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About me
My name is Mauro Bagnato and for over 15 years I have been leading tech organizations.
When I first stepped into leadership, I believed technical expertise was the key to being an effective leader. However, I quickly learned that organizations are living and complex systems and that leading them demands much more than just technical know-how. I believe that curiosity is at the heart of effective leadership. This is what fuels learning and experimentation, both crucial for continuous improvement. This blog aims to explore engineering leadership in all its aspects and to provide insights in a tangible and pragmatic manner. It will also be a space where I will share insights, reflections, and personal takeaways from books, podcasts, and articles that influenced and keep influencing my journey.
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🚩 Autonomy without any alignment can lead to chaos.
🚩 Alignment without any autonomy often leads to conformity and limits creativity and innovation.
So, how do we strike a balance?
The answer lies in a very simple but powerful concept:
Alignment for autonomy.
The basic idea is that when there is alignment at the WHY level (purpose, mission, vision, values, and principles), teams can enjoy full autonomy at the WHAT and HOW levels.
As an example, consider the following ways to handle the same situation:
- As a leader, you let the team decide on any tech stack or programming language they want, OR
- As a leader, you let the team decide the tech stack or programming language they want while reminding them to consider the best interest of the company and the other teams.
This way of framing the discussion leaves room for autonomy while aligning on the common ground.
How do you strike the balance between alignment and autonomy?
