You can work long, hard, or smart, but at Amazon.com you can’t choose two out of the three.
That’s what Jeff Bezos wrote in his first letter to shareholders. The culture has gotten much better since then. Managers like myself advocate and encourage work-life balance, but it’s still Amazon.
We’re still working to build something that matters to our customers and that we can all tell our grandchildren about. And that’s not easy.
I work at least 10 hours during the day, and in the evening, I reflect on what’s working well, what needs to improve, and how to change things.
I really enjoy it. Leading a team has been one of the most rewarding opportunities in my career. It’s what kept me at Amazon for five years — I achieved that last month :).
But my life is about to change forever. My wife and I are having a kid in October. We’re both excited, but there’s one thing I can’t figure out. How do I work long, hard, and smart while being present for my wife and kid?
I asked my cousin this question. He’s been a Pastor for 20+ years. On the surface, it may seem like a Pastor and an Engineering Manager have nothing in common. However, we’re both responsible for managing a team and being there for our families.
So, when I saw my cousin last month, he congratulated me on soon becoming a dad. After catching up, I asked how he has adapted to leading a church that continues to grow while having a wife and kids. I also mentioned that I was worried that my approach to work would have to change.
He paused and said. Well, Jio, it has to, right? If it doesn’t, you won’t be there for your kid. Then he continued to explain that it was about reach.
To conceptualize reach, picture yourself standing in front of a wall. The wall represents a problem, and where you’re standing represents your current distance from the issue. You’re deep into the issue if you can touch the wall. Otherwise, you have to rely on someone else to close the gap.
As my reach changes, I’m paying attention to my team’s strengths and growth areas and hiring people who fill in the skills gaps.
For example, last year, my team was off-balanced. We control and monitor data centers' mechanical and electrical systems. However, we were only strong in mechanical theory and building automation. Therefore, the electrical issues we encountered tended to take longer to resolve. So, I began hiring people with electrical backgrounds.
They helped balance out the team. And I trust them to collaborate to solve most issues and escalate as needed. This allows me to stay focused on hiring and developing, think about my team's direction, follow up in 1:1s, and choose when I extend my reach — or, as Amazon calls it, Dive Deep.
How has your reach changed over time?
Lastest reads:
Building better on-call routines for engineering teams by Arjit Srivastava. https://leaddev.com/process/building-better-call-routines-engineering-teams
The Apprentice, The New Boss, The Successor and The Pioneer by Anton Zaides.
What is Data Fluency? A Complete Guide With Resources by Matt Crabtree. https://www.datacamp.com/blog/what-is-data-fluency
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