Effective Engineering Manager

About Effective Engineering Manager

The Effective Engineering Manager podcast provides proven solutions and best practices to software engineering managers of all levels that allow them to effectively manage teams to deliver results on time and with high quality. This podcast is presented to you by Slava Imeshev and Adam Axelrod. Sharing our knowledge, we leverage 25+ years of our combined engineering management experience in getting stuff done. We share practical recommendations on getting stuff done, project and program management, engineering processes and tools, managing horizontally and vertically, establishing and running effective software development lifecycle, effective meetings and time management, building and managing teams, people management, growing engineering and management careers, and more. Please reach out to us if you have feedback or suggestions at contact@effectiveem.com or visit us at https://www.effectiveem.com.

Publisher

Slava Imeshev and Adam Axelrod

Category

business · education · technology

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Sept 2020

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

7 of 48 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   No Upward Feedback

   Host [Host Name] explores why upward feedback can harm careers and offers strategies for navigating these requests safely.

2. 

   4 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Micromanagement: The Silent Threat to Engineering Teams

   Micromanagement is a hidden but damaging force in engineering teams, eroding trust, autonomy, and innovation. In this episode of the Effective Engineering Manager podcast, Slava and Adam explore the roots of micromanagement - poor delegation, fear of failure, and lack of trust - and its consequences for morale, productivity, and retention. They also share strategies for organizations and managers to address micromanagement, from coaching and role adjustments to practical ways of shielding teams from its effects.

3. 

   26 Aug 2025

   Ani Mishra: Effective Cross-functional Collaboration

   Our guest, Ani Mishra, engineering manager at DoorDash, shares how engineering managers can become true force multipliers by orchestrating cross-functional collaboration. From treating PMs, designers, and data scientists as partners to using proactive communication, escalation, and trust-building, Ani lays out practical ways EMs can align teams, remove bottlenecks, and prepare for an AI-driven future.

Inside a recent episode

No Upward Feedback

Published 7 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So that's sort of a setup of what you're likely gonna experience, and the bigger the company, the bigger the org, the bigger the team, the more likely it's gonna be happening. And let's do a deep dive why it doesn't work. So we have a bigger picture now, but let's go into the weeds. So number one, the consequence of giving upward feedback. It is a waste of time. These are damaged relationships between you and your boss. your team and very likely negative impact on your career and this is a waste of time because those feedback polls are perfunctory at best if everyone says nice thing does their part doesn't say what they think just say nice thing Then the requester is going to say, well, nothing is unexpected. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

24 ratings

Spotify

4.6 / 5

30 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 45 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

54

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

90

Contact Effective Engineering Manager

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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