01Jul 1, 2026/4 minNever Surprise Anyone PubliclyRaising someone's problem in public without warning them first converts a solvable engineering problem into a status attack — and the fix is…thinking principlesorganizationspolitics
02Jun 30, 2026/4 minRe-org SurvivalEngineers experience re-orgs as weather. Operators recognize them as the one window when the org's scope map is unlocked for editing — and…thinking principlesorganizationspolitics
03Jun 29, 2026/3 minThe Audience Is Not the RoomIn any meeting beyond a few people, you are not answering the person who asked — you are addressing the record and the deciders. The literal…thinking principlesorganizationspolitics
04Jun 28, 2026/4 minThe Author Frames the DecisionWhoever writes the doc sets the options everyone else debates. In doc-driven organizations — Amazon 6-pagers, design reviews, RFCs…thinking principles
05Jun 27, 2026/4 minThe Favor BankSmall, cheap deposits made now buy expensive withdrawals later — organizations run on an informal ledger of reciprocal obligation, and…thinking principlesorganizationspolitics
06Jun 26, 2026/4 minThe First FollowerA solo idea is an opinion. A seconded idea is a movement. Recruit one ally before you propose anything that matters. Derek Sivers' famous…thinking principlesorganizationspolitics
07Jun 25, 2026/4 minEstimates Are Heard as CommitmentsWhen you say "maybe two weeks," you mean a probability distribution. The org hears a date — and writes your name next to it. The translation…thinking principlesorganizationsengineering
08Jun 24, 2026/3 minKnow the Business ModelEngineers who know how the company makes money win technical arguments; engineers who don't argue aesthetics while decisions get made…thinking principlesorganizationsengineering
09Jun 23, 2026/3 minOwn the PostmortemAn incident review is the highest-leverage writing and facilitation stage most engineers will ever get — and most of them treat it as…thinking principlesorganizationsengineering
10Jun 22, 2026/4 minOwn Your Mistakes FirstWhen you break something, the only race that matters is between your report and someone else's discovery — and the winner gets to narrate…thinking principlesorganizationscareer