The Engineering Leader

Past Issues

16 Jul 25 In 2025, leadership is no longer defined by how loudly you speak, how large your title is, or how many people report to you. In a world shaped by hybrid teams, generational shifts, and growing resistance to top-down management, the most effective leaders are not the most visible, they’r...

by Steve Strange — Jul 18, 2025 newsletter

#69 - Leaning in, then leaning back out!

9 Jul 25 In today’s workplace, effective leadership is no longer about having all the answers or controlling every outcome. The best leaders know when to step back to give their team room to grow, and when to step in just enough to unblock them when they’re stuck. Striking this balance isn’t easy...

by Steve Strange — Jul 09, 2025 newsletter

#68 - The Power of Book-Ending!

2 Jul 25 It can be uncomfortable to find a problem land in your lap for which you do not have the requisite knowledge to formulate a workable solution. However, the trick is to harness the power of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and sub-contract out the problem-solving to them. But it has to be do...

by Steve Strange — Jul 02, 2025 newsletter

#67 - The dangers of comparison!

25 Jun 25 It is really easy to think that everyone else is doing so much better than you. People beat themselves up unnecessarily when in reality, we are all walking slightly different paths. Some of those paths may be easier than others...at that point in time. The challenge of each person's pat...

by Steve Strange — Jun 26, 2025 newsletter

#66 - Lost your spark? Here's how to reignite!

18 Jun 25 Let's be honest, we all have those moments where we dread going into work. Getting out of bed seems like the most challenging task that can be presented to you. You feel stale, disconnected, unsure of why you are continuing to do what you do day in, day out. This is a perfectly common a...

by Steve Strange — Jun 20, 2025 newsletter

#65 - Where are your bottlenecks?

11 Jun 25 Organisations are evolving all the time as structures change and personnel change roles. But when this change occurs, how many bottlenecks are inadvertently being created? How do you recognise them and what should be done to eliminate them? Inadvertently created bottlenecks may be causi...

by Steve Strange — Jun 14, 2025 newsletter

#64 - 'Despite you' or 'because of you'?

4 Jun 25 It's easy to be a lazy leader if you're that way inclined. Just sit back and let the troops do all the work! Except very quickly you will lose all respect from them because whilst you may have the title, it doesn't mean a thing if you can't cut the mustard! Lazy leaders get bypassed, bli...

by Steve Strange — Jun 04, 2025 newsletter

#63 - The case for plain talking!

28 May 25 In the UK, the Plain English Campaign focussed on just that...improving communication! They had a point, because misread or misundertood messaging was found to be caused primarily by bad messaging. Rather than focussing on complexity, the key is ultimately to make it as simple as possib...

by Steve Strange — Jun 01, 2025 newsletter

#62 - The silent threat within!

21 May 25 Working in a large Company does have it advantages. But it also has its downsides. Flexibility and agility of action are typically the areas that spring to mind! It is well-known that it takes time and effort to try and get a super-tanker to change course. But there are also other areas...

by Steve Strange — May 23, 2025 newsletter

#61 - Standards Matter!

14 May 25 Standards do matter! They matter because they are the yardstick against which an organisation polices itself. They are also the benchmark against which an organisation measures itself in terms of consistency of output and level of acceptable behaviours. If standards aren't maintained, o...

by Steve Strange — May 16, 2025 newsletter

#60 - Eliminate clutter, increase clarity!

7 May 25 You can have vision, charisma, and a high-performing team but if your life is disorganised, your leadership will be too. The leadership power move most people overlook is so obvious that it can be forgiven for being overlooked. That is sorting out your personal administration and elimina...

by Steve Strange — May 10, 2025 newsletter

#59 - The danger of sycophancy!

30 Apr 25 One of the most unappealing traits that humans are apt to display is that of sycophancy. For a masterclass in this subject, I recommend that you tune in to a White House Cabinet meeting. It makes for unpleasant television. Any leader who relies on, or promotes sycophantic behaviour to f...

by Steve Strange — May 03, 2025 newsletter

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