Find resources to solve your technical leadership challenges
A reflective piece on motivation and lessons learned over a 40-year career in technology leadership.
A reflection on creative strategy presented at Nudgestock 2025, offering insights on how leaders can adopt an offensive approach to drive innovation.
Picard didn't order people about. He didn't assume he knew best. He wasn't seeking glory. In his words: The Enterprise was a vehicle for his crew to better themselves and society. What a brilliant metaphor for organisations to aspire to.
If you're leading software-intensive product development without a software background, you likely experience teams missing commitments despite clear expectations.
From throat to choke to empowered ownership
The article examines the common managerial mantra "bring me problems, bring me solutions", discussing its advantages, disadvantages, and proposing a balanced approach for technical leaders.
The surprising reason this one question backfires, and what to ask instead
For managers who have spent a long time reporting to a specific leader or working in an organization with well-understood goals, it's easy to develop skill gaps without realizing it.
The article presents practical techniques for software developers to write clear, concise, and impactful emails, emphasizing the BLUF approach and tools like Markdown Here.
An article that explores how engineering teams can increase their delivery pace by building less, shipping frequently, and learning faster.
A commentary on a LinkedIn post highlighting the contrast between decisive founders and timid ones, drawing lessons for technical decision-making in software development.
Then what happens if AI is doing the writing and reading?
ALSO: new data on attention spans suggests the problem was you being boring after all
An essay exploring why code style reflects team values and processes rather than serving as an objective metric of quality.
A case study describing how rewriting a critical service in Rust doubled performance and saved $300,000, highlighting the engineering decisions and outcomes.
An article exploring how leaders can balance authority with competence to build trust and effectiveness.
You don't need to absorb everyone's frustrations. Here's how to listen to grievances without having folks dump their frustrations onto you.
How a 90s PC puzzle game inspired a practical approach to spotting hidden threats in code, systems, and teams
The article explains why many meetings are ineffective and offers five practical steps to turn lousy meetings into productive ones.
The four hardest senior engineers to manage and how to coach them.
Discover why remote managers burn out without realizing it and how to build five healthy habits that protect time, energy, and team culture.
The article discusses the pitfalls of having too many metrics and provides guidance on when and how to use metrics effectively.
The article explores a speculative future where microwaves become the primary cooking method and discusses the implications for those who resist change. It uses this scenario as a metaphor for adapting to rapid technological shifts in organizations.
A guide for technology leaders and their teams to shift the organization's focus from productivity to business impact.
The author shares personal insights and steps she took to move from a software developer role to becoming an engineering manager, highlighting mindset shifts and practical advice.
Communication quality is a hidden factor that can make product development longer, yet it is rarely considered when estimating.
A brief reflection on how AI tools have unintentionally become part of the author's coding workflow and the lessons learned for technical leaders.
In this second part of a two-piece series, Roger Martin shares his personal approach to strategy, emphasizing transparency and practical steps for leaders.
A brief look at why the most effective leaders focus on purpose and impact rather than seeking personal accolades, and how this mindset drives high performance in technical teams.
Forget the benchmarks - the best way to track AI's capabilities is to watch which decisions experts delegate to AI.
How pausing and asking yourself - "And then what?" - levels up your decision-making skill.
This article examines how AI extends the human habit of offloading mental effort to tools, offering insights for leaders on integrating AI into decision-making and collaboration.
Sponsored interview with DX CEO Abi Noda.
This article explores how integrity drives effective leadership and why top leaders serve as living examples of core values.
After two decades of leading teams across various organizations, I've noticed a fascinating pattern: leaders tend to operate in two distinct modes, often without realizing it. I call these "Problem-Solver Mode" and "Designer Mode."
Accountability is the only way that anything gets done at scale. Here are some ways that smart people screw up accountability on their teams, often despite the best of intentions - and what to do about them.
The article argues that every engineering organization has an implicit strategy, even when unwritten, and explains why documenting that strategy adds clear value for alignment, learning, and decision-making.
My daily system for gathering and processing information has evolved. I now work through a gather-decide-execute loop using Logseq.
An exploration of why bureaucracies form in organizations and methods to mitigate bureaucratic decline.
Accelerate presents research-backed findings on how high-performing technology organisations deliver software faster, more reliably, and with higher quality.
A concise article that contrasts the characteristics of effective (good) and ineffective (bad) Chief Information Security Officers, offering insights for technical leaders.
How do GitHub, Google, Dropbox, Monzo, Atlassian, and 13 other companies know how well AI tools work for developers? A deep dive sharing exclusive details, with CTO Laura Tacho.
Learn some ways to help encourage action when you feel unmotivated.
Book launch! + Predictions for the manager in the era of AI
An article discussing the differences between technocrats and strategists, exploring the limitations of technocratic thinking and the possibilities enabled by strategic approaches.
The author shares a mantra that every crisis presents an opportunity, urging leaders to avoid getting stuck in the problem and instead use the situation to evolve and improve.
A brief article that highlights two essential practices for technical leaders to improve their teams and decision-making.
An article that examines why some engineering teams succeed with AI while others struggle, offering practical lessons and actionable steps for leaders.
The stdlib collection is a community-curated library of practical, immediately useful, battle-tested resources for technical leadership. Each resource is designed to be immediately applicable to your role. New resources are added based on community feedback and emerging best practices.