stdlib

Find resources to solve your technical leadership challenges

Article

career-ladders

Open-sourced career ladder framework from Engineer I to Distinguished Engineer

career-ladders.dev
Career developmentOnboarding
Article

Fog Creek Professional Ladder – Joel on Software

Fog Creek's three-dimensional career development framework linking advancement to compensation

joelonsoftware.com
Career development
Framework

progression-framework/frameworks/engineering

Monzo's comprehensive career development framework covering multiple engineering disciplines

github.com
Career developmentOnboarding
Article

Dropbox

Dropbox's comprehensive engineering career framework across multiple disciplines

dropbox.github.io
Career development
Article

CircleCI

CircleCI's engineering competency matrix for tracking skills and career progression

docs.google.com
Career developmentOnboarding
Article

Khan Academy

Khan Academy's engineering career development framework document

docs.google.com
Career developmentFeedback
Article

Gitlab

GitLab's engineering career matrix and progression framework

handbook.gitlab.com
Career development
File

Songkick

Songkick's engineering growth framework document

songkick.com
Career development
Article

Keith Rabois on how to identify great talent

Keith Rabois' methods for identifying and developing high-potential employees

startuparchive.org
HiringCareer development
Article

On Being A Senior Engineer

Defining characteristics and qualities that distinguish senior engineers from juniors

kitchensoap.com
Career developmentCommunicationTeam performance
Blog Post

Engineering levels and progression

Eight-level engineering career framework emphasizing scope of impact and leadership

location.foursquare.com
Career developmentScaling
Article

Things We Learned Creating Technology Career Steps

Spotify's lessons from building a career progression framework for engineers

engineering.atspotify.com
Career developmentCommunication
Blog Post

How to waste your career, one comfortable year at a time

Warning about career stagnation and the dangers of staying too comfortable

apoorvagovind.substack.com
Career development
Article

Thriving on the Technical Leadership Path

Guide for pursuing technical leadership without transitioning to people management

keavy.com
Career developmentDecision-making
Article

You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you

Comic exploring the 'backfire effect' and how people resist contradictory evidence

theoatmeal.com
CommunicationDecision-making
Blog Post

One on One Meeting Format Ideas

Structured 30-minute format for effective weekly one-on-one meetings

marcgg.com
Meeting effectivenessFeedbackCareer development
Article

5 Questions Every Manager Needs to Ask Their Direct Reports

Strategic questions for understanding employee growth, purpose, and potential

hbr.org
Career developmentFeedbackBurnout & morale
Blog Post

130+ One on One Meeting Questions Great Managers Ask

Targeted one-on-one questions let managers build trust, steer career growth, and give feedback, turning routine meetings into a lever for higher performance and morale.

getlighthouse.com
Meeting effectivenessFeedbackCareer development
Article

How To Be Someone People Love To Talk To

Master the science of conversation with research-backed tactics for first impressions, active listening, and ending chats, so you become the person everyone wants to talk to.

bakadesuyo.com
Communication
Blog Post

Mentor vs Advisor vs Coach

A mentor guides growth, an advisor offers expertise, and a coach drives performance; the article clarifies when each role adds the most value for technical leaders.

baxterblog.typepad.com
Career developmentKnowledge sharing
Article

What is an Inquiring Leader?

Leadership concept focused on curiosity, questioning, and continuous learning

linkedin.com
CommunicationFeedback
Article

21 Reasons You Should Start Having One on Ones with Your Team

One-on-ones give managers timely feedback, career coaching, early problem detection, and stronger trust, turning routine meetings into a powerful tool for team performance and morale.

jasonevanish.com
CommunicationFeedbackMeeting effectivenessBurnout & morale
Blog Post

On 1-1s

Guide to effective 1-on-1 meetings focused on listening and relationship building

cate.blog
Meeting effectivenessBurnout & morale
Article

devtomanager.com

Career platform helping developers transition into engineering management

devtomanager.com
Career development
Article

Expert Generalists

Concept of professionals who blend generalist and specialist skills across domains

martinfowler.com
Cross-functional alignmentCareer developmentHiring
Blog Post

How to grow as an Engineering Manager

Engineering managers stuck in a plateau can break the skills-opportunity paradox by deliberately creating new opportunities using six distinct growth archetypes, turning a dead-end into a career-propelling flywheel.

medium.com
Career development
Article

Some mistakes I made as a new manager

Key management mistakes and lessons for new managers transitioning from IC roles

benkuhn.net
OnboardingBurnout & morale
Article

37 Years Ago, Steve Jobs Said the Best Managers Never Actually Want to Be Managers. Science Says He Was Right

Jobs warned that the most effective managers are top individual contributors who resist formal management, and research shows these leaders drive better performance.

inc.com
Team performanceBurnout & morale
Article

Managing people

Insights on effective people management focusing on trust and empowerment

klinger.io
Burnout & moraleDecision-makingFeedback
Article

What are the signs that you have a great manager?

Community discussion on key qualities that define excellent management

news.ycombinator.com
Team performanceBurnout & moraleCareer development
Blog Post

21 management things I learned at Imgur

Effective management demands adaptable feedback, rapid removal of bad performers, crystal-clear success metrics, and relentless communication to keep high performers motivated and teams moving fast.

medium.com
ScalingDecision-makingTeam performance
Blog Post

The Quiet Crisis unfolding in Software Development

High-performance developers often hide technical debt; continuous improvement, code ownership, and realistic metrics are essential to avoid hidden costs and low morale.

medium.com
Team performanceBurnout & moraleProcess inefficiencies
Article

Principles of Management

Comprehensive 16-module course covering foundational management theory and practice

courses.lumenlearning.com
Team performanceCommunicationDecision-making
Article

Keith Rabois on the Role of a COO, How to Hire and Why Transparency Matters

Keith Rabois on COO leadership, hiring 'barrels', and radical transparency

firstround.com
HiringCommunicationDecision-making
Blog Post

Unintuitive Things I’ve Learned about Management

Effective managers thrive on people interaction, enable teams to find solutions, and judge success by the team's performance rather than personal output.

medium.com
Team performanceCommunicationDecision-making
Article

Your 12-month engineering manager MBA reading list

12-month self-guided reading plan for engineering manager development

linkedin.com
Career developmentTeam performanceDecision-making
Blog Post

10 Must-Reads for Engineering Leaders

Curated list of 10 essential leadership books with key insights

zaidesanton.substack.com
Career developmentTeam performance
Book

Most Recommended Books to Make You a Better Engineering Manager

A curated list of the top books engineering leaders recommend, with interview links showing why each title matters for managing teams and advancing your career.

managersclub.com
Team performanceCommunicationCareer development
Book

Holiday Book Recommendations for Engineering Managers, Software Engineers and Product Managers

A curated list of 100+ tech books, grouped by genre with personal notes and reviewer quotes, giving engineers and managers a practical reading guide to accelerate career growth and leadership skills.

blog.pragmaticengineer.com
Career developmentKnowledge sharing
Article

Jason Evanish's list

Curated bookshelf of leadership and management books with reviews

jasonevanish.com
Knowledge sharingCareer development
Article

Learnings from Six Months as a First-Time Manager

Real-world lessons from the management transition

dein.fr
OnboardingDecision-makingBurnout & morale
Article

Trained Engineers - Overnight Managers

The danger of promoting engineers without management training

sysadvent.blogspot.nl
Career developmentTeam performance
Article

Categories of Leadership on Technical Teams

Different types of technical leadership and when each is needed

benkuhn.net
Team performanceDecision-makingCareer development
Article

Write Five, Then Synthesize

Will Larson's approach to creating engineering strategy

lethain.com
Decision-makingProcess inefficienciesKnowledge sharing
Article

Can Do vs Must Do

Prioritization framework for startup success

avc.com
Decision-makingScaling
Framework

Porter's Generic Strategies

Michael Porter's framework for competitive advantage

en.wikipedia.org
Decision-makingCross-functional alignment
Video

Start with the Customer and Work Backwards

Steve Jobs on customer-centric product strategy

youtube.com
5 min
Decision-makingInnovation
Guide

Six Recipes for Software Managers

Practical management practices that actually work

eng.localytics.com
CommunicationBurnout & moraleFeedback
Showing 1009-1056 of 1215 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.