Technically Leadership

“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 »

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 »

Aleksandra Lemańska, an expert in the Process Communication Model (PCM) and host of the Lemon Tech Leadership Podcast, shares insights into enhancing communication in high-pressure environments. She discusses PCM as an algorithm for understanding diverse communication styles, vital for tech teams. The conversation delves into the fine line between influence and manipulation, highlighting the importance of genuine connections. Lemańska also explores practical applications of communication intelligence, offering tips for effective delegation and improving team dynamics.

Chris Leonard, an expert in team dynamics, shares insights from his 40-day team accelerator program. He delves into the costs of team interventions and how to navigate challenges like hero culture and imposter syndrome. The discussion reveals the importance of patience and effective communication in fostering team cohesion. Leonard emphasizes shifting from individual heroics to team collaboration while highlighting the need for leaders to listen and empower their teams for sustainable success.

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »