People
Hiring, levelling, growth, and the hard conversations.
Almost every durable advantage in an engineering org traces back to who you let in, what you expect of them, and how honestly you talk to them.
The bar: define it, write it down, hold it
A hiring bar that lives in people's heads drifts downward, and not only under pressure. Comfort is the force nobody names. Write the criteria, then give somebody other than the decision-maker standing to invoke them.
5-20 · 20-50 · 50-150 · 150+
Interview loops that predict performance
Most loops measure interview skill. Give each stage exactly one job, and let the highest-weight stage be a structured judgment conversation with the people who'll actually work with the person.
5-20 · 20-50 · 50-150 · 150+
Levels and ladders, later than you think
A career ladder written too early encodes a company you don't have yet. Write it when the same fairness argument has surfaced two or three times.
20-50 · 50-150 · 150+
Performance management without the theatre
If a review surprises someone, the process already failed. Run feedback continuously through one-to-ones, and keep exactly one scheduled formal ritual: the 360.
20-50 · 50-150 · 150+
Compensation that doesn't leak
Comp is a system, not a negotiation. Bands visible internally, a stated market position, and an annual correction pass prevent most of the damage.
20-50 · 50-150 · 150+
Managing out, humanely and quickly
Once the decision is made, days rather than months. But speed only works on top of honesty. The team already knows if you've been having the conversations, and if you haven't, fast just reads as arbitrary.
5-20 · 20-50 · 50-150 · 150+
Growing managers out of engineers
Promoting your best engineer into management is a coin flip unless you've already handed them the job in pieces and they've come back for more.
20-50 · 50-150 · 150+
Onboarding that pays back in 30 days
Time to first meaningful change is the most honest measure of your engineering environment. Onboarding is a stress test you run on yourself, with a fresh pair of eyes attached.
5-20 · 20-50 · 50-150 · 150+