Notes on leading engineers
Practical writing on 1:1s, team health and the craft of engineering management — plus the occasional note on how we’re building CoManager.
50 one-on-one meeting questions for engineering managers
50 one-on-one meeting questions for engineering managers — grouped by check-in, workload, growth, feedback and motivation, with notes on when to use each.
Read articleA 1:1 meeting template that actually gets used
A practical one-on-one meeting template for engineering managers — five sections, time allocations, and variations for new reports, remote and skip-levels.
7 early signs of engineer burnout (and what to do)
The early signs of engineer burnout are quiet and easy to miss. Here are seven to watch for — and what to do about each before it becomes a resignation.
How to run effective 1:1s as a new engineering manager
A practical guide to running effective 1:1s as a new engineering manager — purpose, cadence, prep, the conversation itself, and the mistakes to avoid.
How to measure team health (without a 40-question survey)
How to measure team health without an annual engagement survey — the four dimensions that matter, lightweight ways to track each, and why trends beat snapshots.
The first 90 days as a new engineering manager
A 90-day plan for new engineering managers — what to do in your first month, second and third, the traps to avoid, and how to build real context fast.
Skip-level meeting questions that surface real issues
How to run a skip-level meeting and the questions that surface real issues — about the work, their manager, the team and the org — without undermining anyone.
How to spot (and prevent) quiet quitting on your team
What quiet quitting really is, the signs it’s happening on your engineering team, why it starts, and how to re-engage someone before it becomes a resignation.
Engineer retention: why people leave and the signals you missed
Why engineers really leave — manager, growth, recognition, burnout — and the warning signals that precede almost every resignation, so you can act in time.
Running a weekly team review in 15 minutes
A 15-minute weekly team review keeps a manager ahead of problems. Here’s a simple structure — what shipped, what’s at risk, who needs attention, what’s next.