Office Hours – Becoming a leader with Ankita Kulkarni

Ankita Kulkarni is an engineer manager and educator with more than 10 years of experience as a software engineer, now teaching developers about the transition into management. When Ankita became a manager, she had to find mentors to help her learn the subtle intricacies of being a successful manager. Now, she’s taking what she learned and teaching developers about what that transition looks like, and how to decide if that’s how you’d like to further your career. - @kulkarniankita9: https://twitter.com/kulkarniankita9 - @vcarl_: https://twitter.com/vcarl_ - @reactiflux: https://twitter.com/reactiflux Links referenced: 1. Engineering manager's mind map: https://bit.ly/3J7HzVC 2. Developer to Leader Program Waitlist: https://bit.ly/3Lb1Zj5 3. KulkarniAnkita.com: https://bit.ly/3ZyDYak Topics discussed: [00:00:17] Being laid off as a bittersweet opportunity [00:01:32] Building databases at IBM and doing freelance web dev on the side [00:03:31] New appreciation for coworkers after freelancing [00:06:56] Getting her first management opportunity [00:08:15] Leadership vs management [00:11:28] Intrinsic motivation and finding a team that supports your goals [00:14:03] Developer to Leader program [00:15:50] How do you recognize a good leader? [00:17:42] Teams as a group of individuals [00:20:33] Psychological safety in software teams [00:23:01] Having empathy as a leader [00:27:25] Serving those you lead [00:29:06] Spotting burnout as a leader [00:30:27] Setting the tone on a team [00:32:27] Proactively setting team norms [00:34:49] Prioritizing your own growth as a leader [00:36:42] The value of informal chats [00:39:48] Soft skills in your career [00:40:50] How to get a taste of the management track