Engineering Management: Mastering Prediction & Reducing Team Anxiety

Understand the brain's core functions: maintaining life and predicting the future. Explore the biological basis of prediction and its implications for human behavior.

“The human brain is designed to do exactly and only two things: keep the lights on and predict the future by making models of the present.”

Explore the relationship between intelligence, model-building, and anxiety. Focus on model invalidation as a root cause of anxiety. Learn about the physiological effects of anxiety (adrenaline, cortisol) and their impact on cognitive function. This section includes a disclaimer about the limitations of the program in addressing clinical anxiety.

“Anxiety is the price of intelligence. All anxiety comes from model invalidation.”

Define clear, durable principles and quantifiable objectives for the team using a collaborative process. Learn how to communicate these effectively and ensure alignment.

“We're going to optimize all of these objectives within the constraints and the boundaries of our principles.”

Implement strategies for transparent communication and empowering team members to make decisions. Practice active listening and provide constructive feedback. Develop contingency plans to handle unexpected challenges.

“Spend all of your time explaining and demonstrating why. Leave the how to your ICs.”

Learn and implement habit-building techniques such as habit stacking, progress tracking, and reward systems to reinforce positive leadership behaviors. This section will focus on establishing routines for transparent communication, distributed decision making, and providing constructive feedback.