Sign in

Esther Derby

@estherderby.bsky.social
1.8K followers 1.7K following 106 posts

Coach, Consultant, Writer, Keynote Speaker. So much more than the retrospectives lady. Author of 7 Rules for Positive Productive Change.

PostsRepliesMedia
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
People without deep technical backgrounds may expect fast results  with a new technology and not account for slower progress as people learn. lttr.ai/AuBpA #TechLeadership #Tradeoffs #StaffPrincipalEngineer
lttr.ai
010
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
When people play a part in defining and designing or refining something, they are much more likely to feel ownership of it… And they’re much more invested in helping whatever it is to succeed. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AmW6o #TheFingerprintPrinciple #LeadingChange #InviteCollaboration
041
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The assumption built into that split is that the technical path is the one that doesn’t require leading people. Read the full article: Technical Leadership is Leadership ▸ lttr.ai/AqM8p #TechnicalLeadership #StaffEngineer #SeniorStaffEngineer
lttr.ai
020
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
What makes it hard for people to speak up? Read more 👉 estherderby.com/speaking-up-2/?utm_… #DontLetProblemsHIde #voice #DontLetProblemsHide
010
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
You Don't Need a Title to Change the Room estherderby.substack.com/p/you-dont-n...
estherderby.substack.com
You Don't Need a Title to Change the Room
Small adjustments to the environment around you can shift how a whole group works.
001
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The shift from “I’m the best person to solve this” to “I’m the best person to help this team solve this” is not a small one. Read the full article: Tech Leadership: Be a Multiplier ▸ estherderby.com/tech-leadership-be-…
053
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Making tradeoffs visible and understandable is one of the most valuable things a technical leader can do. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/At5nv #TechLeadership #Tradeoffs #StaffPrincipalEngineer
lttr.ai
022
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Many people are reluctant to comment on a finished product, because they consciously or unconsciously believe it won’t change. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AmW6n #TheFingerprintPrinciple #LeadingChange #InviteCollaboration
000
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Most of people don’t love hearing there’s a problem. But it is much better to hear about a problem when it is small. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AopEt #DontLetProblemsHIde #voice #DontLetProblemsHide
lttr.ai
131
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
"This means offering direction without over-specifying." lttr.ai/AtVc5 #SelfLeadership #Leadership #TechnicalLeadership
010
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Technical leaders recognize when a decision made in one part of the system will create problems in another. lttr.ai/As3bH #TechnicalLeadership #CreateAlignment
010
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I often talk about how small adaptations to the work environment can make everyone more effective. But what do I mean by the environment, and exactly what can you do when you don't have positional authority? New pod on this here: changebyattraction.simplecast.com/episodes/ada... #leadership
changebyattraction.simplecast.com
Adapt the Work Environment | Change by Attraction
I often talk about the ability to adjust the environment as a key skill for leaders… and by this I mean small L leaders, not just those who have a formal position. When you can adjust the environment...
020
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The ability to communicate tradeoffs in language that doesn’t require a deep technical background is a real skill. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AsfWo #TechLeadership #Tradeoffs #StaffPrincipalEngineer
lttr.ai
000
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
One of the most common failure modes for senior technical contributors is the pull toward doing rather than guiding. Read the full article: Tech Leadership: Be a Multiplier ▸ lttr.ai/ArKX7 #SelfLeadership #Leadership #TechnicalLeadership
lttr.ai
012
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
One path goes toward management with more focus on “people stuff.” The other stays technical — Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer, Architect. Read the full article: Technical Leadership is Leadership ▸ lttr.ai/AqM8o #TechnicalLeadership #StaffEngineer #SeniorStaffEngineer
lttr.ai
010
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
You can write a book review saying you like or dislike a book, but your review will not change the book The time for input is well before the product is on the shipping dock. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AmW6m #TheFingerprintPrinciple #LeadingChange #InviteCollaboration
010
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
The “collaborative” leader who, under pressure, makes unilateral decisions and calls it “just moving fast.” The gap between how we intend to show up and how we do isn’t dishonesty. It’s a pattern we can’t see from inside it. #FirstLeadYourself #Leadership
011
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Making it easier for people to speak up will lead to better decisions and actions. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AopEs #DontLetProblemsHIde #voice #DontLetProblemsHide
lttr.ai
001
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Technical leaders can see misalignment coming before it arrives. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AruGj #TechnicalLeadership #CreateAlignment
050
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Empathy and offering honest feedback are both skills every leader needs. Some people think you cannot have both. This is false. #firstLeadYourself #Empathy #Feedback
012
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Self-awareness isn’t having opinions about yourself. It’s observing your own patterns while they’re running. Noticing when you’re triggered, not just afterward. That’s the root of almost everything else in leadership. #FirstLeadYourself
022
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Technical leadership at scale requires a different orientation: creating the conditions for others to do great work, rather than doing the great work yourself. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/ArYrT #SelfLeadership #Leadership #TechnicalLeadership
130
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
The leaders who keep growing don't depend on motivation. They depend on design. A 15-minute reflection. One article at lunch. One question at the start of every 1:1. Not heroic. Consistent. Consistency, over time, is the whole game. #SelfLeadership www.congruentchange.com/first-lead-y...
congruentchange.com
First Lead Yourself - Congruent Change
020
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
When tradeoffs aren't visible, ppl may choose a path without fully understanding what they’re giving up. Read the full article: Tech Leadership: Make Tradeoffs Visible ▸ lttr.ai/ArREJ #TechLeadership #Tradeoffs #StaffPrincipalEngineer
040
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Motivation is unreliable. Some mornings I wake up ready. Many mornings I don't. If my work depended on feeling inspired, it would happen about twice a month. #SelfLeadership #DesignYourHabits
020
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
The leaders who plateau aren't the ones who lacked talent. They're the ones who kept waiting for someone else to drive their growth. You don't need permission to read, reflect, or ask hard questions. That part is yours. www.congruentchange.com/first-lead-y... #Leadership #ContinuousLearning
congruentchange.com
First Lead Yourself - Congruent Change
011
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Nobody is coming to own your professional development. Not your manager. Not HR. Not the next reorg. Not the leadership program that keeps getting cut when budgets get tight. #ItIsYourCareer #SelfLeadership
162
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
A Staff Engineer who raises a concern in an architecture review that causes the team to change course–that’s leadership. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AqM8n #TechnicalLeadership #StaffEngineer #SeniorStaffEngineer
142
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Like surfacing tradeoffs, it requires leadership skills, not just technical ones. Read the full article: Tech Leadership: Create Alignment ▸ lttr.ai/Aq2bt #TechnicalLeadership #CreateAlignment
lttr.ai
001
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
When people feel seen, they open up. The stalled negotiation starts moving. The withdrawn team member re-engages. Empathy isn't about agreement, it's about acknowledgment. It costs nothing and changes everything.
 #SelfLeadership #Empathy www.congruentchange.com/first-lead-y...
congruentchange.com
First Lead Yourself - Congruent Change
021
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Most ppl think empathy is about being nice. It's not. It's about understanding how other people see and feel things. What surprises people: empathy is a learnable skill.The leaders who develop are consistently more effective than the ones who don't. #SelfLeadership #Empathy
162
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
"Decision-makers who aren’t technically savvy may be attracted to the promise of new technologies without fully grasping the risks." lttr.ai/Aqcq2 #TechLeadership #Tradeoffs #StaffPrincipalEngineer
lttr.ai
011
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
The hardest decisions I've made weren't hard because I didn't know the options. They were hard because two things I cared about were pulling in opposite directions. Growth vs. stability.. Speed vs. quality. Not getting fired vs doing the right thing. #CoveValues #LeadYourself
161
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Presenting an idea in lo-fi communicates it is not complete. To reinforece your desire for input, use a sketching tool (or pencil and paper) rather than a vector graphics tool. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AmW6l #TheFingerprintPrinciple #LeadingChange #InviteCollaboration
010
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
When I was a corporate employee, my calendar was always packed. Meeting after meeting. By the end of the day, I'd been going 100 mph and gotten further behind. The organization rewarded people who were always slammed. But busy and productive are not the same thing. #TimeToThink #SelfLeadership
3151
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
"When a Principal Engineer sets a standard for how code gets reviewed and the whole team gradually rises to it, that’s leadership." lttr.ai/AqM8m #TechnicalLeadership #StaffEngineer #SeniorStaffEngineer
030
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
When something goes wrong, our brains assign blame fast. It's a survival mechanism — we process threats and protect ego. But unless there's an actual tiger, the urge to react immediately is almost always suboptimal. #SelfLeadership #Curiosity
192
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
And how can we make it easier for people to speak up? Read Speaking Up for some tips. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/Ap9Su #DontLetProblemsHIde #voice #DontLetProblemsHide
133
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
I talked to a IT mgr who always said yes to his internal customers. Yes to every request, new feature, major project. He though it made him a responsive leader. It made him undependable. His teams were always “working on it,” but done was always sometime in the future. #thisisnotleadership
131
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Geno needed to talk to a team member about personal hygiene. He'd dropped hints. Mentioned healthy habits in a team meeting. It hadn't worked. But a direct conversation? He kept finding reasons to delay. One more hint. One more day. Sound familiar? #leadership #courage
131
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
In many organizations—maybe most—telling your boss his baby is ugly is a career limiting move. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/Ao8kF #TheFingerprintPrinciple #LeadingChange #InviteCollaboration
lttr.ai
110
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
If you see something, say something to help someone else say something: “It looks like Sam has something to add…” Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AofyJ #DontLetProblemsHIde #voice #DontLetProblemsHide
000
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Make it easy for people to get their fingerprints on a change. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AmW6j #TheFingerprintPrinciple #LeadingChange #InviteCollaboration
251
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
When people in your company feel like they can’t speak up, everyone loses. Read more 👉 lttr.ai/AnKt9 #DontLetProblemsHIde #voice #DontLetProblemsHide
030
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Speaking Up: lttr.ai/AmW3Q #DontLetProblemsHIde #voice #DontLetProblemsHide
020
Reposted by Esther Derby
SoCraTes UK @socratesuk.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Exciting news! We've confirmed @emilybache.bsky.social as a trainer for the training day at our event in June! Have you made any plans for 2026 yet? Registration is now open for SoCraTes UK 2026! Register: socratesuk.org/tickets.html
socratesuk.org
SoCraTes UK - Tickets
Join us for another year of SoCraTes UK happening on June 18th - 21st! The event is hosted at Milton Hill House, UK which is surrounded by 22 acres of landscaped grounds and forest, delivering…
11210
Reposted by Esther Derby
The Pragmatic Bookshelf ✅ @pragprog.com · 17/10/2025
"This book is an essential aid for a beginner retrospective facilitator and provides deep insights for advanced facilitators too." -- Jutta Eckstein 40% off w code PragPicks pragprog.com/titles/dlret2 Agile Retrospectives, 2e by @estherderby.bsky.social Diana Larsen David Horowitz
002
Reposted by Esther Derby
The Pragmatic Bookshelf ✅ @pragprog.com · 13/10/2025
New Pragmatic Picks: Code PragPicks to save 40% (today only!) 📘 Agile Retrospectives, 2nd Ed 📕 Effective Go Recipes 📗 From Ruby to Elixir 📙 Modern Front End Development for Rails links in 🧵 @estherderby.bsky.social @tebeka.bsky.social @noelrappin.com
153
Reposted by Esther Derby
Dave Rooney 🇨🇦 supports 🇺🇦 @daverooney.dev · 04/10/2025
Hi folks! I have a new blog post up called "How Time Flies!" about my 25 years of Extreme Programming. open.substack.com/pub/daveroon...
open.substack.com
How Time Flies
A quarter century of Extreme Programming
0169
Esther Derby @estherderby.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
Why is it hard for people to speak up in organizations? What can make it easier? Listen here: changebyattraction.simplecast.com/episodes/voice #ChangeByAttraction #Voice #Leadership #podcast
changebyattraction.simplecast.com
Voice | Change by Attraction
It is not always easy to speak up in organizations. People may think twice before brining up ideas, issues, risks, concerns. They may wonder, Will the boss take it the wrong way? Will I get picked ...
041