Thoughts on Management

What Value Does a Software Engineering Manager Provide to a Product Organization?

All information within leans heavily upon my 15+ years of working at SaaS organizations. Your experience in a non-SaaS org may differ. “What am I supposed to do now?”  When I first became a Software Engineering Manager, I struggled with this question for months. I remember many times finishing up my workday wondering if I had earned my paycheck. I felt lost when I moved from being an individual contributor who wrote code to a manager whose daily activities seemed to involve anything but that activity. I had wrapped up so much of my identity in the ritual of writing,…

20 More Things I’ve Learned as a Manager – 5 years later

A little over 5-years ago, I wrote a post titled “ 20 Things I Learned as a New Manager “, in which I laid out what I had learned in my first year as a software engineering manager. Some parts still ring true to me, while other parts feel naïve. I tried to remember the person I was back then, the challenges I was facing. In so many ways, it feels like a different person wrote that article and experienced management totally differently than I do today. With that said, here are 20 things I have learned in the 5-years…

20 Things I Learned as a New Manager

When I switched career paths by becoming a software development manager/leader, I didn’t understand completely the journey I was about to embark on. Management had never been on my radar as something I wanted to do. Luckily, the people I worked with were very patient. With that said, 20 things I have come to recognize during my time in management, in no certain order: The best intentions will almost always go awry. Own up to your mistakes immediately and move on. Always take ownership of everything you do, right or wrong.Trying to make something happen is nowhere close to as…

About Me

Hi, I’m Mike de la Fuente – although most people call me Dela. I’m an American Hapa (Chinese/Filipino/Irish/German) and SaaS Senior Software Engineering Manager living in Tempe, Arizona.