Geeks Who Lead Podcast
Hear the inside stories of the "geeks who lead at scale" - Directors, VPs and CTOs running software engineering orgs at larger companies with 100+ engineers, and interviews with domain experts who can help those leaders to manage their engineering orgs more effectively.
I'm your host - Peter Bell, I've been helping senior engineering leaders to connect with and learn from their peers since 2010!
This podcast is designed for engineering leaders who want to learn the latest good practices from their peers who are way too busy operating to write an article or publish a book!
Running a software engineering org at scale is hard! You need to manage stakeholder expectations, attract and retain top talent, align and structure your org effectively and keep up with the latest processes and tooling. And that's before we even try to make sense of the potential impact of LLMs and GenAI on managing technical teams.
Our podcast and weekly newsletter provide you with access to hard-won wisdom from top engineering leaders and relevant domain experts. Learn more at https://geekswholead.com/
Geeks Who Lead Podcast
Creating Inclusive Workplaces with Joann Anderson
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Joann Anderson, VP of Engineering at Scoop Technologies, had a unique childhood in that her mother was a programmer so it never seemed abnormal to Joann that she was a woman in a male-dominated industry. Because many women, particularly mothers, haven’t had that experience, Joann has made it a mission to be a model for others.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Joann spoke to Peter about her creative approach to finding the best people for her QA teams, why inclusivity is so integral to workplace culture, and her advice for finding a mentor that you click with. Check out the episode for Joann’s tips for a welcoming, collaborative work environment.
- [00:24] - Where Joann started in computer science
- [01:24] - Crossing over from QA to engineering management
- [03:11] - Optimizing hiring to identify good QA traits
- [05:39] - Transitioning to Director of Application Engineering at Slack
- [06:43] - Modernizing carpools at Scoop Technologies
- [08:26] - Tactics for ensuring inclusivity throughout an organization
- [17:23] - Mentorship fundamentals
- [26:14] - Don't be afraid to ask questions
CTO Connection is where you can learn from the experiences of successful engineering leaders at fast-growth tech startups. Whether you want to learn more about hiring, motivating or managing an engineering team, if you're technical and manage engineers, the CTO Connection podcast is a great resource for learning from your peers!
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