Leadership training
For the engineer who just became a manager, and the one who keeps failing the loop.
The problem
You got the title and nobody handed you the job description. Your first underperformer is 6 weeks in, your 1:1s have turned into status updates, and you are still reviewing pull requests at 9pm because that part you know how to do. Or you are trying to get the title and the leadership loop keeps rejecting you with feedback about "scope" that nobody will define.
What you get
- A written definition of what your manager actually expects, tested against how these roles get scored.
- A way to run 1:1s that surfaces problems while they are still cheap.
- The performance conversation you have been avoiding, rehearsed before you have it.
- Language for your own scope and impact that survives a calibration room.
Formats
- Your first 90 days as a manager
- 1:1s, feedback and the conversation you are avoiding
- Performance reviews, promotion cases and calibration
- The engineering manager interview loop
How it runs
- Session 1 What is actually on your plate, and which parts are not your job.
- Weekly 45 minutes on the real decision in front of you that week.
- Between You send the review draft, the 1:1 notes, the reorg plan. I respond within a working day.
- Every month We check your read of the role against how it would be scored.
Why me
- I am a Deputy Engineering Manager at Zalando. I run 1:1s and write the reviews.
- I founded the Digital Media AdTech team from zero and hired the first engineers into it.
- I have sat on the other side of the leadership loop, so I know what the rejection actually meant.
Do not book this if
- You want to keep coding full time and hold the title as well. Pick one.
- You are looking for a certificate. There is no certificate.
- Your company has no manager role open and no plan to open one. Fix that first, or change company.
I would rather turn down the booking than take money for the wrong thing.
Questions
How is this different from mentorship?
Mentorship follows whatever you bring. This follows the job: 1:1s, feedback, reviews, hiring, scope. If you already know which of those is broken, start here.
I want to become an EM but keep failing the interview. Is this for me?
Yes. The 3-session prep block is built for that loop, and I have run it from the hiring side.
Can my company pay for this?
Most do. Ask for a receipt made out to the company. If your employer wants several managers trained together, write to me and we will scope it as a programme.
I manage 2 people. Am I senior enough for this?
2 people is where most of the hard conversations start. Team size is not the qualifier.
What it costs
€150
60 minutes
New manager track
€400
per month
4 weekly sessions on the first 90 days, plus async support.
EM interview prep
€350
3 sessions
People management, technical depth and a scorecard after each.
The 15-minute call is free and decides whether the session is worth booking. The session itself is paid upfront, and if I am not the right person for your situation I will say so on the call, before any money moves.
Leadership training
One situation you are stuck on, worked through end to end.