Books That Help You Build Stronger Teams & Healthier Culture
A practical, witty guide to the best books for building strong teams and healthy culture, especially for leaders who want less chaos and more trust on their team.
Work Culture
Observations on how teams really operate behind the slogans, including the habits that shape behavior more than any mission statement.
The Power of Why: How Purpose Makes You a Better Developer Than Any Framework Ever Could
Developers love learning how to build things, but understanding why they’re building them is what makes the work meaningful. Understanding the “why” behind your code will make you a better developer, teammate, and leader.
Support Isn’t a Dumpster for Bad Process
Support teams aren’t the dumpster for bad process. They’re the smoke alarm, calling out failures upstream. If you keep dumping garbage on them, don’t be surprised when your customer satisfaction burns down with it.
Stop Thinking in Tickets. Start Thinking in Outcomes.
You weren’t hired to move Jira tickets. You were hired to solve real problems. If you want to level up, start thinking in outcomes, not just checkboxes.
Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers
Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, but asking poorly can waste time and frustrate everyone involved. This post breaks down how to ask smarter, more effective technical questions and get the answers you actually need.
The Real Reason You Struggle with Estimating Work
You’re not bad at estimating work. You’re just being asked to do it too early, too fast, and with too little info. Estimation isn’t broken because you’re bad, it’s broken because the process is. Here’s how to fix it.
Just Because I Don’t Code Doesn’t Mean I Don’t Understand Your Bullsh*t
Not everyone who’s technical writes code, and that doesn’t make their contributions any less valuable. Here’s a sharp, sarcastic celebration of the tech professionals who keep everything running and still have to explain APIs to people who think JSON is a typo.
Mistakes Were Made, And That’s Okay
Mistakes happen, in fact, they’re expected in tech. What matters is how we respond. This post explores how to own your mistakes, learn from them, and improve the process so they don’t happen again. It’s not about blame, it’s about building better systems and stronger teams.
When to Ask for Help (And When to Sit With It and Suffer a Bit)
Knowing when to ask for help and when to push through is hard. This guide breaks down how to tell the difference, so you don’t waste time suffering in silence or asking before you’ve even read the error.
How to Take Feedback Without Spiraling Into a Shame Vortex
Getting feedback as a developer can feel like a personal attack on your entire existence. But it doesn’t have to send you into a spiral. Here’s how to take feedback like a pro, even when your code gets roasted.