Scaling yourself as a technology leader

Adam Pisoni is a former technology leader of Yammer, a Microsoft bought company. During a conference for First Round, Pisoni shared the following tips for technology leaders. Leaders that are searching for ways to successfully scale and operate the organisation.

1. Explicit and well-defined roles & responsibilities

   • Focusing from a decision point of view roles and responsibilities should be defined. Ensuring accountabilities don't fall between the cracks of formal roles and responsibilities. Pisoni suggests to be transparent and create a public document containing this definition.
   • Monthly check-ins can ensure the evaluation of the defined roles and responsibilities.

2. Monitoring progress

   • Status meetings are not meant to solve all problems. As such organise your status meeting that everyone talks about what's going on in their area. Facilitate the conversation and connection.
   • Display example behaviour to find the best person to solve any given issue.

3. Retrospectives

   • Hold company-wide retrospectives where any team that finished a project or managed a problem can present.
   • Focus them around hypotheses. Not just look back, but show where it worked and where not.

4. Planning and prioritisation

5. Managing Tension

   • Tensions can't be management by talking people out of it. Rather, make tension visible by stating the tensions. Discuss it with the team, choose the high priority ones and act upon it. Not all can be solved, the most important thing is that they are accounted for.

Source The Keys to Scaling Yourself as a Technology Leader | First Round Review