The Hero Culture Trap | Sowmya Subramanian
Turn crises into opportunities and build thriving engineering teams without the firefighting.
How do you build a culture that balances operational excellence with developer happiness? By shifting from firefighting to foresight.
Kick off Season 5 of Dev Interrupted with hosts Ben Lloyd Pearson, Andrew Zigler, and Dan Lines as they share their New Year's resolutions and welcome Sowmya Subramanian, whose leadership journey spans Google, YouTube, and Oracle, to the show. From redefining metrics like DORA to adapting processes like Fix-It Weeks, Sowmya discusses dismantling the “hero” mindset that rewards firefighting, aligning engineering with business priorities, and creating rituals that scale teams without sacrificing creativity.
Tune in to learn how Sowmya’s holistic approach to metrics, culture, and tooling creates resilient teams and products that scale without breaking a sweat.
“I think it's a journey always, and you iterate... you're constantly re-evaluating, recalibrating.”
The Download
The Download is where engineering insights meet resolutions that actually stick. 🌟
1. Fast-follow culture and the hidden advantage of shipping quickly 🚀
What if being first isn’t always best? This article dives into the concept of “fast-follow” culture, where teams prioritize rapid iteration over groundbreaking launches. Learn from Val Town how moving fast and iterating can outpace competitors while fostering a more resilient engineering environment.
Read: What we learned copying all the best code assistants
2. Sharpen your prompts, sharpen your code ✏️
Max Woolf breaks down how vague or ambiguous prompts can lead to inefficient, overcomplicated code. With insights that matter for anyone working with AI or building systems, this article shows how clarity in prompts translates to better results in programming.
Read: Can LLMs write better code if you keep asking them to “write better code”?
3. How to stay sane in large codebases 🤪
Sean Goedecke offers a survival guide for navigating sprawling, legacy codebases without losing your mind. From prioritizing small wins to embracing the chaos, learn practical strategies for making progress in even the most unwieldy systems.
Read: Mistakes engineers make in large established codebases
How to scale your engineering intelligence 📈 (sponsored)
A big “thank you!” goes to our community for participating in our recent developer survey. Your insights are fueling real results. Join LinearB and Refactoring on Wednesday, January 29th for a workshop that combines those qualitative insights from engineering leaders with quantitative strategies to start and scale a Software Engineering Intelligence practice. RSVP now to learn actionable steps that align metrics with team goals and drive real impact.
Register: Beyond the DORA Frameworks
4. Shipping code is still your job 💻
Be sure to check out this video where Mike Hamrah, CTO at Flowcode, joins Dev Interrupted to cut through the noise of stand-ups and sprints, reminding developers and leaders of their core responsibility: shipping code. Learn how to align engineering goals with business objectives and avoid pitfalls that derail long-term success.