Module 2: Building culture

Pillars of Engineering Management

Culture determines how we treat people, how we respond to problems, and how we approach our work.

That’s why building a healthy team culture is critical for promoting and sustaining the best work within your team. No culture is the same and culture isn’t static. That’s why all engineering teams, regardless of their size or maturity, need to continually nurture culture in order to reinforce guiding principles and best practices.

So, as an engineering leader, how do you define and articulate culture? And how do you determine which behaviors are reinforced and which are ‘punished’?

Featuring:

Module 1 takeaways and homework

You learned:

The different styles that distinguish culture and how they can be measured.
How to identify your culture and cultivate the culture that best supports your strategy.
The importance of hiring, firing, promoting, the narrative you have around those activities, and how to build trust with your team.
How to build trust with your team, as trust is foundational to every healthy culture.
Culture is critical to the ultimate success of your team, and healthy cultures are foundational to high-performing teams.

You discussed the different aspects constituting your current culture and thought about how you can evolve it for your team to thrive.

You now have the tools to identify the foundational aspects of a healthy culture to continue improving your team’s culture.

Homework

Let’s make it happen! To help you put the skills you learned today into action, how about steering yourself? While the content is still fresh, start writing a document that dives into these areas:

Identify your team’s current culture.
Determining what’s working and what isn’t, and your culture’s intended and unintended consequences.
Pinpoint where to evolve your culture, keeping in mind the goals of execution and impact.

Once you’ve outlined these elements, think about how you can commit to an action plan leveraging the skills and activities presented.

And to go even further, how about meeting again with your group in a month to connect, discuss your progress, and share areas where you may need support?