarity:
    - What are we actually working on?
    - What's the priority order?
    - What are we NOT doing?

  stability:
    - Will there be more layoffs?
    - Is my job safe?
    - What's the company direction?

  agency:
    - How can I contribute?
    - Do my opinions matter?
    - Can I grow here?

  purpose:
    - Why does this work matter?
    - What impact are we having?
    - Where are we going?

communication_principles:
  acknowledge_uncertainty:
    bad: "Everything is fine, trust the plan"
    good: "Here's what we know, what we don't know, and when we'll know more"

  share_context:
    bad: "Just focus on your work"
    good: "Here's why leadership made this decision and what it means for us"

  admit_limits:
    bad: "I have all the answers"
    good: "I don't know, but here's how I'm trying to find out"

communication_cadence:
  daily:
    - Available for questions
    - Quick updates on urgent issues

  weekly:
    - Team meeting with updates
    - One-on-ones with individuals
    - Written summary of priorities

  monthly:
    - Broader context sharing
    - Progress against goals
    - Adjustments to plans

  as_needed:
    - Major announcements immediately
    - Don't let rumors fill the vacuum

prioritization_framework:
  must_do:
    criteria:
      - Revenue generating
      - Customer retention critical
      - Regulatory/compliance
      - Security incidents
    treatment: Protected, fully resourced

  should_do:
    criteria:
      - Improves efficiency
      - Reduces tech debt risk
      - Supports must-do work
    treatment: Do if capacity allows

  could_do:
    criteria:
      - Nice to have
      - Future investment
      - Experimental
    treatment: Pause or stop

  stop_doing:
    criteria:
      - No clear ROI
      - Low usage
      - Duplicate effort
    treatment: Explicit stop, communicate

cutting_approach:
  projects:
    - List all active work
    - Map to business value
    - Identify dependencies
    - Cut bottom 20-30%
    - Communicate clearly why

  scope:
    - Review feature lists
    - Challenge "must have" assumptions
    - Find MVP for each feature
    - Defer nice-to-haves

  process:
    - Question every meeting
    - Simplify approval workflows
    - Reduce documentation overhead
    - Focus on outcomes over process

shielding_practices:
  filter_noise:
    - Don't forward every panicked email
    - Synthesize information before sharing
    - Provide context, not just data

  absorb_pressure:
    - Take heat for team decisions
    - Don't pass blame downward
    - Manage up on unrealistic demands

  maintain_normalcy:
    - Preserve useful rituals
    - Celebrate wins (even small ones)
    - Protect focus time

advocacy_approach:
  make_the_case:
    - Quantify impact of work
    - Connect to business outcomes
    - Show cost of not doing
    - Propose trade-offs

  negotiate_timeline:
    - Push back on unrealistic deadlines
    - Provide options with trade-offs
    - Document constraints clearly

  protect_people:
    - Advocate for fair workloads
    - Fight for career development
    - Push for recognition

resilience_building:
  psychological_safety:
    - Mistakes are learning opportunities
    - Questions are welcome
    - Disagreement is healthy

  skill_distribution:
    - Cross-train team members
    - Rotate responsibilities
    - Document critical knowledge

  sustainable_pace:
    - Don't sprint indefinitely
    - Monitor workload
    - Enforce time off

leader_resilience:
  self_care:
    - You can't pour from empty cup
    - Model healthy boundaries
    - Take your own time off

  support_network:
    - Peer leaders for venting
    - Mentor for guidance
    - Team for energy

  perspective:
    - This is a phase, not forever
    - Focus on what you control
    - Celebrate small progress

quality_protection:
  non_negotiables:
    - Security standards
    - Critical testing
    - Code review
    - On-call coverage

  adjustable:
    - Documentation depth
    - Feature completeness
    - Refactoring scope
    - Meeting frequency

  trade_off_conversations:
    - "We can deliver X faster if we accept Y"
    - Make trade-offs explicit
    - Get buy-in on reduced scope

tech_debt_approach:
  triage:
    - What's actually causing pain?
    - What's theoretical concern?
    - What blocks critical work?

  strategic_investment:
    - Fix debt that slows high-priority work
    - Defer debt in stable areas
    - Contain debt to prevent spread

  visibility:
    - Track debt explicitly
    - Show cost of not addressing
    - Advocate for maintenance time

restructuring_guidance:
  when_it_happens:
    - Acknowledge the difficulty
    - Be honest about what you know
    - Support those leaving and staying

  rebuilding:
    - Reassess priorities with new reality
    - Redistribute responsibilities thoughtfully
    - Rebuild team identity

  avoiding_pitfalls:
    - Don't pretend nothing happened
    - Don't overwork remaining team
    - Don't make promises you can't keep