Leading transformation, inspiring vision & empowering teams to operate autonomously w/ Kevin Stewart #212
Kevin Stewart (SVP of Engineering @ Splice) joins us to discuss organizational transformation, inspiring vision, and empowering teams! We break down how to tackle root issues in leadership and decision-making, diagnose and prioritize org problems, make a compelling case for change to stakeholders, and override learned helplessness. Kevin also shares how Splice’s concept video became a catalyst for alignment, motivation, and a shared north star for their strategy rollout. Plus, we discuss strategies for empowering teams to operate autonomously—freeing you to focus on business objectives and strategic work.
The Engineering Leadership Podcast
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Show Notes
ABOUT KEVIN STEWART
Kevin Stewart is an engineering executive focused on building teams to build products. He has helped shape the engineering culture at a number of startups, digital agencies and cloud companies. Kevin is particularly experienced in leading remote and distributed teams to consistently deliver quality products. Although he currently resides in Seattle, Kevin is a lifelong New Yorker with dreams of relocating to a sunny island in the Caribbean.
SHOW NOTES:
- Determining what you think is broken vs. what is actually broken (2:57)
- Focusing on the root issues around leadership & decision-making (4:46)
- Strategies for identifying the root cause of what is broken (9:08)
- A framework for diagnosing issues, making a compelling case to stakeholders, and driving high-impact change (10:59)
- Factors that impact decision making authority on your teams (13:53)
- Signals that your org faces learned helplessness & how to override it (16:13)
- Kevin’s advice for leaders who realize they contribute to a fearful environment (18:26)
- Kevin’s journey @ Splice and aligning personal values with the company mission (21:02)
- Challenges behind new strategy rollouts and the need for a customer-centric “north star” (26:26)
- Witnessing the emotional impact of your product on customers (29:44)
- Repetition is key when it comes to reinforcing your org’s vision (30:48)
- Prioritizing your time & resources between strategic and tactical work (32:32)
- Frameworks for aggressively auditing your calendar (35:47)
- How to empower your team and delegate. so they can operate autonomously and you can shift your focus to strategy and business objectives (37:37)
- Rapid fire questions (41:38)
LINKS AND RESOURCES
- The Nvidia Way: Jensen Huang and the Making of a Tech Giant - Tae Kim’s deeply reported business history of the chip-designer Nvidia—from its founding in 1993 to its recent emergence as one of the most valuable corporations in the world—explaining how the company’s culture, overseen by cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang, has powered its incredible success.
This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:
Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host
Jerry Li - Co-Host
Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/
Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/
Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/
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