#32 | Sunday reads for EMs

A curated collection of six articles for engineering managers covering strategic influence management, coaching stuck employees, the Staff engineer career path, effective communication practices, balancing exploration versus exploitation in development, and AI-assisted coding predictions for 2026. Key themes include treating influence as a limited resource, using forward-focused coaching techniques, understanding Staff engineer archetypes, replacing vague urgency with concrete deadlines, and adapting development approaches based on uncertainty and risk levels.