I explore the three leadership traits that are often deemed crucial for leaders in tech: Driving innovation, getting things done, and being authentic. I examine each of those and show how they’ve been used to gloss over problematic consequences for individuals, our industry, and beyond. I also share many practical tips for leaders dealing with these issues.

Product teams and engineering teams tend to have rocky relationships. Why is this? They’re working toward the same goal, at least they are in theory, so what is the reason for their misalignment? In organizations with product and engineering teams that work together in harmony, what is their secret to success?

How do you respond when your boss or board asks “What's our AI strategy?” In this episode, Lena Reinhard talks with Daniel Paulus, VP of Engineering at Checkly, about developing a pragmatic approach to AI initiatives that creates real value while avoiding the pitfalls of hype-driven development. Daniel shares his experience leading AI initiatives and provides actionable insights for engineering leaders.

What should engineering leadership roles look like? What's been a hotly-debated topic in tech for decades has gotten very real, very often for my guest today—because he’s always been a bit of an outlier: He wasn’t an engineer before becoming a manager. In an industry that highly values "technical skills" and where there's low consensus on what skills make a good manager, he's grappled with finding his place, having an impact, and how to grow his career onward.

What should engineering leadership roles in tech look like? We delve into the intense, decades-long debates, and look at how current industry changes affect responsibilities. Learn the crucial skills for effective leadership, and what people and technical leadership roles are right for your company.

We’re starting this podcast with a two-episode series about different shapes of leadership roles. In this episode, you hear from Max, who shares his path from engineer to technical lead of leads, and: The relevance of fruit baskets, new skills to learn a, nd fears to face, plus practical advice for everyone in technical roles considering or new to a leadership role.

If you have been unfortunate enough to lose your engineering job, I’m here to help. In this article I lay out three practical sets of steps to take after you’ve been laid off, to help take care of admin, while preparing yourself for what comes next.

Use these 28 questions to ask yourself about how you show up as a leader, to help you become the best leader you can be. I’m also giving away a free worksheet format of this article, for those who want to work through the questions on paper or distribute it to their team.

Most startup leaders have no plan, rely on reactive hiring and, here’s the big one, look for copies of themselves. Read my tips for addressing the main issues leaders face when hiring and how to overhaul your hiring process to focus on impact.

Hiring is mission-critical, yet most leaders treat it as an afterthought. Learn about the 15 most common startup hiring mistakes, and offer some tips for how to fix them. By the end, you’ll know how to hire in a way that supports growth and maximizes the impact of your teams.

Use the exercises in this article to create an onboarding plan for the new manager in your startup. I’ve also put together a downloadable onboarding guide that you can use to guide your onboarding process with not just new managers, but all new employees.

A step-by-step guide to your first role as a manager of managers with lots of practical tips and templates! Includes topics like managing your time, your boss, and your new teams, how to get confidence in your teams, and how to feel successful in your new role.

Moving from being a manager of individuals to managing managers is a huge step. Learn what to expect and prepare for when you move to managing managers, and how to adapt your mindset.