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How do you say 'No'

Hey friend,

Last week, I ran an interactive online workshop on The Engineering Manager Blueprint, and this workshop went beyond my expectations. Out of 113 sign-ups, 75 showed up, and it was a party! 🤯

A few people messaged me asking for the recording and were bummed they missed it. However, because of the demand, I will be re-running it again 😎 on May 9th, 2023 (12 pm to 1:15 pm EST).

Here is a fun fact, I'll be in Copenhagen ✈️ then and travelling for a few weeks to give conference talks 🎙️! If you are in Copenhagen or have any recommendations, please reply to this email and let me know.

Anyway, Sign up for the workshop if you missed it the first time. Here is a handy little button for you or the direct link if you want to see what we cover. Just remember, the workshop will get better every time! 🚀

This magical button will add you to the registration right away. You will shortly receive a calendar invite.

And after the workshop, I received this one question

A few folks wanted to buy the Developer to Leader Program but couldn't. If you are/were in a similar situation, you need to know that I've been busy setting up the payment integration, and you will be able to buy on May 2nd, 10 AM EST (7 AM PST, 3 PM GMT, 4 pm CET, 7:30 pm IST).

Over the past few months, I've been working hard on this program and cannot wait for you to see it. If you'd like, you can add a calendar reminder below or add yourself to the waitlist.

One thing to note,

Over the next couple of weeks, you'll hear from me more than you normally do. I promise it's not just marketing fluff. My goal is to provide as much value to you and be helpful even if you have no intention of buying any of my products.

If you are not interested, You can click this link here , and you won't receive any other emails related to this launch. No hard feelings, I promise!

Over to this week's newsletter,

How do you say 'No.'

As an Engineering leader, you are going to get requests all the time. So you need to prioritize how you are going to manage that.

According to a study by McKinsey, leaders who set clear priorities for their teams see a 25% increase in overall productivity.

You might have to say ‘no’ to your direct team or might have to say no to priorities.

In Leadership, saying no means 'not right now', but let's work together to figure out 'when.'

While setting priorities, Never say we can’t do this now, hoping they would go away but instead, share the priorities and your roadmap 🛣️ with them. Ask them how their work takes priority over your existing roadmap and work with them to build a mutual understanding.

I have attached a handy infographic for you to learn and reference when you will say no next.

This infographic and part of the lesson is taken from the Developer to Leader program which is filled with fun lil graphics like these.

🔥 Actionable Tip: Schedule regular self-reflections or engage in peer coaching to evaluate your decision-making and identify areas for growth.

🧰 The Engineering Leader's Toolbox