Some talks end with applause. Today ended with people crying. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Quietly. The kind of crying that happens when someone finally feels seen after years of silently questioning themselves. ❤️‍🔥 Today I gave my meetup talk: “Why Great Engineers Don’t Just Write Code.” And afterward, person after person came to speak to me. Not about frameworks. About themselves. 🔥 “I thought maybe I just wasn’t technical enough anymore.” 🔥 “I thought something was wrong with me.” 🔥...

Others teach performance. And many people cannot feel the difference anymore. 🐉 That realization hit me recently during a training. Ironically, I agreed with much of what was being taught. The importance of vulnerability. The importance of listening. The importance of emotional safety. The importance of connection. These are concepts I teach myself. In fact, the Chinese character Ting (聽) representing listening with ears, eyes, heart, and full presence is literally tattooed on my arm. I...

I think one of the most expensive words in organizations right now is: 🔥 “innovative.” Not because innovation is bad. But because the word is increasingly being used to hide unclear thinking. And I do not think many leaders realize how expensive that has become. Especially now. Because AI is about to expose organizational vagueness at a scale many companies are emotionally unprepared for. The moment the room changed This week, I sat in a mission and vision workshop where people were...