Herding Squirrels Ep 16
w Jossie Haines
CEO / Founder, Jossie Haines Consulting
Episode Overview
You're caught between your team's needs and executive expectations—and you're wondering if there's a better way. Jossie Haines spent 25+ years leading engineering teams at Apple, Zynga, Tile, and American Express, and she's figured out what actually works. You'll hear about the three pillars that keep new leaders from drowning, why your engineers need to process change before moving forward, and what made one team gel so powerfully they built a social network in two weeks.
Episode Timestamps
00:00 - Introduction: Who is Jossie Haines and why tech leaders seek her coaching
00:48 - First Build: Life outside of work—palm trees, hammocks, and choosing a different path
02:52 - Best Team Experience: The Zynga story—when 1,000 people built a social network in two weeks
06:39 - Worst Team Experience: What happens when your team falls apart (and what to learn from it)
10:15 - Managing Change: Why engineers need to grieve before they can move forward
23:21 - Leadership Advice Build: The three-pillar framework for new leaders
28:06 - Reflection: What it's like building thoughts with LEGO bricks
29:02 - Where to find Jossie and access her AI workflows guide
Notable Quotes
On the power of mission alignment:
"I've never seen the entire rest of the time in my career, watching so many people just get aligned on a mission. We worked crazy hours... and really thrived and created something by the end of the two weeks."
On helping engineers through change:
"The more we help people actually process the human emotions, the better it would be to actually then be able to go and get the change navigated sooner and more effectively, instead of having people feel like, oh my gosh, I have to just pretend I'm totally happy with all these changes."
On the reality of leadership:
"The biggest leaders are not the ones—they're enabling their teams to make the huge impacts. And that is how they are doing the impact. But you might stop getting as much recognition as you were as an IC."
On the three pillars of leadership:
"You're managing yourself. You're managing your team. And you're also managing up to your leadership level... And this is really your job."
On why people become leaders:
"When people go to become leaders, I really focus on why. And part of it needs to be, I really care about growing and developing individuals, because that is what the huge part of leadership is all about."
Where to Find Jossie
You can connect with Jossie Haines and access her resources:
LinkedIn: Connect with Jossie
Website: jossiehaines.com
YouTube: @jossiehaines
Free Guide: 4 AI Workflows Every Engineering Leader Should Automate
Herding Squirrels is a podcast about modern teams, hosted by Brandon Wetzstein. Each episode uses LEGO® Serious Play® methodology to help leaders uncover insights about team dynamics, leadership, and what makes teams actually work.
Other Episodes:
Herding Squirrels Ep 14 w Adam Tal
Herding Squirrels Ep 13 w Oliver Gray
Herding Squirrels Ep 12 w Louie Celiberti
Herding Squirrels Ep 11 w Nicole Tibaldi
