Herding Squirrels Episode 3: Building Bridges and Breaking Patterns with Cole Christie

In this enlightening episode of Herding Squirrels, host Brandon Wetzstein sits down with Cole Christie, Senior Engineering Manager for Site Reliability Engineering at Gap. With 18 years of experience in tech and 10 years in leadership positions, Cole shares profound insights about team dynamics across various industries.

Episode Highlights

The Art of Team Communication

Cole emphasizes that communication breakdowns are universal challenges across all industries and experience levels. He memorably explains that "you don't bring facts to a feelings fight" – highlighting the importance of understanding emotional contexts before attempting to resolve technical disagreements. According to Cole, genuine curiosity and asking questions without assuming the answers are crucial to effective leadership.

From Individual to Team Perspective

Cole's journey from engineer to leader taught him an essential shift in thinking: moving from "I can do something" to "we can do something." This transition means focusing less on personal capabilities and more on enabling the entire team to succeed together. Cole explains how this requires understanding team members' perspectives, learning about their beliefs, and respecting their experiences.

Building Strong Teams Through Challenges

Using a powerful blacksmithing analogy, Cole describes how teams are forged through overcoming difficulties together. Like metal that's heated and hammered repeatedly to gain strength, teams develop cohesion by facing and conquering challenges as a unit. This process helps transform a collection of individuals into a truly unified team.

Remote Work and Team Building

Cole discusses how the pandemic fundamentally changed team dynamics, creating new challenges for building connection in distributed workforces. While technological tools have improved our ability to collaborate remotely, he emphasizes focusing on smaller, daily interactions to build team cohesion when large in-person events aren't possible.

The Cup of Learning

In his final LEGO® model, Cole presents a simple yet profound piece of advice for new leaders: maintain an open mind and never stop learning. What appears as a solid block from the outside is actually a cup – representing how leaders should remain receptive to new ideas and knowledge every day.

Key Takeaways

* Effective team leadership requires empathy and understanding different perspectives

* Communication failures often stem from focusing on facts when emotions are involved

* Strong teams develop through shared challenges and experiences

* Remote work demands creative approaches to building team connections

* Continuous learning and openness are essential for leadership growth

Don't miss this insightful conversation about modern team dynamics, leadership evolution, and how to build bridges across different perspectives through effective communication and shared purpose.

Herding Squirrels uncovers the nuts and bolts of teams with host Brandon Wetzstein. Follow us for more insights on team leadership, collaboration, and modern workplace dynamics.

Cole Christie is an experienced Engineering Leader with 18 years in the field, including 10 years in management roles. Starting his career in System Administration, his technical expertise spans various domains, including software development, architecture, distributed systems, and automation. Cole is proficient in multiple programming languages and has extensive experience with cloud technologies like AWS, Kubernetes, and observability tools.At GAP Inc., Cole leads the Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team, implementing automation and driving reliability improvements across the organization. His efforts have streamlined processes and reduced false alarms, significantly enhancing team performance. Prior to GAP, Cole worked across diverse industries including SMS advertising, healthcare, academia, and defense subcontracting. Despite the varied industries, his focus remains consistent: helping people bring their best selves to work to achieve collective success.Cole holds a Master's degree in Information Security from Georgia Tech and a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems from UCR. His leadership style is influenced by principles from "Extreme Ownership," "Growth Mindset," and "Start with Why."

Find Cole on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrcolechristie/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit herdingsquirrels.substack.com

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Brandon welcomes Jiovanni Rosario, Controls Engineering Manager at Amazon. Using LEGO Serious Play methodology, they explore Jiovanni's journey from individual contributor to leader, discussing team dynamics, leadership challenges, and strategies for effective management.

Guest Bio

Jiovanni Rosario has worn many hats in the tech industry—controls engineer, sales engineer, and software developer. These days, he manages a team of controls engineers keeping data center servers cool and powered. He shares leadership stories on Substack, mentors aspiring managers, and recently became a dad.

Key Moments & Topics

The Best Team Experience (08:52-11:12)

* Jiovanni’s "A-team" story about his formative years in the data center industry

* Three colleagues who clicked, challenged each other, and maintained friendship for a decade

* The power of camaraderie in professional settings

The Worst Team Experience (11:12-14:18)

* Jiovanni's challenging experience in a sales engineering role

* Poor leadership characterized by isolation and lack of support

* The importance of connection versus silos in team environments

The Journey to Leadership (14:18-18:08)

* Motivation to not repeat negative management experiences

* Learning to tailor communication approaches to different team members

* Focusing on trust and curiosity rather than instant advice-giving

Managing Cross-Functional Demands (18:08-23:57)

* The challenge of balancing organizational goals with team capacity

* Using prioritization frameworks to focus team efforts

* Strategies for evaluating and sometimes redirecting partner requests

Advice for New Leaders (25:36-28:57)

* "Life exists outside the spreadsheet" - balancing metrics with human connection

* The importance of face-to-face interaction with team members

* Avoiding getting lost in data at the expense of understanding real pain points

Growth Mindset for ICs (23:57-25:36)

* "Think big" as a critical leadership principle

* Moving beyond solving individual problems to identifying patterns

* Looking for opportunities to improve processes for everyone

Quotes

"When I first got the opportunity to become a manager... I didn't want to be a bad manager. I wanted to be someone who cared, someone who supported their team and someone who made their team feel like they could trust them."

"Life exists outside the spreadsheet. It's really easy to get lost... looking at charts and different data analytic tools, that you lose sight of really interacting with your team and potentially even your customers."

Resources Mentioned

* Bob Iger's Masterclass on team focus

* "Build" by Swarmia - featuring the Eisenhower Matrix for prioritization

* Ramit Sethi's book "I Will Teach You to Be Rich" (for the quote about life existing outside spreadsheets)

Where to Find Giovanni

* LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jiovannirosario/

* Substack

* Medium https://jiovannirosario.medium.com/

About the Show

Herding Squirrels explores team dynamics through LEGO Serious Play methodology, uncovering insights about leadership, collaboration, and effective teamwork.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit herdingsquirrels.substack.com

Herding Squirrels Podcast - Episode 001

Giacomo Pallotti: Engineering Leadership Through LEGO Serious Play

In our inaugural episode of Herding Squirrels, we welcome Giacomo Pallotti, VP of Engineering at Everyday Health Group, for a conversation about engineering leadership, team dynamics, and personal growth - all explored through the creative lens of LEGO Serious Play methodology.

Episode Highlights:

Opening LEGO Tower Build - We kick off with a quick tower-building exercise that reveals Giacomo's approach to engineering challenges.

Life Beyond Code - Through his LEGO model, Giacomo shares a glimpse into his life outside work.

Team Dynamics in 3D - We explore contrasting team experiences through LEGO models:

* The hallmarks of high-performing engineering teams

* The warning signs of dysfunctional technical collaboration

* How physical modeling reveals insights that conversation alone might miss

Leadership Journey - Giacomo reflects on his path from coding at age eight to leading a global team of 60+ engineers, sharing pivotal lessons learned along the way.

The Gift of Perspective - When asked what talent he wishes every engineer possessed, Giacomo emphasizes listening and seeing challenges from others' perspectives—skills he believes are fundamental to both technical and human problem-solving.

Final Build: You Can't Do It Alone - Our conversation concludes with Giacomo's powerful LEGO metaphor about collaboration: trying to do everything yourself will eventually lead to collapse.

About Giacomo Pallotti:

Giacomo Pallotti is a tech leader with over 15 years of experience building teams, solving complex problems, and driving innovation across digital media, health tech, and fintech. As VP of Engineering at Everyday Health Group, he leads a global team tackling everything from cloud migrations to AI-powered solutions for major health and parenting brands.

Before joining Everyday Health Group, Giacomo played a key role in Ziff Davis' tech division and was the first and principal engineer at Socure, where he co-developed a patented fraud detection algorithm that helped the company grow into a $4.5 billion fintech powerhouse.

An engineer at heart, Giacomo started coding at age eight on a Commodore 128 (which he still keeps running). He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, two children, and two cats. When not solving tech puzzles, he enjoys playing tennis, skiing, or sitting at the piano.

Connect with Giacomo: LinkedIn

Note: This is our first episode of Herding Squirrels! We'd love your feedback and ideas for future episodes. Contact us through IN8 Create's website.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit herdingsquirrels.substack.com