Podcasts about technical leadership

People consistently overestimate their ability to predict whether a new product or feature will be a success. Instead of blithely going forward with a project that takes up lots of resources and yields minimal results, today’s guest says we should get our ideas into contact with external reality as quickly as possible, and maybe do... Read more »

People consistently overestimate their ability to predict whether a new product or feature will be a success. Instead of blithely going forward with a project that takes up lots of resources and yields minimal results, today’s guest says we should get our ideas into contact with external reality as quickly as possible, and maybe do... Read more »

The physical world is becoming digital—and it requires fundamentally different technical architecture than traditional IT systems. Bernd Groß leads technical leaders through the evolution from enterprise software to industrial IoT, where real-time data from 30,000 wind turbines and millisecond-level decision-making define system requirements. As co-founder and CEO of Cumulocity, Bernd has navigated one of tech's most complex domains: connecting industrial hardware through standardized platforms. His journey from Nokia's early cloud computing initiatives to building Germany's leading IoT platform offers unique insights on technical leadership in physical-digital convergence. Technical leaders will gain valuable perspectives on: •

“Reinvent or die” is an apt adage for the ever-churning technology industry. Brad Maltz joins us to share his insights on what he calls “continuous reinvention” and how that relates to his own career and why others might want to adopt this mindset. Brad is a Senior Director of AI Solutions at Dell and has... Read more »

“Reinvent or die” is an apt adage for the ever-churning technology industry. Brad Maltz joins us to share his insights on what he calls “continuous reinvention” and how that relates to his own career and why others might want to adopt this mindset. Brad is a Senior Director of AI Solutions at Dell and has... Read more »

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast, Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods spoke to Bhavani Vangala about creating powerful yet simple technology solutions, taking a balanced approach to AI tools, fostering inclusive team environments, and empowering women in tech leadership through focusing on strengths rather than societal constraints. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/4d9Dqz0 Subscribe to the Software Architects' Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: InfoQ Dev Summit Boston (June 9-10, 2025) Actionable insights on today's critical dev priorities. devsummit.infoq.com/conference/boston2025 InfoQ Dev Summit Munich (October 15-16, 2025) Essential insights on critical software development priorities. https://devsummit.infoq.com/conference/munich2025 QCon San Francisco 2025 (November 17-21, 2025) Get practical inspiration and best practices on emerging software trends directly from senior software developers at early adopter companies. https://qconsf.com/ QCon AI New York 2025 (December 16-17, 2025) https://ai.qconferences.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - Twitter: twitter.com/InfoQ - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/infoq - Facebook: bit.ly/2jmlyG8 - Instagram: @infoqdotcom - Youtube: www.youtube.com/infoq Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

On today’s episode, we are  joined by Dr. Brad Topol, Distinguished Engineer and Director of Open Source Technologies at IBM, to talk about how to scale your leadership.   We explore the process of how he went from individual contributor to distinguished engineer to director and executive. We chat about how you build a career... Read more »

On today’s episode, we are  joined by Dr. Brad Topol, Distinguished Engineer and Director of Open Source Technologies at IBM, to talk about how to scale your leadership.   We explore the process of how he went from individual contributor to distinguished engineer to director and executive. We chat about how you build a career... Read more »

Behind the renewable energy revolution lies complex technical infrastructure that CTOs across industries can learn from. Barbara Wittenberg leads a 250-person tech team at 1KOMMA5° that manages real-time data from 40,000+ connected energy assets while coordinating post-merger integration across 80+ companies in 7 countries. This episode unveils the technical architecture powering virtual power plants, where millisecond-level responsiveness can prevent grid failures and optimize energy usage. Barbara's journey from electrical engineering to Oracle and Google, then back to energy tech, provides unique insights on combining domain expertise with cutting-edge technology. Technical leaders will appreciate: -

On this episode of Technically Leadership, we’re joined by Aleksandra Lemańska to learn about the Process Communication Model (PCM), a framework for enhancing communication. Alex calls PCM an algorithm for people, and it can be useful for improving interactions with engineers and technical folks operating in high-stress environments. We talk about how PCM works, understanding... Read more »

On this episode of Technically Leadership, we’re joined by Aleksandra Lemańska to learn about the Process Communication Model (PCM), a framework for enhancing communication. Alex calls PCM an algorithm for people, and it can be useful for improving interactions with engineers and technical folks operating in high-stress environments. We talk about how PCM works, understanding... Read more »

BONUS: Software Engineers are Paid to Solve Problems, Not Write Code! With John Crickett In this BONUS episode, we explore a thought-provoking LinkedIn post by John Crickett that challenges a fundamental misconception in software engineering. John shares insights on why engineers should focus on problem-solving rather than just coding, how to develop business context understanding, and why this shift in perspective is crucial in the age of AI. Beyond Writing Code: Understanding the True Value of Software Engineering "A lot of us come to software engineering because we care about building, and missed the goal: solving a problem for a customer." John Crickett explains the fundamental disconnect many software engineers experience in their careers. While many enter the field with a passion for building and coding, they often lose sight of the ultimate purpose: solving real problems for customers. This misalignment can lead to creating technically impressive solutions that fail to address actual business needs. John emphasizes that the most valuable engineers are those who can bridge the gap between technical implementation and business value. In this section, we refer to John's Coding Challenges and Developing Skills websites. The Isolation Problem in Engineering Teams "We have insulated people from seeing and interacting with customers, perhaps because we were afraid they would create a problem with customers." One of the key issues John identifies is how engineering teams are often deliberately separated from customers and end-users. This isolation, while sometimes implemented with good intentions, prevents engineers from gaining crucial context about the problems they're trying to solve. John shares his early career experience of participating in the sales process for software projects, which gave him valuable insights into customer needs. He highlights the Extreme Programming (XP) approach, which advocates for having the customer "in the room" to provide direct and immediate feedback, creating a tighter feedback loop between problem identification and solution implementation. In this segment, we refer to the book XP Explained by Kent Beck. The AI Replacement Risk "If all you are doing is taking a ticket that is fully spec'ed out, and coding it, then an LLM could also do that. The value is in understanding the problem." In a world where Large Language Models (LLMs) are increasingly capable of generating code, John warns that engineers who define themselves solely as coders face a significant risk of obsolescence. The true differentiation and value come from understanding the business domain and problem space—abilities that current AI tools haven't mastered. John advises engineers to develop domain knowledge specific to their business or customers, as this expertise allows them to contribute uniquely valuable insights beyond mere code implementation. Cultivating Business Context Understanding "Be curious about what the goal is behind the code you need to write. When people tell you to build, you need to be curious about why you are being asked to build that particular solution." John offers practical advice for engineers looking to develop better business context understanding. The key is cultivating genuine curiosity about the "why" behind coding tasks and features. By questioning requirements and understanding the business goals driving technical decisions, engineers can transform their role from merely delivering code to providing valuable services and solutions. This approach allows engineers to contribute more meaningfully and become partners in business success rather than just implementers. Building the Right Engineering Culture "Code is always a liability, sometimes it's an asset. The process starts with hiring the CTO—the people at the top. You get the team that reflects your values." Creating an engineering culture that values problem-solving over code production starts at the leadership level. John emphasizes that the values demonstrated by technical leadership will cascade throughout the organization. He notes the counter-intuitive truth that code itself is inherently a liability (requiring maintenance, updates, and potential refactoring), only becoming an asset when it effectively solves business problems. Building a team that understands this distinction begins with leadership that demonstrates curiosity about the business domain and encourages engineers to do the same. The Power of Asking Questions "Be curious, ask more questions." For engineers looking to make the shift from coder to problem-solver, John recommends developing the skill of asking good questions. He points to Harvard Business Review's article on "The Surprising Power of Questions" as a valuable resource. The ability to ask insightful questions about business needs, user requirements, and problem definitions allows engineers to uncover the true challenges beneath surface-level requirements. This curiosity-driven approach not only leads to better solutions but also positions engineers as valuable contributors to business strategy. In this segment, we refer to the article in HBR titled The Surprising Power of Questions. About John Crickett John is a passionate software engineer and leader on a mission to empower one million engineers and managers. With extensive expertise in distributed systems, full-stack development, and evolving tech stacks from C++ to Rust, John creates innovative coding challenges, insightful articles, and newsletters to help teams level up their skills. You can link with John Crickett on LinkedIn.

Ever been in a meeting where an executive decrees: "Engineering needs to go faster!" without any nuance or understanding of the underlying issues?What a coincidence - so have we!!!Listen or watch as Product Manager Brian Orlando and Enterprise Business Agility Coach Om Patel discuss this common yet problematic demand. Join us as we unmask deeper organizational issues, explore how to respond to this request, and discuss the potential causes, constraints, and solutions.Whether you're in engineering, product management, or leadership, this episode provides practical insights for addressing the "go faster" demand in ways that deliver business value quickly, under budget, and right on-time!#EngineeringLeadership #ProductManagement #AgileTeamsREFERENCESGood Strategy/Bad Strategy, by Richard Rumelt (book)Arguing Agile #185 "What Companies Do Instead of Strategy"Arguing Agile #103 "Challenges to Building Product Roadmaps"Inspired, by Marty Cagan (book)LINKS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@arguingagileSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/362QvYORmtZRKAeTAE57v3Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agile-podcast/id1568557596Website: http://arguingagile.com= = = = = = = = = = = =Toronto Is My Beat (Music Sample)By Whitewolf (Source: https://ccmixter.org/files/whitewolf225/60181)CC BY 4.0 DEED (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en)

On this episode of Technically Leadership, Chris Leonard joins to talk about the costs of intervention in a team discussion, whether that's to bring a team back to a topic or to make a decision that needs to be made. We discuss hero culture (both in the team and as the leader), imposter syndrome, and... Read more »

On this episode of Technically Leadership, Chris Leonard joins to talk about the costs of intervention in a team discussion, whether that's to bring a team back to a topic or to make a decision that needs to be made. We discuss hero culture (both in the team and as the leader), imposter syndrome, and... Read more »

In this episode, Tobi talks with Georg Zoeller, Co-Founder of the Centre for AI Leadership and mercenaries.ai, about the turbulent landscape of AI. Georg, with his background at Meta and deep expertise in AI strategy, cuts through the hype surrounding AI's capabilities and economic impact. They discuss the 'singularity' we're already in, driven by rapid, open-source AI development, and why this makes future predictions impossible. Georg argues that software engineering is being commoditized due to the vast amount of training data available (Stack Overflow, GitHub), making AI adept at code generation but raising profound security concerns like prompt injection. Explore: - Why Georg believes blindly adopting AI early is a 'terrible mistake' for most companies. - The fundamental security flaws in LLMs (prompt injection) and why they're currently unsolvable for open input spaces. - The questionable economics of AI: high costs, self-cannibalizing business models, and the reliance on performative fundraising. - How AI tools impact engineer productivity, shifting the bottleneck to decision-making and validation. - The geopolitical risks and diminishing trust associated with Big Tech's AI dominance. - Actionable advice for CTOs: Invest in understanding, focus on governance beyond the tech team, and consider the strategic value of local/open-source alternatives.

summaryIn this episode of No Password Required, host Jack Clabby and guest Trevor Hillegas discuss various aspects of cybersecurity, including the transition from military service to the private sector, the importance of leadership in tech, and the misconceptions surrounding cyber threats. Trevor shares insights from his career, emphasizing the need for a proactive approach to cybersecurity and the value of empowering teams to innovate and learn from failures. In this engaging conversation, the speakers delve into memorable experiences in cybersecurity, including impactful interactions and the importance of sharing knowledge. They explore personal preferences through a fun lifestyle polygraph segment, discussing walk-up songs, breakfast favorites, and nerd culture. The conversation also touches on the lighter side of cybersecurity with prank calls and the dynamics of building an escape room team. The episode concludes with contact information and an invitation to connect further.takeawaysTrevor emphasizes the importance of metaphors in understanding cybersecurity.The public often fears sophisticated threats while ignoring more common dangers.Leadership in cybersecurity should focus on empowering teams rather than micromanaging.A proactive approach in cybersecurity can prevent victimization before it occurs.Technical leaders should understand core concepts to effectively guide their teams.Misconceptions about cyber criminals often stem from Hollywood portrayals.The military experience can significantly shape leadership styles in tech.Daily life in cybersecurity involves constant learning and adaptation.Sophistication in cyber threats does not always correlate with success.Cybersecurity is about both fighting threats and fortifying defenses. Memorable interactions can lead to impactful collaborations in cybersecurity.Sharing knowledge can help mitigate cyber threats effectively.Personal preferences can reveal a lot about an individual's character.Walk-up songs can reflect one's personality and professional identity.Breakfast choices can be a blend of cultural influences and personal tastes.Building a team for an escape room requires diverse skills and personalities.Nerd culture can foster connections and shared interests among individuals.Prank calls can be a humorous way to engage with public figures.Culinary competitions highlight the absurdity of turning survival into entertainment.Networking in cybersecurity can lead to unexpected opportunities.titlesCybersecurity Connections: Memorable MomentsThe Lifestyle Polygraph: Fun and InsightsWalk-Up Songs: A Reflection of IdentityBreakfast Favorites: A Culinary JourneySound Bites"Tell them what needs to get done.""Empower your people to fail.""We can stop that identity theft.""I was in Europe giving a talk.""I sent him everything that we had.""I would get Jack Sparrow.""I love Star Wars.""I would call Gordon Ramsey."Chapters00:00 Introduction to Cybersecurity Insights02:54 Career Path and Unexpected Experiences05:55 Transitioning from Military to Cybersecurity09:07 Daily Life at Spy Cloud12:12 Leadership Philosophy and Management Style14:53 The Nature of Cyber Threats17:50 Technical Skills in Leadership20:52 Misconceptions About Cyber Criminals25:32 Memorable Cybersecurity Interactions28:12 Lifestyle Polygraph Introduction28:35 Walk-Up Songs and Personal Preferences32:07 Breakfast Favorites and Culinary Influences34:40 Building the Ultimate Escape Room Team37:36 Nerd Culture and Personal Interests39:02 Prank Calls and Culinary Competitions41:20 Closing Thoughts and Contact Information

On today's episode we’re joined by Daniel Ward to get a sneak preview of his talk on Getting the Entire Team to Speak, which he’ll give at DevOpsDay Austin. His addresses the challenges of getting people to speak up. Why is this needed? Getting input from everyone on a team lets people raise issues and... Read more »

On today's episode we’re joined by Daniel Ward to get a sneak preview of his talk on Getting the Entire Team to Speak, which he’ll give at DevOpsDay Austin. His addresses the challenges of getting people to speak up. Why is this needed? Getting input from everyone on a team lets people raise issues and... Read more »

In this episode, Tobi talks with Ivan Kusalic, CTO of Enpal, who leads a team of 250 engineers at one of Germany's leading solar energy companies. Ivan shares insights from his extensive technical leadership journey and his recent return to coding after seven years due to his excitement about AI. Ivan discusses how he navigates complexity and ambiguity in the renewable energy sector, where Enpal builds systems to help households manage solar panels, batteries, EV chargers, and heat pumps as integrated energy solutions. He explains the challenges of coordinating with Germany's fragmented energy grid infrastructure and how Enpal's Virtual Power Plant stabilizes the grid by coordinating household energy consumption in real-time. Discover: -

How do you lead with influence rather than mandate? On today's show, we talk with JJ Asghar from IBM. JJ shares his extensive experience in managing open-source namespaces like GitHub and npm for IBM. He discusses the challenges of influencing decisions without formal authority and tailoring communication styles for different audiences. JJ also advocates for... Read more »

How do you lead with influence rather than mandate? On today's show, we talk with JJ Asghar from IBM. JJ shares his extensive experience in managing open-source namespaces like GitHub and npm for IBM. He discusses the challenges of influencing decisions without formal authority and tailoring communication styles for different audiences. JJ also advocates for... Read more »

This is the Engineering Culture Podcast, from the people behind InfoQ.com and the QCon conferences. In this podcast Shane Hastie, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods spoke to Ganesh Datta about building excellent engineering organizations and treating platform engineering as a product. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/3EtW3R6 Subscribe to the Software Architects' Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon London (April 7-10, 2025) Discover new ideas and insights from senior practitioners driving change and innovation in software development. https://qconlondon.com/ InfoQ Dev Summit Boston (June 9-10, 2025) Actionable insights on today's critical dev priorities. devsummit.infoq.com/conference/boston2025 InfoQ Dev Summit Munich (October 15-16, 2025) Essential insights on critical software development priorities. https://devsummit.infoq.com/ QCon San Francisco 2025 (17-21, 2025) Get practical inspiration and best practices on emerging software trends directly from senior software developers at early adopter companies. https://qconsf.com/ InfoQ Dev Summit New York (Save the date - December 2025) https://devsummit.infoq.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq - Twitter: twitter.com/InfoQ - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/infoq - Facebook: bit.ly/2jmlyG8 - Instagram: @infoqdotcom - Youtube: www.youtube.com/infoq Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq

Substack Week: Engineering Strategy, Bridging Technical Excellence with Business Success With Aleix Morgadas In this Substack Week episode, we explore the critical intersection of engineering strategy and business success with Aleix Morgadas, an engineering strategy consultant focusing on sociotechnical aspects of high-stake business challenges. Aleix shares insights from his experience helping organizations align their technical capabilities with business objectives, while offering practical approaches to developing and implementing effective engineering strategies. The Genesis of Engineering Strategy Personal experience sparked Aleix's journey into engineering strategy when he joined a large company and found himself grappling with strategic decision-making in engineering. He identified a crucial gap: while strategy was well-established in product and business domains, engineering organizations often lacked strategic frameworks for participating in key decisions. This realization led him to start writing about his struggles and insights, helping others navigate similar challenges through his newsletter. "I found that engineering was missing a way to be part of the decision making process, and we needed to be clear on the problems and challenges that engineering organizations face." Breaking Down the Four-Step Process Drawing inspiration from Richard Rumelt's work on strategy, Aleix presents a comprehensive framework for developing engineering strategy. The process emphasizes the importance of understanding organizational context and identifying shared challenges before taking action. "Solve the shared pains - that's why we need to uncover those pains in the first place." The framework consists of four key steps: Context Understanding: Begin by defining your business context, as strategy must align with your specific environment and circumstances Problem Identification: Focus on understanding current organizational pains and creating alignment around which problems to solve Direction Setting: Break down larger goals into manageable increments while ensuring actions don't compete with each other Strategy Execution: Create space for teams to work on strategic initiatives while maintaining autonomy The Power of Bottom-Up Strategy Aleix challenges the traditional top-down approach to strategy development, advocating for a more inclusive process that brings together perspectives from all levels of the organization. This approach recognizes that teams and top-level management often have different visions that need to be reconciled for effective strategy implementation. "Strategy does not need to be designed top-down. Teams and top-level management have different visions, and we need to be able to bring those together." Implementation and Execution Success in engineering strategy requires more than just planning - it demands thoughtful execution and ongoing adaptation. Aleix emphasizes the importance of learning through action and starting with minimal effort initiatives to gain momentum. "By doing you learn, and doing is critical for strategy. Start with the least effort action you have in mind." Recommended Resources For Further Study The book: Good Strategy/Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt The blog post: North Star Framework Template & Activity Library The Jobs to be done Framework TEMPLATE: The engineering strategy template by Aleix VIDEO: Aleix's Engineering Strategy Journey Talk [The Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast Recommends]

Do you think you have what it takes to be a manager? Should you go for it? Laura Santamaria, host of the Technically Leadership podcast, joins Ethan Banks to discuss those questions. They talk about the motivations for moving into a management role, the challenges of managing people, and the need to understand the business... Read more »

Do you think you have what it takes to be a manager? Should you go for it? Laura Santamaria, host of the Technically Leadership podcast, joins Ethan Banks to discuss those questions. They talk about the motivations for moving into a management role, the challenges of managing people, and the need to understand the business... Read more »

Do you think you have what it takes to be a manager? Should you go for it? Laura Santamaria, host of the Technically Leadership podcast, joins Ethan Banks to discuss those questions. They talk about the motivations for moving into a management role, the challenges of managing people, and the need to understand the business... Read more »

In this episode of Compressed FM, Dustin Goodman shares insights from his journey from IC to engineering manager at companies like ClickUp and This Dot. The conversation explores the nuances of technical leadership, team dynamics, and the importance of understanding personal values in management. The discussion then shifts to a deep dive into React Server Components, examining their implementation challenges and potential impact on the framework ecosystem. SponsorsWix Studio combines the best of both worlds—intuitive design tools for clients and full-stack flexibility for developers. Customize every detail with your own code and take control of your projects.Chapter Marks00:00:00 - Intro00:00:42 - Sponsor: Wix Studio00:01:33 - Engineering Management Journey00:05:11 - Managing Different Experience Levels00:07:14 - Technical Skills in Management00:09:27 - Should Managers Code?00:12:19 - Managing Up vs Managing Down00:17:27 - Team Values Discussion00:20:11 - Strengths and Management Styles00:26:07 - React Server Components Introduction00:29:27 - RSC Implementation Challenges00:34:34 - GraphQL and Server Components00:39:13 - Future of React Frameworks00:43:10 - Vite 6 Discussion00:47:52 - React Community Evolution00:51:21 - Picks and PlugsAmy Dutton:Pick: Browse AI (web scraping tool with AI capabilities)Plug: Advent of CSS and Advent of JavaScript (24 coding challenges in December)Dustin Goodman:Pick: Cursor (AI-powered code editor)Plug: "Engineering Management for the Rest of Us" by Sarah DrasnerBrad Garropy:Pick: Helldivers 2 (video game)Plug: Raycast extension for Stripe (automatically fills checkouts with test cards)01:00:14 - Show Wrap-upLinksBooks Mentioned:"The Manager's Path" by Camille Fournier"Engineering Management for the Rest of Us" by Sarah DrasnerTools & Software:Wix StudioBrowse AICursor (code editor)RaycastRaycast Stripe extensionVite 6Next.jsSocial/Community:BlueSky (Brad and Amy)Bytes NewsletterConnectTech conferencePeople Referenced:Ryan BurgessGergely OroszTracy LeeDan AbramovTanner LindsleyJohn LindquistDavid KhourshidAssessment Tools:Clifton StrengthsFinderAPIs/Documentation:Stripe test cards documentationReact Server Components documentationVite documentationProjects:Advent of CSS (adventofcss.com)Advent of JavaScript (adventofjs.com) 

Highlights from this week's conversation include:Sokratis' Background and Journey in Data (1:19)Engineers Wearing Multiple Hats (2:17)The Era of Early Startups (3:32)Lessons from Building Software (7:15)Importance of Team Dynamics (9:12)Balancing Creativity and Stability (15:00)Version Control in Data Analysis (18:57)Opinionated Modern Data Software (21:14)Creating Dashboards for Company Stats (22:41)Hiring for Intuition in Tech (27:38)Interview Process Insights (30:15)Protecting Intuitive Thinkers in Companies (35:08)The Challenge of Trust (39:21)Loss of Control in Delegation (40:14)Founder Work-Life Balance (42:15)Advice for Early-Stage Engineers (44:03)The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, the CDP for developers. Each week we'll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

In this episode, we dive deep into the dynamics of working solo versus being part of a development team. From the ideal team composition at large companies to the challenges of maintaining open source projects, our hosts share their experiences and insights. Learn about the crucial roles of designers and product managers, the importance of documentation, and why even senior developers still Google Git commands. Whether you're a solo developer looking to collaborate or a team player wanting to improve your workflow, this episode has something for everyone. Chapter Marks00:00 - Introduction01:16 - The Perfect Team Composition02:44 - Different Approaches to Team Building04:37 - Working Without Designers: The FedEx Experience08:10 - Documentation and Project Requirements12:30 - The Role of Documentation in Team Success14:47 - Documentation's Impact on Career Growth15:14 - Onboarding and Documentation Connection16:51 - Open Source Project Management19:45 - Automation in Open Source22:34 - Deals for Devs: Managing Contributors25:29 - Branch Management and PR Workflows29:59 - Solo Development Practices31:21 - Git Commands and Team Workflows35:14 - Open Source Knowledge Barriers38:02 - The Importance of Admitting What You Don't Know39:15 - Episode Wrap-up LinksNick Taylor's Blog Post about GitHub Code Owners - https://dev.to/opensauced/supercharge-your-repository-with-code-owners-4clgB Dougie's GitHub Action for the "Take" command - https://github.com/bdougie/take-action/blob/main/action.ymlChantastic's Git Course on Epic Web - https://www.epicweb.dev/tutorials/git-fundamentalsGitHub Documentation on Squash Merging vs Rebase Merging - https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/incorporating-changes-from-a-pull-request/about-pull-request-mergesMerge vs Rebase vs Squash - https://gist.github.com/mitchellh/319019b1b8aac9110fcfb1862e0c97fbGitHub Issue Forms Documentation - https://docs.github.com/en/communities/using-templates-to-encourage-useful-issues-and-pull-requests/syntax-for-issue-formsGitHub Pull Request Templates Guide - https://docs.github.com/en/communities/using-templates-to-encourage-useful-issues-and-pull-requests/creating-a-pull-request-template-for-your-repositoryGitHub Code Owners Documentation - https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/managing-your-repositorys-settings-and-features/customizing-your-repository/about-code-ownersVirtual Coffee's Hacktoberfest Resources - https://hacktoberfest.virtualcoffee.io/OpenSauce - https://opensauced.pizza/The "Working Genius" Assessment - https://www.workinggenius.com/Gun.io Work Personality Quiz - https://gun.io/workstyle/Deals for Devs Project - https://www.dealsfordevs.com/GitHub Actions Documentation on Release Management - https://docs.github.com/en/actions/sharing-automations/creating-actions/releasing-and-maintaining-actionsConventional Commits Documentation - https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/

Send us a textIn this episode of the Org Design Podcast, organizational design expert Jodie Goulden shares valuable insights on leadership transitions and organizational effectiveness. She discusses the concept, shared by Beth Gunderson at the 2024 ODF conference, the challenges leaders face when moving from operational roles ("the dance floor") to strategic positions ("the balcony"), particularly in rapidly growing organizations.Key highlights include:The importance of balancing strategic oversight with operational understandingPractical techniques for facilitating organizational diagnosis without external consultantsStrategies for helping technically proficient leaders adapt to broader management rolesMethods for addressing organizational overwhelm and creating sustainable systemsJodie emphasizes the power of collaborative problem-solving and shares how leaders can create space for different perspectives when addressing organizational challenges. She provides practical advice for leaders who may feel uncomfortable stepping away from day-to-day operations to take a more strategic view.Whether you're a new leader adjusting to a larger scope of responsibility or an experienced executive looking to improve organizational effectiveness, this episode offers valuable insights into modern leadership challenges and organizational design principles.Support the show

A growth mindset not only advances you, but can help to advance those around you. Today we delve into the concept of a growth mindset with guest Sasha Czarkowski. We contrast the growth mindset with a fixed mindset, highlighting the latter’s detrimental effects on creativity and learning. The discussion also highlights the importance of psychological... Read more »

A growth mindset not only advances you, but can help to advance those around you. Today we delve into the concept of a growth mindset with guest Sasha Czarkowski. We contrast the growth mindset with a fixed mindset, highlighting the latter’s detrimental effects on creativity and learning. The discussion also highlights the importance of psychological... Read more »

Hiring is never an easy process. On today's show, guest Brian Hogan and host Laura Santamaria explore the intricacies of hiring top performers in the tech industry. Brian talks about how to set up a fair and structured interview process, including the use of rubrics to evaluate candidates consistently. He discusses the challenges of assessing... Read more »

Hiring is never an easy process. On today's show, guest Brian Hogan and host Laura Santamaria explore the intricacies of hiring top performers in the tech industry. Brian talks about how to set up a fair and structured interview process, including the use of rubrics to evaluate candidates consistently. He discusses the challenges of assessing... Read more »

Prof. Gennady Pekhimenko (CEO of CentML, UofT) joins us in this *sponsored episode* to dive deep into AI system optimization and enterprise implementation. From NVIDIA's technical leadership model to the rise of open-source AI, Pekhimenko shares insights on bridging the gap between academic research and industrial applications. Learn about "dark silicon," GPU utilization challenges in ML workloads, and how modern enterprises can optimize their AI infrastructure. The conversation explores why some companies achieve only 10% GPU efficiency and practical solutions for improving AI system performance. A must-watch for anyone interested in the technical foundations of enterprise AI and hardware optimization. CentML offers competitive pricing for GenAI model deployment, with flexible options to suit a wide range of models, from small to large-scale deployments. Cheaper, faster, no commitments, pay as you go, scale massively, simple to setup. Check it out! https://centml.ai/pricing/ SPONSOR MESSAGES: MLST is also sponsored by Tufa AI Labs - https://tufalabs.ai/ They are hiring cracked ML engineers/researchers to work on ARC and build AGI! SHOWNOTES (diarised transcript, TOC, references, summary, best quotes etc) https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w9kbpso7fawtm286kkp6j/Gennady.pdf?rlkey=aqjqmncx3kjnatk2il1gbgknk&st=2a9mccj8&dl=0 TOC: 1. AI Strategy and Leadership [00:00:00] 1.1 Technical Leadership and Corporate Structure [00:09:55] 1.2 Open Source vs Proprietary AI Models [00:16:04] 1.3 Hardware and System Architecture Challenges [00:23:37] 1.4 Enterprise AI Implementation and Optimization [00:35:30] 1.5 AI Reasoning Capabilities and Limitations 2. AI System Development [00:38:45] 2.1 Computational and Cognitive Limitations of AI Systems [00:42:40] 2.2 Human-LLM Communication Adaptation and Patterns [00:46:18] 2.3 AI-Assisted Software Development Challenges [00:47:55] 2.4 Future of Software Engineering Careers in AI Era [00:49:49] 2.5 Enterprise AI Adoption Challenges and Implementation 3. ML Infrastructure Optimization [00:54:41] 3.1 MLOps Evolution and Platform Centralization [00:55:43] 3.2 Hardware Optimization and Performance Constraints [01:05:24] 3.3 ML Compiler Optimization and Python Performance [01:15:57] 3.4 Enterprise ML Deployment and Cloud Provider Partnerships 4. Distributed AI Architecture [01:27:05] 4.1 Multi-Cloud ML Infrastructure and Optimization [01:29:45] 4.2 AI Agent Systems and Production Readiness [01:32:00] 4.3 RAG Implementation and Fine-Tuning Considerations [01:33:45] 4.4 Distributed AI Systems Architecture and Ray Framework 5. AI Industry Standards and Research [01:37:55] 5.1 Origins and Evolution of MLPerf Benchmarking [01:43:15] 5.2 MLPerf Methodology and Industry Impact [01:50:17] 5.3 Academic Research vs Industry Implementation in AI [01:58:59] 5.4 AI Research History and Safety Concerns

Everyone has their own hot take or bit of wisdom to share regarding technical leadership.  Today, host Laura Santamaria weaves these insights on communication, collaboration, decision making and more from her guests on the first six episodes of Technically Leadership. Listen, reflect and then apply to your own leadership role. Episode Links: Laura Santamaria Packet... Read more »

Everyone has their own hot take or bit of wisdom to share regarding technical leadership.  Today, host Laura Santamaria weaves these insights on communication, collaboration, decision making and more from her guests on the first six episodes of Technically Leadership. Listen, reflect and then apply to your own leadership role. Episode Links: Laura Santamaria Packet... Read more »

Leadership has a huge impact on an organization’s culture, including tech teams. On the positive side, leaders can foster healthy, productive environments. On the negative side, they can build hostile, blame-centric viper pits. Today’s episode of Technically Leadership examines how to strive for the positive by shielding teams from internal politics, developing empathetic leadership, distinguishing... Read more »

Leadership has a huge impact on an organization’s culture, including tech teams. On the positive side, leaders can foster healthy, productive environments. On the negative side, they can build hostile, blame-centric viper pits. Today’s episode of Technically Leadership examines how to strive for the positive by shielding teams from internal politics, developing empathetic leadership, distinguishing... Read more »

Layoffs are a sensitive topic in the tech industry. Host Laura Santamaria discusses the emotional and practical impacts on employees and leaders. She also covers the signs of potential layoffs, and strategies for job searching post-layoff while maintaining perspective. She concludes with a tips for leaders to more effectively lead their teams through a layoff.... Read more »

Layoffs are a sensitive topic in the tech industry. Host Laura Santamaria discusses the emotional and practical impacts on employees and leaders. She also covers the signs of potential layoffs, and strategies for job searching post-layoff while maintaining perspective. She concludes with a tips for leaders to more effectively lead their teams through a layoff.... Read more »

The concept of psychological safety originated from research on surgical teams. Psychological safety is essential as it allows team members to voice concerns without fear of retaliation. As a leadership tool, it can help people perform at their highest levels. In this episode of Technically Leadership, guest Wesley Faulkner talks with host Laura Santamaria about... Read more »

The concept of psychological safety originated from research on surgical teams. Psychological safety is essential as it allows team members to voice concerns without fear of retaliation. As a leadership tool, it can help people perform at their highest levels. In this episode of Technically Leadership, guest Wesley Faulkner talks with host Laura Santamaria about... Read more »

Can charisma really overshadow true leadership potential? In our latest episode, we tackle this compelling question with insights from Andrew Barry of Curious Lion. You'll uncover the often-missed potential of introverted leaders and learn to distinguish genuine leadership skills from mere charm. We dive into practical tools like the nine-box grid to evaluate talent, and emphasize key leadership attributes such as accountability, humility, and a growth mindset. This conversation will equip you with the knowledge to identify and nurture high potential talent within your organization, ensuring a robust future leadership pipeline.Reflecting on a whirlwind week, Mick Spiers shares the highlights and hurdles of presenting at the Systems Engineering Society of Australia's SETI conference in Melbourne. He talks on ethical innovation struck a chord with the audience, but it also reminded me of the importance of balancing professional commitments with self-care. Alongside these reflections, he expresses heartfelt gratitude to my incredible team whose efforts make The Leadership Project possible. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for weekly insights and follow us on social media for the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content.Send us a textSupport the show✅ Follow The Leadership Project on your favourite podcast platform and listen to a new episode every week!

IT work requires ongoing training and skills development. Laura Santamaria and guest Scott Robohn discuss strategies for leveling up your team to ensure they have the skills they need. Laura and Scott talk about the need for continuous learning and explore options for encouraging skill development, even in budget-constrained environments. Good leaders should guide by... Read more »

IT work requires ongoing training and skills development. Laura Santamaria and guest Scott Robohn discuss strategies for leveling up your team to ensure they have the skills they need. Laura and Scott talk about the need for continuous learning and explore options for encouraging skill development, even in budget-constrained environments. Good leaders should guide by... Read more »

On this episode of Technically Leadership, we talk about the philosophical underpinnings of leadership. We discuss what it means to hold and drive a vision for a technical organization, how to build a strong team culture, handling layoffs and letting people go, and exploring what philosophy can teach us about leadership. Guest Matt Butcher, CEO... Read more »

On this episode of Technically Leadership, we talk about the philosophical underpinnings of leadership. We discuss what it means to hold and drive a vision for a technical organization, how to build a strong team culture, handling layoffs and letting people go, and exploring what philosophy can teach us about leadership. Guest Matt Butcher, CEO... Read more »