Culture-Driven Onboarding
Friends know that I endlessly talk about team values. They’ve made a huge difference in my career - I still have a framed copy of Obtiva’s values next to my ...
Five Minute Checkins
Let’s say you only have 5 minutes with one of your teammates to answer the question “How satisfied is this person with their job?” What do you ask and what d...
The Missing One-on-One
Many new managers define 1:1 meetings as something like “a regular opportunity for a manager and their direct report to check in.” That’s a fine starting poi...
Monoliths Built to Last
Here’s a fun fact about my career: in almost a decade of working in Ruby, I’ve never been paid to write rails new into a console.
Leading by Example Isn’t Enough
In a recent coaching session, a manager said of a teammate “Why can’t they follow my example and act more like me?” It’s a natural desire but an effective ma...
The Four Levels of Autonomy
Engineers crave explicit feedback and expectations, and yet it’s often hard to provide these when coaching on ownership and leadership. It’s frustrating for ...