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leaddontctrl.bsky.social
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@leaddontctrl.bsky.social
Lead Don’t Ctrl is a leadership movement disguised as a blog. We’re done with fear-based control and empty titles. This is for the builders, the challengers, the ones who lead by example and light the way.
Lead with purpose. Don’t Ctrl with fear.
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Being a tech lead isn’t about being the smartest dev in the room.
It’s about leading humans, not managing tickets.

I wrote a guide to help you do that—with less micromanagement, more clarity, and a little rebellion.

🔗 leaddontctrl.com/tech-leaders...
#leaddontctrl #devculture #techleadership
Tickets closed ≠ leadership.
Trust built = leadership.
Stop managing dashboards. Start leading people.
👉 https://leaddontctrl.com/stop-measuring-productivity-in-tickets-closed-start-measuring-trust-built/
#LeadDontCtrl
September 1, 2025 at 1:00 PM
The loudest voice in the room isn’t always the one making the biggest impact.
Sometimes your real MVP is the dev who says the least—because they’re too busy shipping.

https://leaddontctrl.com

#techleadership #standups #quietimpact
July 16, 2025 at 1:06 PM
If every decision you make needs a group huddle, you're not leading—you're just running game night in Outlook.

Real leaders decide.
Real leaders own it.

https://leaddontctrl.com/if-you-need-a-meeting-to-make-every-decision-youre-not-leading-youre-hosting-game-night/

#leadership #techculture
July 12, 2025 at 1:02 PM
New post:
Your Team Is Not Lucky to Have You

Leaders who think their team should bow down are leading with ego, not empathy.
You’re lucky they haven’t quit yet.

👉 https://leaddontctrl.com

#leadership #realtalk #techlife #leaddontctrl
July 2, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Delegating Isn’t Ditching
If your “delegation style” is handing someone a mess and running off to another meeting, you’re not leading, you’re ditching.

https://leaddontctrl.com/delegating-isnt-ditching/

#leadership #delegation #leaddontctrl #realtalk
June 29, 2025 at 7:02 PM
The job won’t love you back. But your team might.

Invest in people. That’s the legacy.

New post: “The Work Will Never Love You Back—But People Might”

🔗 https://leaddontctrl.com/the-work-will-never-love-you-back-but-people-might-2/
June 21, 2025 at 2:05 PM
You don’t need khakis to lead.

New post: “Permission to Be Weird: Why Authenticity Is a Leadership Superpower”
👕 Shorts? Allowed.
🧠 Sarcasm? Encouraged.
🛑 BS? Kindly shown the door.

🔗 Read it now: https://leaddontctrl.com/permission-to-be-weird-why-authenticity-is-a-leadership-superpower/
June 18, 2025 at 2:31 PM
You’re not an impostor.
You’re just early.

The longer you wait for permission, the longer you delay your impact.

🔥 https://leaddontctrl.com/stop-trying-to-prove-you-belong-start-leading-like-you-already-do/

#rebelliousleadership #impostorsyndrome #confidence #leaddontctrl
June 15, 2025 at 1:02 PM
The final test of your leadership?

Leaving — and everything still works.

New post:
Lead Loud, Leave Soft
https://leaddontctrl.com/lead-loud-leave-soft-building-teams-that-dont-rely-on-you/

#servantleadership #trust #rebellionintech #leaddontctrl
June 14, 2025 at 12:01 AM
You want trust? Start by listening.

New post: “Give Your Team the Mic: Why Listening Is a Leadership Superpower”

https://leaddontctrl.com/give-your-team-the-mic-why-listening-is-a-leadership-superpower/

#techleadership #rebelwithacause #servantleadership #leaddontctrl
June 12, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Leadership isn’t a title — it’s courage.
The best leaders don’t wait for permission.
They just start.

🔥 New post on LeadDontCtrl:
https://leaddontctrl.com/you-dont-need-authority-to-be-a-leader-just-courage/
June 10, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Performance reviews feel like getting a grade on a class you didn’t sign up for and didn’t know you were in.

Here's how to rebuild something better, for leaders and their teams.
🧨 https://leaddontctrl.com

#Leadership #PerformanceReviews #LeadDontCtrl
June 3, 2025 at 8:30 PM
“Your poor planning is not my emergency.”
If you're in tech and that hits way too hard… yeah, same.
New post up now:
🧯 https://leaddontctrl.com
#TechLeadership #BurnoutPrevention #LeadDontCtrl
June 1, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Being a tech leader means wearing 15 different hats before your first coffee refill. Some are helpful. Some are flammable.
🧢👑🪖🧙
👉 https://leaddontctrl.com/hats-off-and-on-and-off-again-the-ridiculous-art-of-tech-leadership/
#TechLeadership #DevLife #LeadDontCtrl #BurnThePlaybook
May 31, 2025 at 5:02 PM
“Just a quick estimate” is never quick. Or useful. Or honest.
And if you’re asking for one without details, you’re not leading—you’re setting your team up to fail.

🍕 New post on LeadDontCtrl.com:
Stop Asking for Estimates Like You’re Ordering a Pizza
#DevCulture #LeadDontCtrl #EngineeringLeadership
May 30, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Tech teams are like co-op games:

Roles matter

Comms matter more

And friendly fire is real

New post:
Tech Leadership is a Co-Op Game (But One of You Keeps Friendly Firing)
🔗 LeadDontCtrl.com
#TechLeadership #DevCulture #RebelLeadership #LeadDontCtrl
May 29, 2025 at 12:05 AM
🚫 Burn the rulebook. 🚀 Build the playground.
Leadership isn’t about control—it’s about courage.
Create environments where creativity thrives and failure teaches.
Read the full post 👉 leaddontctrl.com
#Leadership #Innovation #RebelLeader #LeadDontCtrl
May 26, 2025 at 10:05 PM
f your entire product is one PTO request away from collapse…

That’s not resilience. That’s a cry for help.

🚨 New post: The Bus Factor Is a Cry for Help
🔗 https://leaddontctrl.com/the-bus-factor-is-a-cry-for-help/

#leadership #devculture #engineering #busfactor #leaddontctrl #softwaredevelopment
May 23, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Micromanaging every task isn’t leadership.

If you can’t lead without control, you’re not leading—you’re blocking progress.

🔗 New blog post: https://leaddontctrl.com/if-you-cant-lead-without-control-youre-not-leading/

#leadership #engineering #trust #devculture #burnitdown #leaddontctrl
May 22, 2025 at 9:10 PM
You had time for 6 meetings and 17 Jira comments.
But not one minute to check in on your team.

You’re not too busy. You’re just not prioritizing people.

https://leaddontctrl.com/youre-not-too-busy-youre-just-bad-at-prioritizing-people/

#leadership #engineering #workculture #devlife #leaddontctrl
May 21, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Being a tech lead isn’t about being the smartest dev in the room.
It’s about leading humans, not managing tickets.

I wrote a guide to help you do that—with less micromanagement, more clarity, and a little rebellion.

🔗 leaddontctrl.com/tech-leaders...
#leaddontctrl #devculture #techleadership
May 20, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Your team didn’t crumble because they went remote.

Remote isn’t the problem. Your culture is.

🔗 New post at https://leaddontctrl.com/remote-is-not-the-problem-your-culture-is/
“Remote Is Not the Problem. Your Culture Is.”

#leadership #remoteWork #devCulture #engineering #trust
May 20, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Tupac didn’t talk about changing the world with power—he talked about sparking the mind that would.

🔥 You don’t have to be the CEO.
You don’t need the title.
You just need the spark.

What are you doing this week to be that spark for someone else?
#leaders #rebels #leaddontctrl #tupac #changemakers
May 20, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Real tech leadership isn’t about alignment meetings.
It’s about guts. Clarity. Breaking the damn mold.

I wrote about five leaders who didn’t play the game—they changed it.

🔗 Rebellious Tech Leaders Who Actually Led
leaddontctrl.com

Who else belongs on the list? 👇

#tech #leadership #leaddontctrl
May 19, 2025 at 10:47 PM
“Who pushed this?” isn’t a question. It’s a threat.

Blog post: Security by Shame: How Not to Handle Dev Mistakes

🔗 https://leaddontctrl.com/security-by-shame-how-not-to-handle-dev-mistakes/

#leadership #engineering #devculture #leaddontctrl
May 19, 2025 at 9:10 PM