Insights
Herding Squirrels Ep 10
When Your "Band of Misfits" Becomes an Engineering Powerhouse
Your most unconventional team member might be your secret weapon. Your weirdest hire could drive your biggest breakthrough. Ready to stop building cookie-cutter teams?
This week on Herding Squirrels, Val Akkapeddi (Director of Engineering at Collectors) builds some eye-opening models about why the quirkiest teams often deliver the most extraordinary results.
Herding Squirrels Ep 09
This week on Herding Squirrels, Ilya Lazebnik (Director of Infrastructure at Placer.ai) built some eye-opening models about what it's really like leading distributed teams across continents and generations.
What You'll Discover:
The "Show Me" Leadership Revolution - Why saying "just show me" cuts through more communication BS than a dozen Zoom calls ever could
The Multi-Dimensional Team Nightmare - Managing Gen Z developers, international time zones, and cultural differences simultaneously (spoiler: it's as messy as it sounds)
AI as Your Communication Translator - How smart leaders are already using AI to decode whether that Slack message was passive-aggressive or just poorly written
Herding Squirrels Ep 08
I sat down with Allison McHenry (CTO at Daily Kos, formerly NYT, Meta, Daily Beast) for a conversation about leading through uncertainty—and she dropped some serious wisdom about career paths.
Herding Squirrels Ep 07
In this engaging episode, we explore leadership through the lens of technical teams with Dave Walters, former CTO of Hired, Lacalle Group, and Spa Finder Wellness. With 13+ years at The Knot Worldwide (XO Group) and 20+ years as a volunteer firefighter, Dave brings unique perspectives on leading high-stakes teams. Using LEGO® Serious Play® methodology, Dave shares powerful insights on team alignment, staying calm under pressure, and nurturing collective success.
Herding Squirrels Ep 06
In this engaging episode, we explore leadership through the lens of trust and vulnerability with John Fly, CTO of FirmPilot. Using LEGO® Serious Play® methodology, John shares powerful stories from his 25+ years in technology leadership, revealing how his approach evolved from technical perfectionism to collaborative partnership.
Herding Squirrels Ep 04
Join us as we play with Frédéric Rivain, CTO of Dashlane, as he shares insights on building high-performing technical teams through LEGO® Serious Play® methodology. Discover why team "intimacy" and intentional relationship-building are crucial for engineering leadership, how to avoid the dangerous trap of "illusion of alignment," and practical strategies for navigating remote work challenges. From unity and consistency to stepping outside your network, learn actionable advice for technical leaders at every career stage
Herding Squirrels Ep 05
Join host Brandon Wetzstein as he welcomes Jessica Mosley, a quality engineering veteran with over 20 years of experience spanning software development, DevOps, IT, and customer experience. Through innovative LEGO® Serious Play® methodology, Jessica shares valuable insights on team building, leadership development, and creating authentic workplace connections in today's distributed work environment.
Herding Squirrels Ep 03
In this enlightening episode of Herding Squirrels, host Brandon Wetzstein sits down with Cole Christie, Senior Engineering Manager for Site Reliability Engineering at Gap. With 18 years of experience in tech and 10 years in leadership positions, Cole shares profound insights about team dynamics across various industries.
Herding Squirrels Ep 02
In this episode, host Brandon welcomes Giovanni Rosario, Controls Engineering Manager at Amazon. Using LEGO Serious Play methodology, they explore Giovanni's journey from individual contributor to leader, discussing team dynamics, leadership challenges, and strategies for effective management.
Herding Squirrels Ep 01
In our inaugural episode of Herding Squirrels, we welcome Giacomo Pallotti, VP of Engineering at Everyday Health Group, for a conversation about engineering leadership, team dynamics, and personal growth - all explored through the creative lens of LEGO Serious Play methodology.