Comments on The Software Maven: Engineer Respect

That video was nasty! A prime example of a misman...

2009-12-03T04:56:35.701-07:00

That video was nasty! A prime example of a mismanaged engineering department. This attitude is indicative of much larger corporate culture problems...

The only way to get around it is what you suggested: use real data, keep them informed on the big picture, from the corporate goals through the roadmap down to customer research projects. And bring them along to meet customers whenever possible. Nothing fixes arrogance better than meeting real end users and hearing them talk about their needs and wants.

Rotate the engineers through sales. They will come...

2009-12-02T22:12:02.348-07:00

Rotate the engineers through sales. They will come back to development having lost their attitude. They will know in their bones that their stuff doesn't sell itself.

When I worked in development, we didn't have the time to worry about what the product marketer was doing. No, they didn't tell us either.

The software industry does have a habit of putting...

2009-11-20T12:49:55.410-07:00

The software industry does have a habit of putting technologists on a pedestal - they are, after all, the music makers, the dreamers of dreams.

But that creative power they have can be used for good, evil and indifference. Product managers shouldn't worry about being as technical as their engineering colleagues - they should worry about "creating their own music" through their superior knowledge of market problems and the business environment.

I'll disagree with one point, but only slightly - teaching an engineer how to be a business person may seem easier, but it threatens the purity of their engineering-ness. Once they start thinking about the business side, they start to see that technology is just a means to an end, not the end in and of itself. Not every engineer can take that.