Hey, it’s Collin. Welcome to Engineering Echelons, a newsletter full of ideas and insights to help engineers excel at management.

Here’s what I’ve got for you this week.

First time reading? You can subscribe here.

Alright, let’s get into it.

Highlights:

Highlights:

Highlights:

You don't cut corners on structural integrity. You don't rush critical calculations. You plan for decades, not just deadlines.

The Shindig Shirt™ was designed with the same methodology you bring to every project. Rowdee's team spent years perfecting the fabric blend. Sweat-proof technology that won't fail during those hot August afternoons. Wrinkle-resistant fibers that maintain their structure through countless wear cycles. Reinforced stitching at stress points because details matter.

Your values mirror ours:

Just like your best projects, this shirt gets better with time. No compromises, no shortcuts—just engineered excellence that works as hard as you do whether in or outside of the office.

Use code ECHELONS15 for 15% off your first order.

Start shopping now →

_{*Partners may compensate Engineering Echelons and/or its contributor(s) for sharing their message(s).}

Venture capitalist Ben Horowitz wrote in The Hard Thing About Hard Things that there are two types of CEOs: peacetime CEOs and wartime CEOs.

Peacetime in business refers to times when a company has a large advantage over the competition in its core market, and its core market is growing. In times of peace, the company can focus on expanding the market and reinforcing the company’s strengths.

In wartime, a company is fending off an imminent existential threat, such as competition, macroeconomic change, market change, supply chain change, geopolitical change, and so on.

As you can imagine, peacetime and wartime require very different management styles.

In peacetime, leaders must capitalize on the current opportunity. That means encouraging creativity and risk-taking.

In wartime, the company usually has few easy options and must execute its mission without error.

Often, leaders have natural tendencies that align better with peacetime or wartime conditions. Both management techniques can be effective when employed in the right situations.

Which one are you more naturally aligned with? What time is your company currently in?

P.S. — Many leadership and management books hyperfocus on successful companies during their times of peace. As a result, too many managers are taught a single mindset and a single set of tools for management. As you can imagine, that does little good for managers when they inevitably find themselves in times of war.

William Zeckendorf (real estate developer) on how emotion rules:

“In matters great and small . . . I find it is not logic but emotions, sometimes carefully rationalized to resemble logic, that more often than not decide most issues.”

—

George Bernard Shaw (playwright) on who progresses the world:

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

—

Sir Alex Ferguson (former Manchester United manager) on discipline:

“Disciplined perseverance pays far more dividends than impetuous attempts at individual heroism.”

This article emphasizes the difference between efficiency and quality, and reminds readers that the target matters, not the measure.

Know someone who could benefit from this newsletter? Let them know!

Did something strike a chord? Tell me about it.

Or…

Send me an email at [email protected]

Looking forward to hearing from you. See you next time.

Collin