When organizations embrace open source, they must recognize that their engineers become public-facing representatives. Open Source leading organizations are those which support these representatives so they evolve overtime into ambassadors. This shift is as significant, and carries similar risks at fist, as assigning client-facing roles to middle managers. The outdated notion that open source is limited to technical environments and activities is no longer accurate. Today, software is inherently tied to business, and therefore, open source software is also a business concern.
I’ve personally seen the significant changes this shift brings to organizations. However, I’ve also encountered strong resistance from some executives, middle managers, and tech leads who are hesitant about their engineers representing the company publicly, particularly in situations where these leaders might not have direct control or visibility.
Equipping engineers with better communication skills and a broader understanding of the company’s operations is crucial for their success as public-facing representatives. Throughout my career, I have worked with software and data engineers who excelled in this role, becoming essential assets to their employers without holding management positions. Interestingly, most of them received little formal training; the role evolved for them naturally.
I firmly believe that targeted training can significantly improve and accelerate engineers’ effectiveness in their public-facing roles. Just as managers benefit from professional development, so too would engineers. Here are some examples I’ve implemented or witnessed firsthand as a manager.
Public speaking is a clear and essential training area. Engineers frequently present at events and workshops, and they need to effectively communicate complex ideas during video conferences or hackathons. Targeted training can quickly address common pitfalls. I recall my first public speaking course where I immediately identified and corrected several notorious issues. While becoming a first class speaker requires significant training, practice, and natural talent, which most of us do not have, noticeable improvement is achievable with just some basic training.
In open source, one of the most underrated skill is writing. Individuals who write properly, concisely and with empathy get far. Well-crafted comments in code review and well-written arguments in mailing lists become a sort of art everyone appreciates. Unfortunately, engineers don’t commonly receive training in this area. While the positive impact might take longer to materialize compared to public speaking improvements, it is a crucial long-term investment.
Delivering negative feedback effectively is a challenging but essential skill. While scientific and engineering circles might be more direct, engineers representing the company in open-source environments often interact with individuals from diverse backgrounds or those who have transitioned into non-technical roles. These individuals may not be accustomed to purely factual communication. Therefore, learning to deliver potentially negative news with empathy and tact is vital. Although this type of training is often targeted at people managers, it is equally beneficial for engineers engaging in the open, in my experience.
My final example isn’t a formal training but has a similar impact: actively involving engineers who contribute to open source in key company discussions. The open-source landscape can be like a fantastic gelateria for a child – full of exciting possibilities, making it easy to “get sidetracked”…. Therefore, including these engineers in conversations related to:
- The company strategy or product strategy
- Pre-sales conversations or quarterly sales retrospectives (or similar)
- Customer support or field engineering
will enable them to better identify key influencers in other companies, communicate not only on a technical level but also in a more business-oriented language when required, and gain a deeper understanding of their own company’s strengths and weaknesses, among other advantages.
By implementing these actions, engineers will be better equipped to identify valuable opportunities for the company. They can more effectively direct their open-source activities, focusing on the sweet spot where their interests align with the company’s objectives, ultimately leading to higher levels of motivation. This, in turn, translates to a greater return on investment for their employers while those engineers collaborate in the open.
Providing this training and a comprehensive understanding of the company is not about transforming engineers into something they are not. Rather, it’s about expanding their soft skills, empowering them to be even more effective and impactful representatives of your company within the open-source ecosystem so, overtime, they can turn into company’s ambassadors.
In the long run, truly understanding and supporting your engineers as company ambassadors in the open will provide an invaluable side effect, if the company manages it properly: engineers will become exceptional market sensors.
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