tl;dr:“Setting expectations for software engineers is tricky for all managers. Every company has different needs and a different structure, tech stack, and culture. Whenever someone joins a team, one of the manager’s challenges is aligning the organization’s expectations with those of the new joiner. As there’s no universal guidance on this subject, I set out to find a simple definition that would help managers frame the fundamental things they expect from software engineers.”
tl;dr:Candost sees decision-making as a spectrum - or pendulum - between authority and consensus: "On one side, we have the authority, and on the other side, we have the consensus. This pendulum requires leaders to go back and forth. Having flexibility in decision-making is crucial and more persuasive than sticking to only one."
tl;dr:We've all been in meetings discussing a challenge with one vocal engineer, who is opinionated and likes to share ideas. It's wrong to assume that, because no one objects, consensus has been reached or that one engineer's decisions are correct. "In some cultures, people won't speak up unless someone passes them the ball and mentions their names explicitly."
tl;dr:Candost uses the Request For Comments to stop such discussions. Proposals are written in the NABC format (need, approach, benefits, competitors) comments are given within a timeframe. This steers away from seeking consensus, is valuable for the author's own thought process & creates solutions based on facts.