# S1E22 Being a GENUINE engineer/leader | Rob Newsom

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2020-07-17
- Length: 46m
- Episode: 22
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom

## Summary

Rob Newsom, VP of Product Development at Cubex, discusses his journey from early software development on PDP and Apple II systems to leading cross-functional hardware and software teams. He explains how Scrum methodology can be adapted for hardware development by accounting for long lead times, such as mold creation, and emphasizes the importance of having experienced team members to predict these constraints. Newsom also shares strategies for managing remote teams, highlighting the success of using local liaisons to bridge cultural and time-zone gaps, and outlines his leadership philosophy centered on authenticity, self-awareness, and genuine interest in team members' lives.

## Chapters

- [0:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=14) Introduction: Rob Newsom and Cubex
- [0:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=52) Early Software Development: PDP, Apple II, and Turbo C
- [8:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=501) Applying Scrum to Hardware Development
- [16:56](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=1016) Managing Remote Teams: Romania and India
- [21:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=1291) Leadership Evolution at Oce Reprographics
- [27:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=1656) Bridging Software and Hardware Engineering Cultures
- [31:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=1885) Challenges in Small Companies: Funding and Problem Solving
- [34:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=2082) Building Loyalty: Authenticity and Genuine Leadership
- [41:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom#t=2484) Motivation: Building Things and Building Teams

## Topics

- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Cubex (company)
- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- PDP (other)
- Apple II (product)
- Turbo C (tool)
- Oce Reprographics (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#010 - How to think like Elon Musk - Scrum for Hardware, with Joe Justice of WIKISPEED and Scrum Inc, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-01-25-010-how-to-think-like-elon-musk-scrum-for-hardware-with-joe-justice-of-wikispeed) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [#048 - RERUN - How to think like Elon Musk - scrum for hardware, with Joe Justice of WIKISPEED and Scrum Inc, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-02-14-048-rerun-how-to-think-like-elon-musk-scrum-for-hardware-with-joe-justice-of-wik) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [Remote Embedded Development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2021-01-06-remote-embedded-development) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [#064 - To transform or not to transform your hardware company to an all agile one next year, with Balint Horvath, Switzerland](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-11-21-064-to-transform-or-not-to-transform-your-hardware-company-to-an-all-agile-one-n) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [Agile at Growing Hardware Startups with Matt Cole](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-04-19-agile-at-growing-hardware-startups-with-matt-cole) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-07-17-s1e22-being-a-genuine-engineer-leader-rob-newsom. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Being an Engineer.