3 ms·

The biggest challenge when superstar engineers become executives that I've seen is they need to switch from being the person with all the answers to the person

The biggest challenge when superstar engineers become executives that I've seen is they need to switch from being the person with all the answers to the person with all the questions. Failure to make that switch leads to dysfunctional organizations.

an_opabinia 6y ago
Dysfunctional organizations can still make boatloads of money, for a long time, longer than your functional organization can stay solvent. Besides, should some 25 year old Mark Zuckerberg out there - the guy who really is going to take something from zero to billions of dollars - really be asking questions from (checks notes) the 21 year old Ivy League people he's hiring? What the hell answers do you expect to hear? And then when you talk about people with lots of experience, are they going to take any risks? What kind of answer do you expect? "Sorry Mark, but we tried that at Friendster 10 years ago." How useful. I don't really disagree with you. I'm just skeptical of any reductive framing of what executives do, most of all "Andy Grove's book," because that's a meme I've heard a lot. And while no one should ever go around crapping on books, reading is good, Andy Grove isn't going to have anticipated organizational structures like Valve's, a place where a lot of people are extremely happy and effective but where all the management books sort of go out the window.
- outworlder 6y ago
  > Besides, should some 25 year old Mark Zuckerberg out there > the 21 year old Ivy League people he's hiring 4 years is not such a large delta. It's certainly not sufficient to have all the answers (not even 4 thousand years would). If anything, however brilliant the 25 year old is, they are just barely old enough to have a functioning prefrontal cortex. High level executives are supposed to be making decisions, setting directions and oiling the machine. They aren't supposed to have any answers. "Decisions" is the closest you may get. They are not in the trenches, they by definition know nothing more than the specialized workforce they are hiring. > like Valve's, a place where a lot of people are extremely happy and effective It's also a small place. And Gabe seems to be the sort of guy who asks for and takes lots of feedback. https://www.ign.com/articles/gabe-newell-opens-up-about-valves-past-present-and-unexpected-future-a-ign-first https://www.ign.com/articles/gabe-newell-opens-up-about-valv...
- dustingetz 6y ago
  “Growth solves all problems” Eric Schmitt “When a great team meets a lousy market, market wins. When a lousy team meets a great market, market wins. When a great team meets a great market, something special happens“ Andy Rachleff
- someguydave 6y ago
  It also does not seem like intel has made awesome decisions recently.
nradov 6y ago
That's also a reason why law school is good training for being an executive. It teaches you a process for asking the right questions, which applies equally to business as to a courtroom.
- skaevola 6y ago
  Any resource recommendations to learn this skill?
  - nradov 6y ago
    Enroll in law school.
JoeAltmaier 6y ago
Thank makes sense! I had an experience where a redundant-processor project was taking quite a while (which they should). Some early Engineer who was promoted above their level wandered into the meeting. "Hey Adam, how long should it take to do blah blah". "Oh, maybe a few weeks" says Adam without any real idea what he was talking about. Project canned, people quit. All because he was still trying to be the smart guy with all the answers, instead of all the questions.
BjoernKW 6y ago
That’s a tremendously insightful statement. Engineers tend to define their value by the answers they can provide while in many situations it’s actually asking the right questions that counts.
microcolonel 6y ago
Given my experiences in the middle, it is very difficult to hire people who can answer questions.
meragrin_ 6y ago
Don't superstar engineers need to have all the right questions too? The right questions during requirements gathers, development, and testing seem more important to me than "having all the answers".
kovacs 6y ago
"they need to switch from being the person with all the answers to the person with all the questions" So eloquently put. I'm going to steal that :)

an_opabinia 6y ago

Dysfunctional organizations can still make boatloads of money, for a long time, longer than your functional organization can stay solvent. Besides, should some 25 year old Mark Zuckerberg out there - the guy who really is going to take something from zero to billions of dollars - really be asking questions from (checks notes) the 21 year old Ivy League people he's hiring? What the hell answers do you expect to hear? And then when you talk about people with lots of experience, are they going to take any risks? What kind of answer do you expect? "Sorry Mark, but we tried that at Friendster 10 years ago." How useful. I don't really disagree with you. I'm just skeptical of any reductive framing of what executives do, most of all "Andy Grove's book," because that's a meme I've heard a lot. And while no one should ever go around crapping on books, reading is good, Andy Grove isn't going to have anticipated organizational structures like Valve's, a place where a lot of people are extremely happy and effective but where all the management books sort of go out the window.

outworlder 6y ago
> Besides, should some 25 year old Mark Zuckerberg out there > the 21 year old Ivy League people he's hiring 4 years is not such a large delta. It's certainly not sufficient to have all the answers (not even 4 thousand years would). If anything, however brilliant the 25 year old is, they are just barely old enough to have a functioning prefrontal cortex. High level executives are supposed to be making decisions, setting directions and oiling the machine. They aren't supposed to have any answers. "Decisions" is the closest you may get. They are not in the trenches, they by definition know nothing more than the specialized workforce they are hiring. > like Valve's, a place where a lot of people are extremely happy and effective It's also a small place. And Gabe seems to be the sort of guy who asks for and takes lots of feedback. https://www.ign.com/articles/gabe-newell-opens-up-about-valves-past-present-and-unexpected-future-a-ign-first https://www.ign.com/articles/gabe-newell-opens-up-about-valv...
dustingetz 6y ago
“Growth solves all problems” Eric Schmitt “When a great team meets a lousy market, market wins. When a lousy team meets a great market, market wins. When a great team meets a great market, something special happens“ Andy Rachleff
someguydave 6y ago
It also does not seem like intel has made awesome decisions recently.

nradov 6y ago

That's also a reason why law school is good training for being an executive. It teaches you a process for asking the right questions, which applies equally to business as to a courtroom.

skaevola 6y ago
Any resource recommendations to learn this skill?
- nradov 6y ago
  Enroll in law school.

JoeAltmaier 6y ago

Thank makes sense! I had an experience where a redundant-processor project was taking quite a while (which they should). Some early Engineer who was promoted above their level wandered into the meeting. "Hey Adam, how long should it take to do blah blah". "Oh, maybe a few weeks" says Adam without any real idea what he was talking about. Project canned, people quit. All because he was still trying to be the smart guy with all the answers, instead of all the questions.

BjoernKW 6y ago

That’s a tremendously insightful statement. Engineers tend to define their value by the answers they can provide while in many situations it’s actually asking the right questions that counts.

microcolonel 6y ago

Given my experiences in the middle, it is very difficult to hire people who can answer questions.

meragrin_ 6y ago

Don't superstar engineers need to have all the right questions too? The right questions during requirements gathers, development, and testing seem more important to me than "having all the answers".

kovacs 6y ago

"they need to switch from being the person with all the answers to the person with all the questions" So eloquently put. I'm going to steal that :)