Engineering Manager Toolkit — Linh NG | 2025

Leadership Principles

_My leadership philosophy for managing in imperfect environments, inspired by Ray Dalio’s “Principles”.

Prioritize Radical Clarity

• Name problems openly. Say the uncomfortable truths.
• Model vulnerability so others feel safe to do the same.

Example: "I made a bad call here — here’s what happened and what I’ll change."

Align Goals to Unlock Growth

• Understand what motivates each person.
• Help them find pride and purpose in the work.
• Match individual goals / ambitions with team goal. Growth appears when they intersect.
• Align on a common vision, then align on how to get there.

Example: Operational challenge? Give it to someone eager to grow as a lead.

Constantly Evolve the System

• Turn Mistakes Into Fuel: lightweight, no-blame reflections with the team.
• Spot inefficiencies, tweak processes, and test improvements.
• Never settle for “how it’s always been done.”

Example: Quietly simplify a clunky workflow and share results.

Lead by Influence, Not Authority

• Earn trust through fairness, clarity, and consistency.
• Focus on what you control: relationships, standards, processes.
• Be on the team, not over it. Defend the team, not yourself.

Do More With Less

• Embrace constraints as creative opportunities.
• Focus on small, high-leverage actions.

Example: Can’t hire? Simplify, redistribute, or automate.

Last updated: May 2025

1-on-1 Question Set

About Them

• What’s the most interesting thing you’ve worked on here?
• What kind of work makes you feel energized?
• What’s a skill you’d love to build next?
• Who do you admire technically or professionally, and why?

About the Team

• What’s one thing you think this team does well?
• What’s one thing you wish was different?
• What’s one thing you feel no one talks about, but should?

About Working Together

• How do you prefer to receive feedback — direct, written, casual, scheduled?
• What’s the best way for me to support you right now?
• Is there something you’ve been hesitant to say about your work or the team?

Reflection

• What’s a recent mistake you made, and what did you learn from it?
• When have you felt most proud of your work here?
• What’s one thing you think we should stop doing, start doing, or do differently as a team?

Closing

• Is there anything you’d like to ask me, or feedback you’d like to give me about how I’m approaching this?

Team Charter Template

Purpose: A short agreement on how we work together — not a rulebook, but a reflection of how we want to behave.

Team Name: [optional] Date: [today]

Our Values

• We prioritize clarity over politeness.
• Mistakes are expected — we reflect on them, not hide them.
• Everyone’s ideas and feedback are welcome, no matter your role.

How We Make Decisions

• Share the problem, options, and reasoning transparently.
• When unclear, the owner decides after input.

How We Give Feedback

• Fast, honest, and kind.
• Assume good intent.
• Focus on actions, not personalities.

How We Learn

• Run a short reflection after each project/sprint.
• Share both successes and failures openly.
• Everyone is encouraged to teach others what they learn.

How We Work Day-to-Day

• Clear ownership for every task.
• Default to over-communicating progress/blockers.
• Support each other — ask for help early.

Signed (or agreed informally by): [names]

Post-Mortem / Reflection Guide

When to use: After any project, sprint, or major task.

What was our goal? (What were we trying to achieve?)

What actually happened? (Facts, not interpretations.)

Why did it happen that way? (Identify root causes, not symptoms.)

What did we learn? (About ourselves, our processes, our decisions.)

What will we do differently next time? (Concrete actions or adjustments.)

Is there any tough feedback we need to give or hear right now? (Optional but encouraged — reinforce radical truth.)

How do we track if we actually improved? (Set a follow-up or KPI if needed.)

Pro Tip:

• Keep it lightweight — 20-30 minutes.
• Rotate facilitator.
• No blame, no long reports.