Climbing off the Ladder, Before we fall off.

1. Climbing off the Ladder, Before we fall off. Or how I began to think about nonlinear career development

2. Who is this Chris Angove person? • Graduated with BS in CS from the University of Michigan • Spent 10 years as a C++ Developer • Started leading in 2005 (reluctantly) • Associate Director of Engineering at Amplify in Brooklyn in 2012 • Joined Spotify as a Chapter Lead in 2013 • Always been interested in engineering culture and career development

3. Quick Overview of Spotify

5. Began with Agile, but process got in the way • At beginning process was vital to creating the team • As we grow, teams tried to figure out how to remain agile • Implement new structure in 2012 • Continuously tweaking process

6. Alignment & Autonomy False dichotomy Do what I say! Alignment Autonomy Do whatever Henrik Kniberg

7. We need to cross the river We need to cross the river Aligned Autonomy! Build a bridge! Authoritative organization Innovative organization Figure out how! Conformist culture Collaborative culture High Alignment Hope someone is working on the river problem… Entrepreneurial organization Micromanaging organization Chaotic culture Indifferent culture Low Alignment Low Autonomy High Autonomy Henrik Kniberg

8. Not so original, original idea Tribe PO PO PO PO Tribe Tribe lead Chapter Chapter PO PO PO PO Tribe lead Guild Chapter Chapter

9. Reality is Messy! PO PO PO PO PO PO PO Tribe Tribe PO Tribe lead Tribe lead Chapter Guild Chapter

10. Aligned Autonomy- be autonomous, but don’t suboptimize- Spotify’s mission > Squad’s mission Henrik Kniberg

11. Mutual respect My colleagues are awesome! Ego Henrik Kniberg

12. The Linear Ladder Walking the usual path

13. CTO VP of Engineering Director of Engineering Team Lead Architect Senior Software Engineer Junior Developer Intern

14. Each rung is clearly tied to role and responsibility • The Benefits of the Ladder

15. Path of Career Development is Clear • The Benefits of the Ladder

16. Easy to get Resources • The Benefits of the Ladder

17. Value added to the company is obvious to all • The Benefits of the Ladder

18. Explicit path for respect and being recognized for achievements • The Benefits of the Ladder

19. What’s the Danger? Simplicity sometimes has it’s cost

20. Reality is rarely simple, more often it’s messy • What’s wrong with the ladder

21. We have usually preferred to keep structure flat, only defining positions based on role not seniority • What’s wrong with the ladder

22. The only way to add value is predefined by structure • What’s wrong with the ladder

23. May not have the skill set or interest for the next level on the ladder • What’s wrong with the ladder

24. No way to try out things, moving down the ladder is difficult • What’s wrong with the ladder

25. Creates a factory to eject people due to limited management positions • What’s wrong with the ladder

26. May promote people beyond their abilities and thus out of the company • What’s wrong with the ladder

27. Ultimately it provides simplicity at the cost of actual career development • What’s wrong with the ladder

28. Assumes plateauing at a specific role is bad, but why? • What’s wrong with the ladder

29. There has to be a better way! • What’s wrong with the ladder Right?!?!

30. Multiple Ladders An increasingly popular approach

31. The Technology Ladder

32. Creates a technology track to reduce skillset/interest mismatches • The Technology Ladder

33. Clearly sets up easy ways to recognize accomplishments • The Technology Ladder

34. Still very clear routes and roles setup as in linear ladder • The Technology Ladder

35. But…. • The Technology Ladder

36. Limited as it still sets up explicit roles • The Technology Ladder

37. Usually gets muddled (http://bit.ly/1oS7H9l) • The Technology Ladder

38. Still assumes that the only way to grow is through more responsibility/control • The Technology Ladder

39. Does not answer how to experiment and switch roles • The Technology Ladder

40. A non-linear approach What we call Add - Ons

41. A nonlinear model

42. Roles defined by institutional need, not career advancement • A nonlinear model

43. Add-ons add both personal as well as business value • A nonlinear model

44. Interest and skill-set define which add-on the engineer chooses • A nonlinear model

45. It is engineer driven but supported by the company • A nonlinear model Manager works with the engineer Trainings, sessions, workshops provided as needed Time off to participate in events approved

46. Driving forces: • A nonlinear model

47. Do things; tell people • A nonlinear model You’re doing cool stuff that others would benefit from hearing about You’re passionate about something and you’d like to see more of it You’d like recognition for your efforts

48. Try Something New • A nonlinear model Work is great but getting a little bored You’d like to try something new, but not stop what you are doing Not sure you want to risk switching roles completely

49. Get out of the Comfort Zone • A nonlinear model You’d like to acquire new skills You need to push yourself in a new direction Shake things up to see what latent skills are there

50. Employee chooses add-ons or creates a new one: • A nonlinear model Define Goal Define Success Metrics Define Help Needed