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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.
Find out how I can help you!
There is one single meeting where almost all the qualities of a leader can and should be expressed.
This meeting is the often underrated 1 on 1.
Can you think of any other meeting where we as leaders need to:
Show high emotional intelligence,
Communicate effectively,
Ask powerful questions,
Care about others,
Be empathetic,
Actively listen,
Encourage,
Challenge,
Question,
Support,
Mentor,
Inspire,
Coach
And so much more?
This leads to a key question:
How do we, as leaders, swiftly read the situation and decide the most effective approach to take?
Experience and structure help for sure but I learned over the years that there is something even more important:
Being present (really present) in the moment.
Only if we are fully focused on the person we are talking to - her stories, needs, challenges, troubles, aspirations, etc. - can we read both strong and weak signals and (hopefully) respond appropriately.
My strategy to be fully present is simple yet effective.
Before each 1 on 1, I set aside 10-15 minutes to:
- clear my mind of distractions and focus solely on the individual I'll be meeting with.
- review my notes from the last conversation (if you are not taking notes, I think you should!).
