Leadership GardenAll posts
151 essays since 2017, newest first.
Prefer a year-by-year list? See the archive.
The Knowing-Doing Gap In Leadership
Stop learning, start leading: Research reveals why leadership knowledge might be your biggest obstacle to becoming a better leader.
On Conflicts
A practical guide to understanding and resolving engineering team conflicts using the Thomas-Kilmann model. Turn arguments into productive outcomes.
Stop Fixing, Start Leading: How Coaching Changed My Leadership Style
A tech leader shares four counterintuitive lessons from professional coaching that transformed their leadership style. Learn how stepping back, asking better questions, and trusting your team leads to better outcomes
Knowledge Silos: The Engineering Productivity Tax
Learn how knowledge silos are slowing down your engineering teams and get practical strategies to break them down. Based on real experience scaling engineering organizations.
Why Goodhart’s Law Isn’t All That Useful
Goodhart’s Law warns of metric misuse but offers little guidance. Discover a nuanced approach to using metrics effectively, balancing power and pitfalls. Learn to measure wisely and optimize intelligently.
The Art of Calling Out Room Dynamics
A practical guide to naming what is happening in tense meetings so teams can move past avoidance and get honest.
Conviction, Policy, Consensus: Choose Your Leadership Style Wisely
Learn the three essential leadership styles—conviction, policy, and consensus—that drive successful tech organizations. Includes real examples from Stripe, Uber, and other tech companies.
Don’t Fear Power
Why good leaders should stop avoiding power and learn to use influence responsibly inside real organizations.
The Johari Window
Discover how the Johari Window can transform your tech leadership. Learn to boost self-awareness, improve team dynamics, and unlock hidden potential. Master the human side of tech for better communication and innovation.
The Ultimate Guide to Retrospectives: Transforming Your Team, One Look Back at a Time
A practical guide to retrospectives, when to use different formats, and how to keep them from turning into ritual.