Numbers & Nurture

Welcome to my personal writings, a space where I share my thoughts and experiences on the world of entrepreneurship, end-to-end product development, engineering management, and the occasional personal project. I write to refine my thinking and it feels good to get ideas and thoughts written down.

“If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking.”

Leslie Lamport

Why Nature & Nurture?

I’ve decided to call this collection “Numbers & Nurture” because it embodies what I believe to be the essence of building great teams and great companies. The complexity in budgeting, timing, executing and delivering software remains incredibly ‘artful’ in a world increasing with tools, products, and expectations that anticipate it to be a ‘science’. Metrics are invaluable and give us a measurable barometer of the business health, they help in setting high level goals, and attempt to offer clear feedback for iterative improvement. Yet, if we were to only follow numbers and metrics, we might risk missing the forest for the trees.

That hasn’t stopped Economist before and it won’t stop me now. But you will see often in my writings, ‘theory’ really kicks the bucket when you introduce the human factor. I observe the dance of balance between the pressures of the Numbers – science like attempt to measure and apply quantitative metrics (deadlines, KPIs, other numbers I explore later) and Nurture – the art of human leadership (relationships, motivations, the environment).

As someone who has delved deeply into managing engineering teams, I’ve come to realize that the dichotomy isn’t as clear-cut as it may seem. People are not machines and each team member needs to feel personally engaged. The pressure of delivering value can wash over people and make them feel like they are drowning. It’s why you introduce leaders to help ensure the team is focusing on the right priorities, navigate the rising tides, prepare for tail-end events and account for the “Non-stuff stuff”.

Many will try to break down the interplay between multiple teams handling different jobs coming together to build towards a single goal into formulas and metrics. Then the real world kicks in and you begin to see exceptions and experience the unknown. The free-will of humans reintroduces the many, varying levels of complexity. You are left to weep as you try to ascertain why your seemingly beautiful, exacting manager’s dashboard does not explain everything. Special scenarios require special inputs and outputs.

What truly makes a great leader is the person who can see between the numbers and help develop the teammate on the other side. After all, behind every code commit, every product release, and every code review, there are people. Human beings with emotions, aspirations, and unique perspectives, who cannot be entirely reduced to mere data points, but that doesn’t stop most from trying.

However, a management style solely grounded in nurture, while fostering a harmonious and supportive environment, will miss out on the precision and clarity that metrics bring. It’s essential to understand that teams thrive not just on positive reinforcement but also on clear direction and feedback, elements that numbers efficiently provide. I don’t believe the “we are family” trope. Most employees work hard to provide for their actual families, be proud of what they do and feel recognized for their hard work both financially and personally.

It’s an ongoing journey to bridge the gap between these two worlds. With the numerous hats worn by founders and engineering leaders, it’s not about choosing between numbers and nurture, but about understanding their harmonious ballet.

I invite you to join me on this meandering journey as we explore the depths of what it means to build & lead with both the head and the heart. Ideally, we uncover insights that will help us become better leaders and create more effective, empowered teams.