Leading at Scale#
Knowledge Check Questions#
True or False: As an engineering leader’s scope grows, they become less able to focus on deep technical details and more reliant on high-level strategy.
The chapter introduces three key leadership principles, commonly referred to as the “three Always”: Always Be __________, Always Be __________, and Always Be __________.
True or False: “Always Be Deciding” emphasizes that a leader’s job involves regularly rebalancing trade-offs rather than seeking a single perfect solution.
True or False: Leaders who “Always Be Deciding” should aim to make their decisions irreversible to avoid confusion and delays in projects.
True or False: Ambiguous problems in large-scale engineering typically do have a “silver bullet” solution if you analyze them long enough.
True or False: “Always Be Leaving” encourages leaders to remain indispensable in all technical details so they remain a single point of failure.
True or False: In an effective leadership structure, the team should be able to function well even if the leader is temporarily absent.
In discussing “Always Be Deciding,” the text states that ambiguous problems:
A. Should be avoided until the team has more data.
B. Never require making trade-offs if you plan carefully.
C. “Have no obvious solution and might even be unsolvable,” requiring regular iteration.
D. Can usually be solved by a single “silver bullet.”What is the main idea behind “Always Be Leaving”?
A. Protecting your authority by preventing others from learning the system.
B. Building a “self-driving” organization so you can “leave a trail of self-sufficient success.”
C. Focusing only on technical tasks instead of organizational leadership.
D. Encouraging high turnover in the team.Under “Always Be Scaling,” the text warns leaders that if they slip into “pure reactive mode,” they risk:
A. Spending all their time on urgent issues and neglecting what’s truly important.
B. Hiring too many people and having nothing to do.
C. Making no decisions at all.
D. Solving every problem themselves without fail.True or False: To “Always Be Scaling” includes the practice of focusing on what only you can do, and delegating or dropping less-critical tasks.
Which is not one of the recommended steps for approaching an ambiguous problem?
A) Identify the blinders
B) Identify key trade-offs
C) Skip the decision until you have a perfect solution
D) Decide and then iterate
The text warns about “analysis paralysis” and suggests that one way to avoid it is to make teams comfortable with __________.
True or False: “Always Be Leaving” means the leader should remain the only decision maker so that the team cannot function without them.
Which of the following does not support building a “self-driving” engineering organization?
A) Subdividing large problems into manageable subproblems
B) Delegating tasks to develop emerging leaders
C) Micromanaging daily tasks so they are done exactly as you would do them
D) Iterating and adjusting organizational structures as needed
True or False: A leader who believes “If you want something done right, do it yourself” is likely to reduce the ability of their team to operate autonomously.
The chapter uses a “__________ mark” parable to describe making small, precise interventions after careful observation, rather than micromanaging.
Under “Always Be Scaling,” which best describes how a leader should handle the growth of responsibilities?
A) Accept all new work personally and do it immediately
B) Focus on maximizing your own tasks and ignoring team delegation
C) Effectively manage limited time, attention, and energy as responsibilities increase
D) Refuse all new projects to avoid stress
True or False: The “spiral of success” suggests that doing well on difficult problems naturally leads to more responsibility and new problems to solve.
When discussing “dropping the right balls,” the text advises focusing on the top 20% of tasks that only you can do and deliberately letting go of the __________ __________.
True or False: According to the text, taking a vacation where you still check work email can be just as refreshing as fully disconnecting.