Reluctant Leadership
@reluctantleadership.substack.com
Reluctant Leadership is for engineers who accidentally became managers. Honest reflections, mildly unhinged ramblings, and practical advice on leading humans without losing your mind or credibility. The hardest part of tech is people.
New post: The Canary in the S3 Bucket
A field guide to spotting when your startup is… not fine.
reluctantleadership.substack.com/p/the-canary...
A field guide to spotting when your startup is… not fine.
reluctantleadership.substack.com/p/the-canary...
November 30, 2025 at 9:00 PM
New post: The Canary in the S3 Bucket
A field guide to spotting when your startup is… not fine.
reluctantleadership.substack.com/p/the-canary...
A field guide to spotting when your startup is… not fine.
reluctantleadership.substack.com/p/the-canary...
Being an EM at a startup means projecting calm while quietly questioning your life choices. You’re not in control. You’re a therapist, a firefighter, and somehow, an island of stability in a sea of chaos. Most days.
Read the new blog: open.substack.com/pub/reluctan...
Read the new blog: open.substack.com/pub/reluctan...
October 28, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Being an EM at a startup means projecting calm while quietly questioning your life choices. You’re not in control. You’re a therapist, a firefighter, and somehow, an island of stability in a sea of chaos. Most days.
Read the new blog: open.substack.com/pub/reluctan...
Read the new blog: open.substack.com/pub/reluctan...
Engineering management isn’t just delivery and systems.
It’s emotional triage, surprise resignations, and digging in when someone says “I’m fine” (they’re not).
You’re not a trained therapist. But you might as well be.
📖 Read the full post: reluctantleadership.substack.com/p/the-engine...
It’s emotional triage, surprise resignations, and digging in when someone says “I’m fine” (they’re not).
You’re not a trained therapist. But you might as well be.
📖 Read the full post: reluctantleadership.substack.com/p/the-engine...
September 3, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Engineering management isn’t just delivery and systems.
It’s emotional triage, surprise resignations, and digging in when someone says “I’m fine” (they’re not).
You’re not a trained therapist. But you might as well be.
📖 Read the full post: reluctantleadership.substack.com/p/the-engine...
It’s emotional triage, surprise resignations, and digging in when someone says “I’m fine” (they’re not).
You’re not a trained therapist. But you might as well be.
📖 Read the full post: reluctantleadership.substack.com/p/the-engine...