Growth by cloning
Growth still wins, but its mechanism just doubled. In 2026 the IC who scales does both: keeps acquiring new skills AND clones their best judgment into infrastructure the team uses by default. Career frameworks need both columns.
Stop asking for a Promotion
The promotion case in 2026 isn’t about what you shipped. It’s about who you made faster. Super ICs are sharers and delegators. The most promotable work an IC can do is encode their practice as infrastructure the team uses by default.
SuperTeams of SuperICs: the new Unit of Org design
The unit of org design has collapsed. Three humans now do what fifty used to do, and ‘good enough’ HR can’t run a SuperTeam. Branco is the Construct for the new shape.
Who reviews the AI teammate?
The performance management playbook for hybrid human-agent teams. The seam, the level-guide row, and the four failure modes costing you senior ICs.
The H in HR now stands for Hybrid
Your HRIS can’t see half your team. Here’s what HR has to do before the market decides for you. The HR view and the actual workforce, side by side. The HRIS can only see the side with surnames. Monday morning. The VP of People at a 400-person Series C is reviewing Q3 headcount. Engineering filed […]
The Last Fast IC
AI didn’t break the career ladder. It rewrote it. “The path isn’t shorter or longer. It’s different and the fastest developer doesn’t cut it anymore.” Senior 2019 ran alone. Senior 2026 sits with an apprentice and three agents. The role expanded, the bar went up. The companies cutting junior hiring are watching the wrong dashboard. […]
The High-Performance Team Myth
Output is cheap now. The differentiator moved. Here is what actually separates the teams that win. “Culture decks don’t cause high performance. They describe what was already true.” You cannot copy a high-performing team. You can only build one. And in an AI-compressed market, the difference matters more than it has in a decade. For […]
Your Goals Don’t Talk to Each Other
And That’s a Real Problem Nobody plans to create chaos. No manager sits down and thinks: “Let’s give this person 12 goals and see what happens.” And yet, that’s exactly what happens in most companies. Not in one meeting. Not through one bad decision. But across a year, one layer at a time: Performance review → […]
Ownership: The Live Promotion Package
Career Growth Toolkit episode 1: Own Your Growth “Your career is yours and yours only, but you can’t do it alone, and you need a plan.” Most companies say they support career growth. But if you ask 10 employees what’s expected of them to get promoted or take on more responsibility, chances are you’ll get […]
Know What Good Looks Like: Expectations Made Clear
Career Growth Toolkit episode 2: Set Expectations “If no one tells you how ‘great’ looks like, how are you supposed to grow and achieve greatness?” Your career is yours and yours only, but growth doesn’t happen in isolation. To truly grow, you need clarity: on what matters, on what’s expected, and on what “great” actually […]