#44 | Sunday reads for EMs

My favourite reads of the week to make your Sunday a little more inspiring.

Stephane Moreau

May 10, 2026

👋 Hey, it’s Stephane. Every Sunday I share with you my favourite reads of the week.

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Becoming a Business Leader, Not Just a Technical One (Kevin Goldsmith)

tl;dr: Many senior engineering leaders stop growing because they focus only on technology and not enough on the business side of the company. To become a strong executive or CTO, you need to understand things like customers, money, strategy, sales, and business trade-offs - not just architecture and engineering. Great technical leaders eventually need to become business leaders too.

Designing the AI-native engineering organization (Justin Reock)

tl;dr: AI is changing how engineering teams work, especially by making coding faster and shifting more time toward planning, decision-making, and reviewing work. Companies like Microsoft, Atlassian, and 1Password are using smaller teams, shorter planning cycles, and more AI-assisted workflows instead of completely restructuring their organizations. Future engineers will be valued less for just writing code and more for product thinking, decision-making, adaptability, and taking initiative.

How to one-on-one (Ben Balter)

tl;dr: Good 1:1s should focus on things that need real conversation, like career growth, feedback, coaching, difficult situations, and building trust - not status updates. Great 1:1s happen when both people prepare beforehand, keep a shared agenda, ask thoughtful questions, and protect the meeting from cancellations. 1:1s are one of the most important tools managers have to build strong relationships and help people grow.

You Can’t Fake Belonging (Mike Fisher)

tl;dr: Feeling like you belong at work is one of the biggest drivers of happiness, performance, motivation, and retention. People who feel excluded or disconnected don’t just become less productive - over time, they can lose confidence, disengage emotionally, and stop feeling connected to the team or company. Managers play a huge role in creating belonging through trust, attention, inclusion, and genuine human connection.

Fun Feedback Exercises & Activities to Do With Your Team (Kim Scott)

tl;dr: Teams get much better at feedback when they practice it in simple, interactive, and even funny ways instead of treating it as a stressful formal process. Exercises like role plays, peer feedback, and debate games help people learn how to give honest feedback clearly while still showing respect and care.