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Leadership Blog

Practical advice for engineering managers and tech leads

The Doing vs. Delegating Trap For New Leaders

As a new leader, you'll head advice about being better at delegating work. But it's incomplete. Here's what great leaders actually do, and why hands-on expertise makes you better at delegation, not worse.

October 23, 2025

How to Address Performance When a Good Employee is Unreliable

Struggling with an employee whose personal issues are causing unreliability? Learn how to lead a fair and effective performance conversation focused on impact.

October 20, 2025

Your Boss Might Know What They're Doing (And Won't Change)

Your boss acknowledges the underperformance problem but won't fix it? He's not broken - he's optimizing for comfort. Here's how to know if he'll change and what to do when he won't.

October 19, 2025

Stop Trying to be Your Team's Friend - They Need a Leader

Swinging between strict and lenient? Your team doesn't need a nicer boss or a friend - they need a leader who can hold high standards and high support at the same time. Here's how.

October 17, 2025

How to Manage Remote Employees: Building Self-Managing Teams

You feel like you're just waiting for your team? The problem isn't remote work - it's missing communication structures and underdeveloped ownership. Here's how to fix both.

October 17, 2025

Problem Employees are a Symptom of Your Management

Struggling with a defensive or "problem employee"? Learn why their behavior is likely a reaction to your own management style and how to fix the real problem: yourself.

October 14, 2025

New Managers Should Not Focus on Their Team

Most advice for new managers is wrong. Your biggest challenge isn't your team, but the identity shift from maker to leader. Here's how to manage yourself first.

October 13, 2025

Your first hire isn't about picking the best person, it's about picking the right one

Your first hire as a manager isn't about finding talent, it's about training yourself. Here's how to pick who will teach you most.

October 12, 2025

There's No Respectful Way to Fire Someone

October 11, 2025

Your team doesn't hate you. They're grieving.

What to do when you are promoted and other people on your team wanted the job, and now they're upset.

October 11, 2025