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Articles by Sam McAfee
Mindful Leadership in the Age of AI
In this episode, Thomas Betts and Sam McAfee discuss how AI hype is reshaping organizational behavior, why many companies struggle with experimentation, and how unclear decision structures create friction. They explore psychological safety and mindful leadership as essential foundations for healthier, more effective engineering cultures. Large organizations struggle to innovate because their processes, culture, and decision structures are optimized for stability, not experimentation.
Moving from Individual Contributor to People Leader
Shane Hastie: Hello, everyone. Just to let you know, our online software development conference Qcon Plus is back this November 1 to 12. You can expect curated learning on the topics that matter right now in software development. Qcon Plus is a practical conference, laser-focused on learning from the successes and failures of domain experts at early adopter companies. If you enjoy the conversations we have on this podcast, you'll get a lot out of Qcon Plus.
Leaders, The Problem Is Not Your Agile Teams - It’s You.
I should have realized something was wrong when the Engineering leader said something to the effect of “I just want you to get them to ship code faster. We have quarterly objectives we need to meet.” I ignored that little voice in my head that was screaming, “Run away! Get up, walk out, and don’t look back! This guy’s only concerned with his own ego!” I should have listened.
The “One Big Customer” Trap
It’s hard to beat the feeling of relief upon landing that first big customer, whether you’re in charge of a new product in an established enterprise, or a lonely startup founder sitting in a WeWork somewhere. All of the blood, sweat, and tears spent toiling away at the first version of your product seem to be — at least, temporarily — worth it. Now you have proof that somebody somewhere actually wants your product. This new customer, your first, is a big established entity.
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