This is Part 2 of my 4-part series: Navigating The Stages of Growth. [View the Full Series Roadmap] You recognize that your team or professional relationship is storming. What do you do now? How do you successfully navigate those choppy waters and steer the ship toward norming? Below, I’m sharing the exact tools and techniques I used throughout my career to help move my teams up the performance curve. 1. Recognizing That You Are […]
Communication - Mental Health
The xGoogle EM’s Guide: A 5-Step Roadmap to Building A High Performing Team
In my 25+ year career in tech, I led three engineering teams at Google after many years as a tech lead in consulting. Over time, I began to realize that team building is one of my superpowers. Seeded in my MBA and fine tuned after years in the industry, I’ve put together my best practices, which I’ll share in this series of posts. When I was getting my MBA, it seemed every class presented at […]
Communication - Mental Health
Introducing Tuckman’s Model of Team Effectiveness
This is Part 1 of my 4-part series: Navigating The Stages of Growth. [View the Full Series Roadmap] When I was getting my MBA, it seemed that nearly every class presented at least one theoretical model. The one that has really stood out to me throughout my career—from my time in consulting to leading three teams at Google—is Tuckman’s Model of Team Performance. I have seen this model play out hundreds of times. As a […]
Career Planning - Communication - Interviewing - Mental Health
Welcome To My Career Playbook
When I retired early after a career leading engineering teams at Google and beyond, I knew I wasn’t done with the work that had become most rewarding to me: coaching. While I was still at Google, I started a coaching practice to help engineers and leaders navigate the unique pressures of high-growth tech. I saw firsthand how a single shift in strategy could help an engineer overcome imposter syndrome or turn a new manager into […]
Mental Health
You are More Than Your Impact: A Guide to Our Mental Health Journey Together
If there is one thing I’ve learned in over two decades in this industry—from the early startup days to the halls of Google—it’s that we are human beings first, and engineers second. Often, we’re taught to prioritize logic above all else, leaving very little room for the messy, beautiful, and sometimes overwhelming reality of our emotions. I’ve lived through those moments where the weight of a project feels like it’s sitting right on your chest, […]
Behavioral Interviews - Interviewing
The xGoogle EM’s Guide: A 9-Step Roadmap to Acing Your Tech Behavioral Interview
Preparing for a behavioral interview coaching for tech shouldn’t feel like an impossible task. Whether you are aiming for a role at a FAANG company or a fast-growing startup, the secret to success isn’t just “having experience”—it’s knowing how to communicate that experience with clarity, impact, and a growth mindset. I’ve designed this 9-part series to take you from feeling overwhelmed by a job description to feeling completely “Job Ready.” Think of this roadmap as […]
Communication
From Dread to Delivery: The Feedback Model This xGoogle Engineering Manager Used
If I’m being completely honest, giving feedback used to be one of my least favorite parts of being a manager. In fact, when I first joined Google, I dreaded it. I was worried about sounding like I was attacking my team or, worse, ruining a good working relationship. But as a leader, avoiding feedback is—to put it mildly—suboptimal. I realized that to help my team grow, I had to grow first. After attending several workshops […]
Behavioral Interviews
Why I Upgraded My Storytelling Framework: Introducing STAR(L)
As I was prepping the launch of my coaching site, I had a bit of an “aha!” moment. While the standard STAR method is great, I stumbled across an evolved version that packs a much bigger punch: STAR(L). I’ve decided to officially update my guidance for behavioral interviews to incorporate this structure. Why? Because as a hiring manager, I am looking for more than just a list of completed tasks. I am looking for humility […]
Anxiety - Imposter Syndrome - Mental Health - Stress
Imposter Syndrome for Engineers: Lessons from a Google EM
I’ll start by staying I am not a therapist nor a mental health professional. I am a technologist and I’m sharing my own lived experience in this post. These are topics come up frequently in my coaching sessions. It can be in the context of interviews. The day-to-day grind of the tech industry. The uncertainty of the job market. General chaos. Constant curve balls from leads. AI. Everywhere. Anything. Everything. My Own Journey I’ve had […]
Career Planning - Mental Health
Debugging Your Career: What Makes You Tick?
In any high-functioning system, performance depends on the quality of inputs. In your career, those inputs are your motivators. Whether you are an Individual Contributor (IC) or a Manager, a lack of visibility into what actually matters leads to vague, unactionable career conversations. The Concept: Personalized Impact Over my 25-year career in tech—including 6.5 years at Google—I moved away from ‘one size fits all’ leadership style toward a framework I call Personalized Impact. I realized […]