stdlib

Find resources to solve your technical leadership challenges

Blog Post

Real talk: the technical interview is broken

Critical analysis of systemic problems in technical interviews and their impact on diversity and fairness

medium.com
Hiring
Article

Vanquish whiteboard interview puzzles with test-driven development

Strategic approach to whiteboard interviews using systematic problem-solving techniques to impress interviewers

codewithoutrules.com
HiringCommunication
Blog Post

Dumb and gets things done

John D. Cook's analysis of why productivity without intelligence can be destructive and the importance of strategic thinking

johndcook.com
Decision-makingTeam performance
Blog Post

How to hire low experience, high potential people

Tara Seshan's framework for identifying and recruiting unconventional talent with high potential beyond traditional credentials

worktopia.substack.com
Hiring
Blog Post

6 qualities that make a great engineer

Intercom's framework for identifying critical traits that transform good engineers into exceptional team members

intercom.com
HiringTeam performance
Blog Post

I've been an engineer and a recruiter. Hiring is broken.

Aline Lerner's insider critique of technical hiring practices and why current recruiting methods fail both companies and candidates

blog.alinelerner.com
Hiring
Article

Trouble hiring senior engineers? It's probably you

Critical perspective shift showing how hiring senior engineers is about selling your opportunity, not just selecting candidates

hiringengineersbook.com
Hiring
Article

How to Hire

Patty McCord's radical hiring framework from Netflix emphasizing problem-solving abilities over culture fit

hbr.org
Hiring
Article

When we only hire the best means we only hire the trendiest

Dan Luu's analysis of how 'hire the best' practices lead to superficial screening that overlooks talented engineers

danluu.com
Hiring
Article

Engineering Management - Hiring

Comprehensive guide to engineering hiring practices and building effective technical teams

algeri-wong.com
Hiring
Article

This is why you never end up hiring good developers

Analysis of common hiring mistakes that prevent companies from recruiting talented developers

qz.com
Hiring
Blog Post

We Hire the Best, Just Like Everyone Else

Jeff Atwood's critique of Silicon Valley's 'hire only the best' mantra and how it perpetuates hidden biases

blog.codinghorror.com
Hiring
Article

Being in the details

James Stanier's argument for engineering leaders staying deeply connected to their team's work and technical decisions

theengineeringmanager.com
Team performanceDecision-makingKnowledge sharing
Blog Post

Should managers still code?

James Stanier's framework for managers staying technically engaged without becoming primary feature implementers

theengineeringmanager.substack.com
Team performanceCareer development
Blog Post

The manager I hated and the lesson he taught me

Personal account of how a brutally direct manager transformed an engineer's approach to leadership and code quality

blog4ems.com
FeedbackTechnical debt
Video

Simon Sinek: Purpose should be prioritized over metrics

Simon Sinek's argument for leading with purpose and vision rather than being driven solely by metrics

youtube.com
N/A
Team performanceBurnout & morale
Blog Post

The Open Feedback Circle (OFC)

Structured methodology for creating psychologically safe feedback environments in engineering teams

medium.com
FeedbackCommunication
Article

Negative feedback antipatterns

Guide to avoiding common mistakes when delivering negative feedback using the OFNR model

dein.fr
FeedbackCommunication
Article

A Primer on Giving Critical Feedback

Structured framework for delivering critical feedback that transforms difficult conversations into growth opportunities

tombartel.de
Feedback
Article

The best leaders are great individual contributors, not professional managers

Argument that the most effective leaders emerge from technical expertise rather than professional management tracks

news.ycombinator.com
Team performanceCareer development
Blog Post

A Manager’s FAQ

Common management questions and practical answers for engineering leaders navigating people leadership challenges

medium.com
FeedbackConflict resolutionCareer development
Blog Post

The Problem with Tech Leads

Critical analysis of tech lead roles and the challenges of balancing technical expertise with leadership responsibilities

medium.com
Team performanceBurnout & moraleCareer development
Blog Post

The One Key to Dealing with Senior Executives: Answer the Question!

Communication strategy for engineering leaders presenting to executives with direct, concise responses

kellblog.com
CommunicationMeeting effectiveness
Article

Inspection and the limits of trust

Will Larson's analysis of balancing trust-based management with necessary oversight and inspection systems

lethain.com
Process inefficienciesDecision-making
Article

Learn how to escalate issues

Strategic guide on when and how to escalate problems effectively within organizational hierarchies

goodproductmanager.com
CommunicationConflict resolutionDecision-making
Article

Theory-building and why employee churn is lethal to software companies

Analysis of how employee turnover destroys institutional knowledge and software system understanding

baldurbjarnason.com
Knowledge sharingOnboarding
Book

Strapi's handbook

Employee handbook from the headless CMS company covering remote work practices and startup culture

handbook.strapi.io
Remote workScalingHiring
Book

Mattermost's handbook

Open-source collaboration platform's guide to distributed team management and community building

docs.mattermost.com
Remote workCommunicationScaling
Book

Inaka's handbook

Development guidelines and best practices from Inaka covering coding standards and project management

github.com
Process inefficienciesTechnical debtKnowledge sharingOnboarding
Book

Clef's employee handbook

Open-source employee handbook showcasing transparent company policies and progressive workplace culture

github.com
OnboardingRemote workCommunication
Article

A Quick Puzzle to Test Your Problem Solving

Interactive cognitive challenge designed to reveal problem-solving approaches and decision-making patterns

nytimes.com
Decision-making
Book

Xavier Niel explains 42: the coding university without teachers, books, or tuition

Revolutionary peer-to-peer learning model that eliminates traditional educational hierarchies for developer training

venturebeat.com
OnboardingKnowledge sharingInnovation
Article

Why Hiring for "Culture Fit" Hurts Your Culture

Critical analysis of how 'culture fit' hiring practices mask unconscious bias and perpetuate homogeneous teams

paperplanes.de
Hiring
Article

List of cognitive biases on Wikipedia

Comprehensive taxonomy of mental shortcuts and systematic errors that undermine technical decision-making

rationalwiki.org
Decision-making
Article

Guess Who Doesn’t Fit In at Work

Analysis of workplace belonging, diversity challenges, and the impact of organizational culture on employee inclusion

nytimes.com
Burnout & moraleTeam performance
Article

How To Get Buy-in for DevEx Initiatives: Strategies From GitHub, Notion, and More

Strategic guide for translating DevEx improvements into compelling business proposals for executive buy-in

getdx.com
Decision-makingTeam performance
Blog Post

Engineering productivity can be measured - just not how you'd expect

Revolutionary approach to measuring productivity by focusing on team-level blockers rather than traditional metrics

okayhq.com
Team performanceProcess inefficiencies
Article

A primer on engineering delivery metrics

Juan Pablo Buriticá's strategic guide on key performance indicators for optimizing engineering delivery processes

leaddev.com
Process inefficienciesScalingTeam performance
Article

Your Small Imprecise Ask Is a Big Waste of Their Time

Guide on how imprecise requests waste team time and strategies for communicating expectations clearly

staysaasy.com
CommunicationProcess inefficiencies
Book

The Counterintuitive Art of Leading by Letting Go

Guide on how relinquishing direct control can amplify team performance and innovation through empowerment

99u.com
Team performanceInnovation
Article

Second-order Thinking

Mental model for strategic decision-making by considering long-term consequences and asking 'And then what?'

read.perspectiveship.com
Decision-making
Article

Be good-argument-driven, not data-driven

Richard Marmorstein's critique of data-driven culture and framework for meaningful metrics usage

twitchard.github.io
Decision-makingProcess inefficienciesInnovation
Article

Ask Questions, Repeat The Hard Parts, and Listen

Rands' leadership guide on empowering teams through strategic questioning and developing decision-making skills

randsinrepose.com
Decision-makingCommunication
Article

Balancing Engineering Cultures: Debate Everything vs. Just Tell Me What To Build

Analysis of engineering team dynamics and strategies for balancing thoughtful discussion with rapid execution

fishmanafnewsletter.com
Team performanceCommunicationDecision-makingConflict resolution
Blog Post

Guiding principle: consent over consensus

Decision-making framework that prioritizes removing objections over achieving unanimous agreement

jchyip.medium.com
Decision-making
Article

Principles.dev - Software Engineering Principles

Curated collection of mental models and principles for strategic thinking and team performance optimization

principles.dev
Team performanceProcess inefficienciesDecision-making
Blog Post

Principles for Decision-Making in a Flat Organization

Roman Imankulov's guide using IETF's 'rough consensus' approach for efficient decision-making in flat organizations

doist.com
Decision-making
Article

How to Make a Big Decision

Strategic framework for approaching life-changing decisions with clarity and systematic thinking

nytimes.com
Decision-making
Showing 817-864 of 1110 resources

Aboutstdlib

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.