Life is hard already, let’s not make it harder for each other.

Hi! I’m Cole Strode, a Senior Engineering Manager at Zendesk! I spent almost a decade as a hands on engineer at a few different companies until I started managing in 2017. I kept my hands on the keyboard until my teams grew too big for me to responsibly be in their critical path as a coder (and maybe a little past that point… oops!).

I get really nerdy about engineering management and read about it broadly. I graduated with honors in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University, completed a 3 year masters in Transformative Leadership and Social Change from the Maryland University of Integrative Health, and have taken part in several executive and leadership coaching programs.

Through all this I’ve found that engineering managment skills are best applied with empathy. I also find that the more I practice these skills, the easier management becomes. In my best moments, the teams run themselves and the work feels effortless. It’s not magic, it’s mostly just practice.

In my spare time knit (yes, I made those socks!), run long distances, spend time with my family, and read any scary book I can get my hands on.

My core belief about managing is that a good manager may not make your life better, but a bad manager can certainly make it worse! Life is hard already, let’s not make it harder for each other.