I partner with startup and scale-up leaders, from first-time managers to directors, to transform reactive firefighting into strategic clarity, reclaiming the agency and mental bandwidth required to drive business impact and retain their best talent.
I was utterly shocked when my manager presented an empty performance review to me…
I spent the next few years ensuring no engineer under my leadership ever felt that way again. Today, I help you build those same systems.
I’m a certified leadership coach, manager trainer, and former engineering manager with over 25 years in software engineering. Over my career, I’ve managed and coached teams at leading technology organizations, from startups and scale-ups to global companies such as Amazon.
I offer a unique combination of management consulting, 1:1 and organizational systemic coaching, and have ample experience in startups and scale-ups as an individual contributor and engineering manager and head of engineering.
I help engineering managers and heads of engineering build the leadership skills needed to lead high-performing teams, communicate with clarity, and create sustainable impact without burnout.
My coaching combines hands-on engineering leadership experience with evidence-based management practices, helping technical leaders turn insight into consistent execution.
My clients typically work on:
- Transitioning from individual contributor to manager
- Giving feedback that actually changes behavior
- Delegating effectively
- Managing conflict and difficult conversations
- Agile transformation
- Group and team restructure
- Using DORA metrics and productivity gains
- Retaining the best people
- Major career decisions
- Preventing and navigating burnout
- Confidence and imposter syndrome
- Decision clarity
- Building high-trust environments
- Breaking repetitive friction
- Retention
- Value alignment
- Finding agency in chaos
- Defining leadership identity
- Self-regulation under pressure
- Debugging relationship patterns
- Setting and maintaining boundaries
- Navigating “difficult” dynamics
- Authentic presence
- Influencing without authority
I offer 1:1 coaching, team workshops, and consulting for growing tech organizations.
Started programming when I was 7, studied Computer Science and worked in various roles – QA automation, development, DevOps, CTO, failing Entrepreneur, Engineering Manager and Head of Engineering.
Over 20 years as an individual contributor, team lead and manager of managers.
Experienced tiny startups to huge companies, desktop, mobile and web, internal tools, B2B and B2C, legacy to shiny technologies, zero to huge volumes of traffic and data, on-premise to cloud and from waterfall to the extreme agile can be.
I have been successful in increasing productivity and engagement, as well as shortening the cycle time of my teams, while increasing retention, even in times of mass-resignation in the industry.
It was the evening before the performance review conversation with my manager.
I was very stressed because my manager skipped many of our 1:1 meetings and did not share feedback with me, so I had no idea how I was doing. I was glad to finally find out!
A few days prior, I submitted my self-assessment including facts, explanations and examples I had been continuously gathering for the past 6 months.
I was utterly shocked when my manager presented an empty performance review to me. It included only numeric ratings on the four questions, which he rationalized as subjective.
The whole thing took a few minutes and did not give me any idea what I had been doing well and what to improve on.
That day I decided that I would change this.
Very often, the “best” team member (whatever “best” means) is “promoted” into a management role with zero guidance and training. They then repeat trivial mistakes on the backs of their direct reports, leading to poor results and attrition, mistakes that could have been prevented with a short time investment.
I spent a long time learning about management and eventually became a manager, where I could apply all the knowledge and actionable guidance.
My mission is to help managers by spreading this knowledge to prevent repeating the same mistakes over and over.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” – as a person who cares and is a believer in constant improvement, I am passionate about professional growth in a psychologically safe environment, where collaboration, relationships and trust play a major role in getting high performance and wellbeing. I care about effectiveness, value and technical excellence.
Listen to my conversation about setting the environment for successful Product-Engineering teams and being an effective leader on the “Technology Leadership” podcast
Listen to my discussion about effective leadership at the “Evolution Exchange Germany” podcast
