The opening sentence of any message often carries more weight than everything that follows. I’ve learned this the hard way. Recently, a report shared something he wanted to pursue. I was supportive — I really was — but my first response came as a cau...
One of the things I’ve always been comfortable with is admitting when I don’t know something. To me, it’s one of the real distinctions between the more and less experienced engineers — and honestly, people in general. When you’re earlier in your care...
Silence can feel heavier than words. In conversations, especially as a leader, there's an instinct to fill every gap, to keep things moving, to show that you're engaged. But I've learned the most valuable moments often come when I do the opposite-whe...
Ownership is powerful. In our team, we lean into it hard - minimal hand-holding, maximum space for people to make their own calls. Most of the time, it works beautifully. But there are edge cases where ownership slips into something else entirely. On...
I've always been a fixer. My instinct is to protect, to solve, to step in. A close friend once told me I have “White Knight Syndrome” - I never checked if that's really a thing, but it fits. At my core, I want to take away the struggle, to shield oth...
In 1:1s, whether with my reports or on the rare occasion with my own lead, I’ve noticed something: the safe answer. You know the one. It’s in response to “How are you doing?” It’s polite. Acceptable. Technically honest — yet designed to sidestep the ...
