Engineering teams don’t just write code—they shape the future of businesses. But what separates an average team from a high-performing one? That’s exactly what Harit Shaw, CTO of Kyus Health, shared in this insightful conversation.
Drawing from years of experience leading engineering teams, Harit shares how culture, leadership, and execution come together to build a strong technical organization. He explores:
- What defines a high-performance engineering culture and how to cultivate it.
- The balance between innovation and execution—why great ideas must be paired with delivery.
- How hiring for problem-solving and ownership leads to long-term success.
- The realities of remote and hybrid work—and how teams can stay connected.
- AI’s growing role in engineering—is it a threat or an opportunity?
One of his biggest takeaways? A great engineering team isn’t just about technical skill—it’s about alignment with business goals. Engineers shouldn’t just build software; they should drive strategic decisions and create real impact.
This isn’t just theory—it’s a practical playbook for engineering leaders looking to build teams that innovate, collaborate, and deliver results.
The Core Pillars of a High-Performing Engineering Culture
What sets high-performing engineering teams apart from the rest? According to Harit Shaw, CTO of Kyus Health, it comes down to three essential pillars: how teams build, how they operate, and how they collaborate. These aren’t just theoretical concepts—they’re the foundation of an engineering culture that drives business success, delivers scalable solutions, and creates a thriving work environment.
Let’s break it down.
#1. Craftsmanship: Building with Excellence
Engineers are builders, and great teams prioritize craftsmanship in everything they create. Harit explains that writing code isn’t enough—it must be scalable, secure, and maintainable.
- Quality Over Speed – Delivering fast is important, but not at the cost of long-term stability. High-performing teams set high standards for code quality, security, and compliance.
- Owning the Tech Debt – Great engineers don’t just ship features—they invest in foundational improvements to prevent systems from breaking down over time.
- Continuous Deployment with Confidence – Fast iteration doesn’t mean reckless releases. Teams must balance agility with stability, ensuring each deployment improves the system rather than adding chaos.
As Harit puts it: It’s not just about building features—it’s about building them right.
#2. Operational Excellence: Running Systems at Scale
Technology is built by people, and how a team works together directly impacts its success. Strong collaboration, clear decision-making, and a culture of continuous learning are essential.
- Hiring for Growth Mindset, Not Just Skills – Technical ability matters, but problem-solving, adaptability, and communication are just as important.
- Distributed, But Connected – With remote and hybrid work, the best teams find ways to stay aligned, engaged, and productive regardless of location.
- Clear Decision-Making & Accountability – High-performing teams trust each other and operate with transparency—everyone knows who owns what and how decisions are made.
- Constant Learning & Feedback – The best engineers and leaders don’t assume they have all the answers—they continuously improve, experiment, and learn from failures.
Harit’s advice: A great engineering culture is one where people feel empowered to learn, grow, and make an impact.
#3. Culture & Collaboration: The Human Side of Engineering
Technology is built by people, and how a team works together directly impacts its success. Strong collaboration, clear decision-making, and a culture of continuous learning are essential.
- Hiring for Growth Mindset, Not Just Skills – Technical ability matters, but problem-solving, adaptability, and communication are just as important.
- Distributed, But Connected – With remote and hybrid work, the best teams find ways to stay aligned, engaged, and productive regardless of location.
- Clear Decision-Making & Accountability – High-performing teams trust each other and operate with transparency—everyone knows who owns what and how decisions are made.
- Constant Learning & Feedback – The best engineers and leaders don’t assume they have all the answers—they continuously improve, experiment, and learn from failures.
Harit’s advice: A great engineering culture is one where people feel empowered to learn, grow, and make an impact.
High Performance = Execution + Growth + Impact
A high-performing engineering team isn’t just fast—it’s effective. Success comes from building the right things, ensuring they run smoothly, and creating a culture where engineers thrive.
So read on as we explore how leadership, hiring, and AI are shaping the future of engineering teams
Hiring for High Performance: Finding the Right Engineers
Hiring engineers for a high-performing team isn’t just about technical skills—it’s about mindset, adaptability, and problem-solving ability. According to Harit Shaw, CTO of Kyus Health, the hiring process should be designed to bring in engineers who not only write great code but also contribute to team success and long-term innovation.
So, how does Kyus approach hiring for high performance? Let’s break it down
Building the Blueprint: Hiring with a Clear Vision
Harit emphasizes that hiring starts long before a job posting goes live. Instead of hiring reactively, engineering leaders should map out what the team needs 12 to 18 months ahead.
- Define the Gaps, Not Just the Role—What skills, expertise, and problem-solving abilities are missing from the team today? Instead of filling seats, leaders should focus on what the team needs to scale.
- Think Like an NFL Team—Harit compared hiring engineers to building a football team. Not everyone can be a quarterback. A strong team balances specialists and generalists, ensuring that some engineers focus on system architecture while others excel at execution.
- Balance Specialization with Growth Potential—The best hiring strategy involves not only filling immediate needs but also future-proofing the team with engineers who can scale as the company evolves.
Harit’s insight: You don’t just hire for today—you hire for where the team needs to be in a year.
The Ideal Candidate: Skills vs. Mindset
A high-performing culture isn’t just built on technical ability—it’s driven by engineers who are problem-solvers, adaptable learners, and strong collaborators.
- Growth Mindset Over Static Skillsets – Technologies change, but an engineer’s ability to learn, adapt, and think critically matters more than expertise in a specific framework.
- Collaboration & Communication Matter – Engineers don’t work in isolation. Can they explain complex ideas simply? Can they work across teams and align technical solutions with business goals?
- High Aptitude + High Attitude = The Right Fit – A technically brilliant but uncooperative engineer slows down the team. The best hires don’t just contribute individually—they elevate everyone around them.
- Passion for Problem-Solving, Not Just Coding – The best candidates don’t just answer interview questions—they ask thoughtful questions about the company’s challenges and roadmap.
Harit’s perspective: I prefer an engineer who always asks ‘Why?’ and ‘How can we do this better?’ to someone who just memorizes syntax.
The Hiring Process: A Strategic Approach
Harit outlined a hiring process that prioritizes problem-solving skills, teamwork, and long-term potential—not just checking off technical boxes.
- Structured Technical Interviews – Candidates go through coding exercises and system design challenges, but the focus is on how they think, not just their final answer.
- Collaborative Challenges – Instead of isolating candidates, Kyus encourages interactive problem-solving with real-world engineering scenarios.
- Culture & Communication Fit – Beyond technical rounds, engineers meet cross-functional team members to ensure alignment with company values and collaboration styles.
- Onboarding with a Purpose – Hiring doesn’t end with an offer. New engineers start with clear goals, mentorship, and immediate projects to integrate quickly and start contributing.
Harit’s tip: A great hire isn’t just someone who can solve a problem—it’s someone who can make the whole team stronger.
Hiring for Performance, Not Just Pedigree
A high-performing team isn’t built by hiring the most experienced or technically advanced engineers—it’s built by hiring people who can grow, collaborate, and elevate the team’s long-term success.
So read on as we dive into leadership strategies, remote team challenges, and the role of AI in shaping engineering teams.
Leadership’s Role in Engineering Culture
A high-performing engineering team doesn’t just happen—it’s shaped by strong leadership. According to Harit Shaw, CTO of Kyus Health, leadership in engineering isn’t about micromanaging tasks; it’s about creating an environment where engineers can innovate, collaborate, and grow.
Harit emphasized that great engineering leaders don’t dictate solutions—they provide clarity, remove roadblocks, and empower teams to think critically and solve problems. Let’s break down how leadership shapes engineering culture.
Setting the Vision: Giving Engineers Context and Purpose
Engineers perform best when they understand the bigger picture. Harit explained that leaders need to do more than assign tasks—they need to communicate why a project matters and how it aligns with business goals.
- Transparent Communication – Engineers should know how their work impacts customers, revenue, and long-term strategy. Leaders must ensure teams have full context—not just technical specifications.
- Decision-Making with Data – Harit stressed that decisions shouldn’t be based on gut instinct. Instead, engineering leaders should rely on metrics, customer feedback, and performance insights to guide priorities.
- Autonomy with Accountability – While leadership should provide direction, engineers should have the freedom to innovate and experiment. A well-structured team balances creative problem-solving with clear expectations for deliverables.
Harit’s insight: Our job as leaders isn’t to micromanage—it’s to provide clarity on what matters and trust our engineers to come up with solutions that move the business forward.
Leading by Example: Building a Culture of Excellence
Culture starts at the top. If leaders cut corners, engineers will, too. If leaders prioritize quality, collaboration, and continuous learning, the team will follow.
- High Standards, Not Perfectionism – Harit emphasized that great leaders push for excellence without creating a culture of fear. The goal isn’t to avoid failure—it’s to fail fast, learn, and improve.
- Encouraging Ownership – Engineers should own their work and feel responsible for the end-to-end success of a feature or system. When engineers see leaders making thoughtful trade-offs, they’re more likely to take responsibility for decisions, too.
- Investing in People, Not Just Products – Leadership isn’t just about driving business results; it’s about developing engineers into future leaders. Harit stressed the importance of mentorship, coaching, and career growth opportunities within engineering teams.
Harit’s perspective: The best engineering cultures are the ones where leaders actively invest in their teams—not just in technical skills but in decision-making, communication, and leadership.
Creating Alignment Across Teams
Engineering teams don’t work in isolation. The best leaders ensure that engineering, product, and business teams are fully aligned.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration—Engineers should collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and business stakeholders to ensure that technology decisions drive real customer value.
- Breaking Down Silos – Harit highlighted that the best engineering leaders bridge the gap between technical teams and business leaders. Engineers should see how their work fits into the larger strategy—whether it’s increasing customer satisfaction, reducing costs, or driving revenue.
- Remote & Hybrid Team Challenges—As distributed teams become more common, leadership plays a huge role in ensuring consistent communication and engagement. Engineering leaders should leverage the right tools, set clear expectations, and create opportunities for remote engineers to stay connected.
Harit’s tip: If engineers don’t understand the business impact of their work, they’ll struggle to make the right trade-offs. Leaders need to make sure technical teams and business teams speak the same language.
Leadership in the Age of AI and Automation
With AI and automation reshaping software development, engineering leadership is evolving. Harit explained that leaders need to help teams adapt to AI-driven tools and rethink their approach to engineering workflows.
- AI as an Assistant, Not a Replacement – AI-powered tools can enhance productivity, but leadership needs to set expectations on how these tools should be used rather than fearing job displacement.
- Upskilling Teams for the Future – Leaders should actively support engineers in learning AI, automation, and emerging technologies to keep teams competitive and ahead of industry shifts.
- Shifting Engineers Closer to the Business – As AI takes over repetitive coding tasks, engineers will need to focus more on problem-solving, architecture, and business strategy. Leaders must help engineers develop these skills.
Harit’s outlook: AI won’t replace engineers, but engineers who leverage AI will replace those who don’t. Leadership’s role is to help teams evolve and adapt.
Leadership Defines Engineering Culture
A strong engineering culture doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built through clear communication, high standards, collaboration, and adaptability. Leaders set the tone for how teams operate, how decisions are made, and how innovation thrives.
Empowering Engineers: The Human Side of High Performance
Building great software starts with great people, but high-performing engineering teams aren’t just made of top talent—they are shaped by how those engineers think, collaborate, and grow. According to Harit Shaw, it’s the human side of engineering that separates a good team from a great one.
- Decision-Making That Drives Impact – In strong engineering cultures, decisions aren’t made by a handful of executives. Engineers are encouraged to think critically, take ownership, and make choices based on data and business needs. Clarity in who owns what and how decisions are made ensures faster execution and fewer bottlenecks.
- Conflict Resolution & Psychological Safety – High-performing teams don’t avoid conflict—they know how to work through it productively. Harit emphasized the importance of open communication, where engineers feel safe challenging ideas, discussing trade-offs, and debating technical choices without politics getting in the way.
- Professional Growth & Acceleration – Great engineers aren’t just writing better code—they are growing in their careers. In strong teams, engineers regularly take on new challenges, expand their skill sets, and feel like they are progressing rather than just maintaining the same systems.
- Support & Leadership Buy-In – A strong culture isn’t just about expecting engineers to perform—it’s about creating an environment where they can succeed. That means mentorship, clear expectations, and leadership that actively removes roadblocks instead of micromanaging execution.
Harit’s perspective: A high-performing team isn’t just about shipping great software—it’s about creating an environment where engineers grow, learn, and feel supported every step of the way.
Hybrid & Remote Teams: Building Culture Beyond the Office
Remote and hybrid work have fundamentally changed how engineering teams operate, but Harit made one thing clear: being remote shouldn’t mean being disconnected. The best teams find ways to stay engaged, aligned, and productive, no matter where they are.
- Hybrid Models Are Here to Stay – Some companies struggle with remote work, while others thrive. Harit explained that the key is striking a balance—having in-person collaboration when needed while allowing engineers the flexibility to work remotely.
- Keeping Teams Connected Across Locations – Face-to-face interaction still matters, but strong teams don’t rely on physical presence to stay aligned. Instead, they build clear processes, strong documentation, and structured check-ins to ensure remote engineers stay engaged without endless meetings.
- Avoiding Communication Breakdowns – When teams are distributed, poor communication can kill momentum. Harit emphasized that engineering leaders must set expectations on how teams collaborate, use the right tools to maintain visibility and ensure no engineer feels isolated.
- Adapting Workflows for Remote Efficiency – Remote teams can’t always rely on the same processes as in-office teams. That’s why successful companies adjust workflows, ensuring engineers get the right mix of autonomy and structured collaboration.
Harit’s outlook: The future of engineering teams isn’t fully remote or fully in-office—it’s about finding a model that maximizes flexibility while keeping teams connected and aligned.
AI and Engineering: How the Role of Engineers is Evolving
AI isn’t replacing engineers—but it is changing what engineers focus on. Harit made it clear that the rise of AI-driven tools doesn’t mean engineers are becoming obsolete—it means they need to shift their skills toward higher-level decision-making.
- AI as an Assistant, Not a Replacement – Tools like GitHub Copilot and AI-powered automation help engineers write code faster, but they still require human oversight. Engineers will spend less time on repetitive coding tasks and more time on problem-solving, architecture, and strategic thinking.
- Engineers Will Be Closer to the Business – As AI takes over low-level coding, engineers will need to engage more with product teams, data science, and business strategy. The best engineers won’t just write code—they’ll help shape how technology drives business outcomes.
- Upskilling for AI and Automation – Engineers can’t ignore AI—they must embrace it. Harit emphasized that engineering teams need to be proactive in learning AI-driven workflows, automation strategies, and new technologies that will define the next era of software development.
- AI’s Role in Hiring & Team Structure – As engineering work shifts, hiring criteria will evolve. Companies may prioritize strong problem-solvers and business-minded engineers over those with deep expertise in specific coding languages.
Harit’s prediction: AI won’t replace engineers—but engineers who use AI effectively will replace those who don’t.
The CTO’s Role in Engineering Culture & Business Alignment
A strong engineering culture doesn’t happen by accident—it’s shaped by leadership. Harit explained that a CTO’s job isn’t just about technology—it’s about making sure engineering teams align with business goals.
- Defining the Engineering North Star – Engineers perform best when they understand the company’s long-term vision. A great CTO doesn’t just set technical goals—they connect engineering efforts to the bigger business picture.
- Breaking Down Silos Between Engineering & Business – Engineering teams shouldn’t operate in isolation. The best leaders actively engage with product, sales, marketing, and customer teams to ensure engineers are building the right solutions.
- Communicating Strategy in a Scalable Way – Harit emphasized that written communication is a crucial skill for engineering leadership. At Kyus, strategic decisions are documented and shared so that every engineer understands how their work fits into the larger business.
- Balancing Innovation with Execution – A great CTO encourages experimentation while ensuring that teams stay focused on delivering real impact. Harit’s approach is to give engineers the freedom to explore new ideas but always tie them back to business outcomes.
Harit’s advice: A CTO’s job isn’t to micromanage—it’s to provide clarity, break down barriers, and make sure engineering teams are fully aligned with business success.
Conclusion: Building an Engineering Culture That Lasts
Building a high-performing engineering culture isn’t a one-time initiative—it’s an ongoing commitment to clarity, innovation, and adaptability. As Harit Shaw emphasized, the best teams don’t just excel technically; they own their work, collaborate effectively, and continuously push boundaries to align engineering with business success.
🚀 Key Takeaways for Engineering Leaders:
- Empowerment Over Micromanagement – Engineers thrive when they have autonomy, clear objectives, and the freedom to innovate within well-defined goals.
- Hiring for Growth, Not Just Skills – The right mindset, problem-solving ability, and collaboration skills matter as much as technical expertise.
- AI as a Force Multiplier – AI isn’t a replacement for engineers—it’s a tool that allows them to focus on strategic problem-solving and higher-value work.
- Balancing Innovation with Execution – Experimentation is important, but great teams don’t just generate ideas—they deliver real business impact.
- Adapting to Remote & Hybrid Work – Physical location matters less than clear processes, strong documentation, and proactive communication.
At its core, a high-performing engineering culture is about more than just technology—it’s about people. Leadership plays a crucial role in setting the vision, defining priorities, and ensuring that engineers are positioned to learn, grow, and contribute in meaningful ways.
The engineering teams that invest in culture, continuous learning, and strategic alignment will be the ones that thrive in the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Those who resist change will struggle to keep pace.
