The session almost had a rockstar aura to it where, hearing later, people were waiting in line to the very last minute. This was Jake and Christina, so I was determined to stay even if I could not see.

So, with Jake completing his half and my anxiety wearing off, I wondered what Christina would present. Perhaps more examples? A live demo of the conversion of an Android app to Kotlin?

No. Christina dived into a topic so fundamentally different and profound.

As managers, we should always be interested in optionality. Ask for the options from engineers.

Christina’s message was one that hit very hard on how to evangelize. You, management, and the team. Three points. In a sense, how to better the development life of the engineer in each and every organization.

The topic discussed was heavy. With an engineer on our team sitting to the right of me, there was a sense of unease as we sat together. In a way that could not be described. I was the manager.

I kept looking center left.

I wondered if there were any other managers or stakeholders present? Was I the only one? Will they, the engineers, identify me and beat the crap out of me? Dragging me out of the tent?

I only had sunscreen to blind them, a brilliant thought at the time.

But Christina’s topic was unexpected. After debating with engineers later on, I had come to appreciate the stance. This is rarely seen in the community in a way that it was presented.

It took courage.

Management focuses on business value and user experience. Explain the what and why. Let engineers focus on the how.

When the session closed I became so compelled to say something as an engineering manager, I was ready to march up to the microphone and ask

How does the developer community push Google to make Android Studio’s new Android project setup to default include… Kotlin support?

Lets remember Google is actively fixing the wrongs that they have caused and now Java 8 is actually here. Java continues to be the default and Google is standing behind it prominently.

Christina ended at the forty minute mark and there was no time for Q&A.

I repeated that same question to the engineer sitting next to me. He looked at me almost ashamed that I was, in-fact, his manager. He had no answer for me. We walked out, management beating avoided.