Scope creep is often a consequence of discovery.
We don’t know what we don’t know.
You can plan all that you want, but you’ll only find the true complexity once you dig in.
We uncover all sorts of edge cases when we start working, and that is equal to developers, project managers and customers.
I have a confession: I’ve never been a fan of SMART goals. There, I said it.
They first came into my life through personal development programs and they felt more like a forced exercise than a useful tool.
SMART goals were created for managing companies and projects back in 1981 and somehow they became the go-to framework for personal development. Leadership experts everywhere pushed them as the solution. But just because something works for corporate planning doesn’t mean it translates well to individual growth.
As a team leader, I struggle when setting SMART goals with my team members. This is especially true for creative or thinking-intensive work. These goals often become binary checkboxes. They’re either done or not done. This misses the nuance of real progress.
Recently I discovered Ali Abdaal’s NICE goals framework. It resonates much better with how people actually develop and grow.
Let’s break it down:
Near term: Focus on what you can do today, tomorrow, or next week. It’s about the immediate future, not some distant target.
Input Based: Instead of focusing on outcomes we can’t control, concentrate on actions we can take right now. What specific steps can you take to move forward?
Controllable: Choose goals within your sphere of influence. Running ten miles daily might be unrealistic, but how about 10 minutes? You might not control what work lands on your desk, but you can control how you approach it.
Energizing: Make your goals exciting. Ask yourself: “How could this project be fun?” or “What could I teach others about this?” Find ways to inject energy into your goals.
The beauty of NICE goals is that they work with human nature. They acknowledge that personal development is more complex than a checkbox system from the 80s.
Core values written on walls mean nothing if they don’t match what happens beneath the surface. Your real values show up in daily choices: which behavior gets rewarded who gets promoted and how conflicts are solved. What you tolerate becomes your culture regardless of what your handbook states. The gap between stated and lived values is where most company cultures fall apart.
Like an iceberg, your company culture runs far deeper than what’s visible on the surface.
Processes and structures are just the tip, showing only a fraction of what matters.
The real force lies beneath in how people think, act, and influence others daily.
This invisible part isn’t written down in handbooks. It’s lived and shared through the decisions being made.
The thing about judgment and “gut feeling” is that it’s probably one of the most underrated factors in decision-making. Even when we’re swimming in data and have gathered every possible opinion, it usually comes down to a leap of judgment at some point.
Think about it. It starts with gut feeling right from the beginning: deciding which data we should even bother collecting, which customers we should talk to, and what questions are worth asking. Then later, when we’re stuck choosing between two solutions or strategies that both look equally good on paper, it’s often that same gut feeling, backed by experience, that helps us make the final call.
That’s why senior leaders are so valuable. They’ve been through countless situations and have honed their instincts. Is it perfect? No way. But it’s often the best tool we have for navigating those tricky gaps between the data, the opinions, and all the things we just don’t know.
Decisions that really drive results need both data and opinions along with wisdom. Sometimes you simply need to trust your judgment. It’s that straightforward.
Whether engineering managers should code is like asking if a coach should still practice the sport. There’s no simple answer. Success comes from understanding how your work benefits the team.
You need to be realistic. Technology moves fast and effective leadership requires both learning and coding.
When to code and what to code is like playing 4D chess. You need to look ahead and ask where the team needs to be in a year. What can you code today that will make future decisions easier?
Future decisions don’t always mean “let’s try this cool innovative thing.” It can also mean asking “Should we spend time on tech debt?”
It’s not about being in the way of progress. It’s about helping the team focus on what’s most important right now.
Leaders today face a challenging balance with transparency. Many of us have developed a habit of sharing everything. Not because it adds value but because we’re afraid of leaving someone out.
This creates what I call reverse FOMO. Instead of team members being afraid of missing out, leaders become anxious about not including everyone in every conversation, decision, or update.
There are two problems with this approach:
There’s also a small shift of responsibility happening. When we put everything in the open, we sometimes use it as a shield: “Well, I shared it, so it’s on them if they didn’t read it.” This isn’t leadership - it’s avoiding our responsibility to communicate effectively.
Good transparency isn’t about sharing everything. It’s about sharing the right information with the right people at the right time.
If you are servant leader, then your role is to remove obstacles or create clarity for your team. Sharing everything is not reducing obstacles.
Control always comes at the expense of learning.
When we are learning we must choose uncertainty and be willing to make mistakes.
A child must let go of control and risk falling when learning to walk.
A company needs to loose control to innovate or adapt.
Remind yourself of this quote
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth” - Mike Tyson
Strategy is the high-level decision or goal. Should I fight Mike Tyson?
Plan is the steps to achieve the strategy. How should I fight Mike Tyson?
Tactic refers to on-the-spot actions to deal with the immediate situations. When Mike Tyson hits me in the face, I should sway left.
There are two key roles a manager plays: managing and leading.
Managing focuses on the practical and operational side of things. Making sure your teams have what they need to make progress. Do they know what to prioritize? Are the bills paid, salaries handled, and vacations taken?
Leading has two parts. First is understanding your team: how they work, what challenges they face, and what you can realistically achieve together. Second is painting a picture of a possible future, especially when the team struggles to see beyond their current challenges.