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Newsletter archive
AI agents and the missing link in DevOps
AI agents aren’t just assistants anymore – they’re making decisions. Are engineers ready for the shift or are they just too skeptical?
Carving out time for large-scale engineering chores
Determine what to prioritize, set out a path, and be prepared for some hiccups along the way.
Encouraging a passion for productivity
In this edition of DirectorPlus, Neha Batra, VP of Engineering at GitHub, explains how she creates a culture of productivity.
Framing AI rollouts in the right light
How can you introduce AI into teams in a way that doesn’t invite unrest within your org? It starts with presenting it in the right light.
Latest
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How to avoid nasty performance review surprises
How to give feedback consistently so that your reports don’t feel caught off guard by their performance review.
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Clear technical vision is the key for aligned growth
Technical visions are the guardrails that keep decision-making aligned across orgs.
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4 steps to speed up code reviewsÂ
The culture changes you need to make to stop code reviews from demoralizing teams.
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Interview tactics to find your footing in a chaotic job market
Navigating the current job market can feel daunting, but certain principles and internal guides can improve the process for you.
Deadline: January 4, 2026
Call for Proposals for London 2026 is open!
Essential reading
What is a Director of Engineering? The glue keeping engineering together
A director of engineering is responsible for keeping an entire engineering function humming. Find out what skills you need to climb the ladder to this vital position.
On our DirectorPlus playlist
Strategies to hone commercial awareness and drive business outcomes
Learn effective strategies for enhancing commercial awareness in tech teams, turning engineering into a business driver through alignment, impactful initiatives, and stakeholder engagement.
The path from Director to CTO: How to follow it, or how to mentor it
This talk is aimed at both aspiring Chief Technology Officers and those who are in a position to mentor future CTOs. Explore the journey from a Director of Engineering role to a CTO, focusing on the skills and experiences needed for this transition and how experienced leaders can guide others on this path.
Making the manager of manager’s mindset
Suzan Bond covers the difference between the two roles and the key mindset shifts leaders need to make to manage managers.
The festival of engineering leadership
London • June 2 & 3, 2026
More for managers of managers
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5 questions to ask when buying a feature management tool
Helping you assess the best tools in the market.
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5 signs you’re ready for feature management and experimentation
Are you ready to take the next step?
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In partnership with Swarmia
Introducing engineering metrics to your organization
Picking the right software developer metrics isn’t as easy as it sounds.
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Are DORA metrics right for your team?
DORA metrics can be a useful tool for tracking and improving performance. If you want the DORA 101 – look no further.
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Maintain team performance during unexpected change
You’ll have to experience change management at least once in your career. Make sure your teams can maintain performance through it all.
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In partnership with YLD
Tackling some DevOps antipatterns
And the case for adopting platform engineering and SRE practices to mitigate against them.
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Unlocking performance management for start-ups and scale-ups
Performance management is tricky terrain to navigate, especially when you’re in a start-up or scale-up. Here are some frameworks to help.
Videos for managers of managers
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AI and the future of software engineering
Hywel Carver talks focuses on the shape of engineering teams and how they work – including how they have changed over time with the advent of Agile and DevOps – and suggest how this will change as AI-generated code becomes mainstream.
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Why can we still not measure team performance?
Scott Carey & Rebecca Murphey discuss findings from the LeadDev Engineering Team Performance report 2023.
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Master modern hiring: Win the race for tech talent through equity, empathy & efficiency
In this lightning talk, Karat VP of Content Don Gannon-Jones explains how a focus on job readiness will empower you to manage the overflow of applicants and interviews without resorting to outdated tactics that require candidates to do a lot of guess-work and game-playing.
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Tackling Software Engineering Leaders’ Dual Mandate
Operational excellence has been engineering leaders’ mandate since the beginning. But, success in the business world has shifted over the past two decades, making software delivery the key driver. This revenue generation change added a new mandate for the engineering leader: Driving Business Outcomes.
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In partnership with KaratEverything you need to know about hiring engineers in 2023
How has the tech job market changed, and what does your org need to do to keep up?
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Challenges in transforming a multicultural local-only company to a remote-first
Felipe Furlan discusses the most significant challenges and the strategies we use to overcome them. I will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of such a strategy.
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Facilitating Software Architecture: Andrew Harmel-Law in conversation
How can you ensure architects and development teams are working towards the same goal?
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You will ship your org chart: understanding organization structure tradeoffs
Adam Berman talks about how your organization structure has a big impact on your workflows. Learn how to bolster your approach to drive more efficient product development.