Effective Engineering Manager

Hosted by Slava Imeshev and Adam Axelrod

Business Technology EducationInterviews guests

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Episodes

Latest episode

Sep 2025

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Effective Engineering Manager podcast provides proven solutions and best practices to software engineering managers of all levels that allow them to effectively manage teams to deliver results on time and with high quality. This podcast is presented to you by Slava Imeshev and Adam Axelrod. Sharing our knowledge, we leverage 25+ years of our combined engineering management experience in getting stuff done. We share practical recommendations on getting stuff done, project and program management, engineering processes and tools, managing horizontally and vertically, establishing and running effective software development lifecycle, effective meetings and time management, building and managing teams, people management, growing engineering and management careers, and more. Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.

Listen to episodes

47 recent

September 4, 2025Episode 4638 min

Micromanagement: The Silent Threat to Engineering Teams

Micromanagement is a hidden but damaging force in engineering teams, eroding trust, autonomy, and innovation. In this episode of the Effective Engineering Manager podcast, Slava and Adam explore the roots of micromanagement - poor delegation, fear of failure, and lack of trust - and its consequences for morale, productivity, and retention. They also share strategies for organizations and managers to address micromanagement, from coaching and role adjustments to practical ways of shielding teams from its effects.

August 26, 2025Episode 4439 min

Ani Mishra: Effective Cross-functional Collaboration

Our guest, Ani Mishra, engineering manager at DoorDash, shares how engineering managers can become true force multipliers by orchestrating cross-functional collaboration. From treating PMs, designers, and data scientists as partners to using proactive communication, escalation, and trust-building, Ani lays out practical ways EMs can align teams, remove bottlenecks, and prepare for an AI-driven future.

August 17, 2025Episode 4354 min

Driving Lasting Change in Engineering Organizations with Manju Abraham

Manju Abraham, veteran engineering leader at NetApp, Delphix, and HPE, shares practical lessons on leading lasting change. Manju explains why most transformations fail, how to build trust and safety, and the playbook engineering managers can use to co-create vision, empower champions, and turn change into culture.

June 9, 2025Episode 421 hr 18 min

Jeremy Franzen: Operations and Engineering

We are featuring a guest Jeremy Franzen, an Operations expert with over 30 years of experience running Ops at public companies and startups. Jeremy shares his expertise in building strong collaboration between software engineering and operations teams through open communication, shared goals, feedback loops, joint automation and monitoring, shared security practices, knowledge sharing, and coordinated approaches to incident and change management, all tracked by common performance metrics. In the end, Jeremy provides a checklist that our listeners can start using today to build and run quality production environments together with their Operations teams.

April 1, 2025Episode 4335 min

Engineering Management and AI – Part 2/3 – Jobs

In this second episode of three, we continue with a practical introduction to AI for engineering managers. We share possible impact of AI and Large Language Models, or LLM on the jobs. In the end we provide a checklist for engineering managers to help to stay ahead of the AI curve.

December 11, 2024Episode 4034 min

Engineering Management and AI – Part 1/3 – Value

In this first episode of three, we provide a practical introduction to AI for engineering managers. We share that value AI and Large Language Models, or LLM, offer to engineering managers and their teams. In the end we provide a check list for engineering managers to start get value from AI today.

June 5, 2024Episode 3929 min

Maintaining Team Morale Through Tough Times

In this episode, we talk about what causes tough times for companies and how being smart with money and saving up can help keep the business healthy during downturns. We focus on how leaders can boost team morale when things get tough, using tools like one-on-one meetings, positive feedback, kudos programs, and team outings. We also cover the importance of strong engineering leadership, coaching, and career development when facing changes in the organization. Tune in for practical tips and strategies to keep your team motivated and resilient through the rough patches. We believe better managers will build a better world. We provide consulting services that include customized training for new managers, training on effective engineering management to help companies accomplish more with less, and the fundamentals of building teams from the ground up. Please contact us at contact@effectiveem.com if you have any questions.

March 12, 2024Episode 3831 min

Managing Hyperperformers

We dedicate this episode to managing hyper performers. We define who the hyperperformers are, what distinguishes them from the rest of the team and how to manage hyperperformers for the maximum results while retaining them. We share management practices to avoid. In the end provide a checklist that our listeners can use to manage hyperperformers effectively.

December 31, 2023Episode 3741 min

Building Effective Strategy

We present the essential components of developing and communicating a strategy in engineering management, emphasize the need for strategies to be documented, measurable, and aligned with business needs. We share the importance of having a strategy as an engineering manager aspiring to drive change and innovation. We emphasize the need for a clear vision, meaningful goals tied to business value, and continuous iteration. We stress the importance of buy-in in the success of a strategy, highlighting the need for the team to be fully supportive of the strategy, as well as the importance of obtaining buy-in from higher management. Finally, we provide a detailed checklist to allow engineering managers developing a well-aligned and challenging yet achievable strategy, covering aspects such as building a strong foundation, aligning with business goals, leveraging lateral relationships, and maintaining effective communication with stakeholders. We believe better managers will build a better world. Please share this episode with your colleagues and friends if you like it.

August 3, 2023Episode 3642 min

Tim Wenzel: Building Exceptional Teams

We are featuring a guest, Tim Wenzel, who is a Silicon Valley native, expert in recruiting, including building early teams at PayPal and Tesla, and a founder and an executive recruiter at The (A)lyst Group. Tim shares practical recommendations on feedback, candidate experience, and building teams in dynamic startup environments. In the end, Tim shares a checklist that our listeners can start using today to build exceptional teams.

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