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 takes initiative. A bad engineer waits for instructions. engineer 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. is how hackers start their afternoons. We’re a part of the family. We are now and happy to opportunities. Hacker Noon @AMI accepting submissions discuss advertising & sponsorship To learn more, , , or simply, read our about page like/message us on Facebook tweet/DM @HackerNoon. If you enjoyed this story, we recommend reading our and . Until next time, don’t take the realities of the world for granted! latest tech stories trending tech stories