What this category is about: stories about developing, course-correcting, and caring for the people on a team — distinct from the technical/operational scars of the previous category. This category comes from recognizing that not every leadership lesson is about a system that failed — some are about a person we needed to listen to better.
Why a category separate from Leadership & Operations?
Because course-correcting a platform and course-correcting a person are not the same skill. In operations, the answer is usually technical: a circuit breaker, an immutable variable, an architecture change. With people, the answer is never a patch — it's listening better, developing better, and caring for the relationship while correcting.
Who is this category for?
For those leading teams at a SaaS or fintech company — and recognize that their hardest work isn't the failing system, but the person who needs to be heard better.
Articles in this category
Articles in this topic
The 6-hour feature that should never have been built
A new manager was about to request a 6-8 hour feature the platform already handled. Showing the reports live avoided the build and built their mental model. Context: engineers spend 17.3 h/week on technical debt (Stripe).
Read full articleWhat the numbers didn't explain — until I asked
A team member's performance dropped for no apparent reason. Instead of watching them, I asked: it was a health issue, not a commitment issue. Adjusting their schedule restored their numbers. Context: 86% of employees value empathetic leadership (EY).
Read full articleNew lessons will be added as they are published
Coming soonWritten and reviewed by Rogelio Barajas González — certified Lead Auditor ISO 27001:2022 and ISO 9001:2015, with 15+ years leading technology operations across LATAM and the United States. Founder of Barajas Advisory.
Follow me on LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/rogelio-barajas-gonzalezLast updated: August 2026