Good Engineer, Bad Engineer

What separates good engineers from bad ones? What will make my organization the most successful? How do I get better at leading a team of engineers? As I reflect on the these questions, I recognize that first and foremost it starts with me and the example that I set for my team.

This is not an original concept, it is borrowed from Ben Horowitz’s Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager and several of these ideas come from those discussed in Extreme Ownership, by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.

A good engineer takes initiative. A bad engineer waits for instructions.

A good engineer constantly tries to be better. A bad engineer is complacent.

A good engineer is creative. A bad engineer is chaotic.

A good engineer is disciplined. A bad engineer is unpredictable.

A good engineer asks questions. A bad engineer is afraid of looking dumb.

A good engineer answers questions. A bad engineer gets offended.

A good engineer puts the team first because they know that team success will bring individual success. A bad engineer is in it for themselves.

A good engineer builds relationships. A bad engineer builds a wall.

A good engineer learns from failure. A bad engineer denies that failure occurred.

A good engineer is focused on making the best product. A bad engineer is focused on building the best technology.

A good engineer builds what the customer needs. A bad engineer builds what the customer asked for.

A good engineer gets to know their customer. A bad engineer disdains their customer as foolish, stupid, or incompetent.

A good engineer has an ego and knows when to check it. A bad engineer lets their ego make decisions for them.

A good engineer recognizes other good engineers. A bad engineer wants all the recognition.

A good engineer is constantly learning and evolving. A bad engineer is solving yesterday’s problems with last week’s techniques.

A good engineer is a teacher and makes other engineers better. A bad engineer is a black hole.

A good engineer owns the problem and the solution. A bad engineer points out problems.

A good engineer is a leader. A bad engineer thinks they’re one.

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