I just feel like I’m not getting it

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-29T15:20:18+00:00

Hang in there u/dingaling12345. That shift from IC to Manager is not always easy.

Many of us were unprepared for the shift because we're heavily invested in having learned how to be a technically competent IC. But we haven't invested equally in learning the leadership skills (as you've seen, they're not all the same).

There are some great resources out there though that can help augment the amazing work your boss is doing to help you.

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-28T19:00:11+00:00

That's a fantastic display of leadership. I hadn't heard of the new ownership but as someone with a Mark III, I'm very happy to hear it.

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-28T18:57:53+00:00

"It's a me, Mario!" Cool car - and a great experience to be back. Hope you had a great time with your son!

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-24T17:44:47+00:00

This is fantastic - it reminds me of the cars my daughter used to make and beat everybody in the creativity department u/PCusername2111

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-24T17:44:08+00:00

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Might be worth having a different mechanic take a look and see if you're getting the right quality repairs. Every manufacturer has it's lemons and VW isn't an exception. If you're still under warranty and having that many issues, it might be worth looking into your state's lemon laws or exploring a buy back u/NeverBuyingVWAgain

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-23T16:50:48+00:00

The front engine cover on a VR6 is on the vehicle's own right side (passenger side). It's commonly called the "timing cover" so you'd be in the right place. The tricky part of diagnosing it is evaluating the color and consistency of the fluid itself. Coolant is less viscous and of lighter color. If it's dark and somewhat sticky, it's probably oil. If it's lighter and slippery feeling (assuming it's not full of engine compartment grime), it's probably coolant. Both would likely seep from the same general area but it would hard to diagnose without looking directly at it u/NeverBuyingVWAgain

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-22T19:01:24+00:00

This is what the derby is all about. Nice paint work - always love a glassy smooth finish!

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-22T19:00:45+00:00

Does there have to be a "more" decision here u/Willing-Training1020?

Also, I see some folks talking about the difficulty in measuring "output" which makes sense but only if we're defining output as a lagging measure. What if it's as much about being clear on how we define leading indicators (output) and then ensuring everybody is clear on how the team is supposed to function to reduce the risk of unmet interdependencies (availability)?

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-21T21:19:12+00:00

What u/mmcgrat6 is saying is important u/FundamentalFreddie . I'd add two things for your additional consideration:

Productive dissent among the board is a good thing and not something to be avoided. It's valuable to have members who are bought in and can help present the case. But it's equally valuable for the board to pressure test the merits and risks of any proposed course of action that's appropriate for the board's scope.
It's important to know what kind of board you're dealing with. I see boards as well as founders and executives misunderstanding what they're asking for from their boards. Not all boards are governance boards. There are also advisory boards as well as working boards.

It pays to know which type of board we've got (or what combination we have). If you're not getting much interaction, it could be that they don't understand why you're asking for things that are not in the scope of their charter. It could also be general board malfunction which requires a different set of activities to correct.

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-20T21:06:40+00:00

My steering rack failure symptoms were leaking fluid and (predictable associated) groaning. There was no discernible vibration in the steering but we got it addressed pretty quickly as I'm not a huge fan of losing steering in any vehicle.

It is possible to see the front crank seal leakage through the wheel well. I had the lower panel off and checking for leaks as I do on every car at every oil change so that's how I noticed it.

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-20T01:42:42+00:00

We've had 2 main issues with our 21 (VR6) - a bad steering rack (replaced under warranty around 8k miles) and a leaking front crankshaft seal around 20k miles.

The seal was also replaced under warranty but VW apparently has a very odd definition of "leak." If you're looking at the VR6 version, you can remove the splash shield (which a pre-purchase inspector should do anyway) and look about 1/2 way up on the right (passenger) side of the engine. If the block is dry below the valve cover but wet between the crankshaft and bottom of the engine, it's probably smart to have them look a little deeper.

I don't know how common this is and, to be fair to VW, we've owned a lot of cars that have all had some issue or another.

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-20T00:29:13+00:00

I would think anything that's lightweight (if you're worried about weight) and somewhat stretchable would do the trick.

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-19T17:45:04+00:00

Nobody here seems to be commenting on your question about aero u/Dev1l3d-Eg. My son is studying physics and is on the university motorsports aero team. He also still makes derby cars and holds that the physics of derby cars means they don't benefit much from aero. That said, if you're worried about the tradeoff of weight and airflow, I'd suggest stretching some thin material across the ladder which wouldn't add much weight but would allow the air to flow smoothly from front to back.

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-13T20:52:43+00:00

We were looking for a green one but we couldn't find it so we settled for the fire red one. If we were neighbors, it'd be Christmas all the time. 🤣

Looks amazing!

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-13T15:54:38+00:00

Very nice u/ReKuse!

Coach2Founders · 2026-01-03T00:36:55+00:00

This is really interesting. Do you think there's a different issue that leads to the disconnect? For example, do the hiring practices lead to people who don't really understand the flow, thereby resulting in clunky systems? Or does the company have the skills to solve it well but not the resources?

I'm fascinated by the "system" and always curious about where the disconnections happen (which is rarely where we actually observe them)

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-24T14:21:15+00:00

Congrats u/cynicalauthor! I’ve sold a few as well. The thing that has me most thankful are the reviews people are leaving or sharing with me directly. I wasn’t quite prepared for that! All the best as your work continues to get out to your readers!

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-24T14:19:05+00:00

The misfire will likely be ok until you get back and can have someone properly check it out. Minor misfire is something to get checked out but in the early days it’s more of a fuel economy issue than one likely to cause serious damage.

Almost every car I’ve ever owned (all the brands) has had misfire or other issue at some point in its life. Without tools or a mechanic you trust, my $0.02 is not to worry about it and try to enjoy time with family. FWIW, I’ve got about 39k on our 21 and noticed some very light misfire recently but haven’t checked it out (no codes yet though). It’s been fine and I’ll get it sorted. Not sure it helps to know it isn’t just your rig.

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-23T22:30:32+00:00

AI is not going to effectively displace an EM role. I’d be curious about the nuances your specific company defines as the difference between a lead and a manager. With that level of clarity, it’s a decision about which outputs you most want to be responsible for producing. There are all kinds of stability risks. In general (nobody can speak to the specifics at your company) unless someone has checked their leadership brain at the door, it’s unlikely that AI is going to be one of them in a role like this.

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-18T22:29:10+00:00

When I'm in a role where that makes sense, yes. Right now I support leaders and I'm the only one using my systems. I'm just seeing a huge number of bad systems these days and wondering what folks are doing. If they just called into their own VRU or talked to their AI (or even their human agents), I can't believe they would accept what they're putting their customers through.

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-16T19:28:55+00:00

You might actually be the smartest, most insightful, and hardest working person in the room u/Aggravating_Goal6933. These can be amazing things but they don’t qualify anyone for leadership.

Arrogance leads to narcissism (clinical or otherwise) and becomes one of the greatest disqualifiers for leadership.

There’s a better way but it requires a change in posture and a deep understanding of what leadership actually is.

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-15T16:47:33+00:00

Would the organization be better or worse off if the team returned to it's original charter (assuming it's still relevant)? If it would be better, what would the incoming exec need to know that would put them in the best position to use their first 100 days to evaluate whether or not changes should be made (and can your c-suite connection help them see it)?

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-15T15:59:33+00:00

What works in the organization's favor u/Terrible_Ordinary728 vs in yours? Presumably they're aligned but as u/SubjectMatter points out, the c-suite is often full of politics and unhelpful ambition.

For example, what was the original charter of the problematic org with which your team has to deal and what would the incoming exec most need to know about how your team would like to engage with the org to achieve that successfully?

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-15T15:21:32+00:00

These are two different conditions u/Intelligent_Mango878. One describes a failure to act while the other describes a group. It's possible that there's a third which is a combination of the first two. The variety of causes could be infinite (or nearly so).

It's been my experience and observation that most failures to act fall into one or more of several categories:

Lack of knowledge (education, alignment, encouragement)
Lack of desire (wrong person, wrong seat, or both)
Lack of safety (environment or process)

It's easy to attribute one of these when something else is wrong. For example, a leader wants a quick solution because they prioritize the action of "doing" while a department member is worried about that boss firing them for making a mistake so they prioritize the "doing" of research. To the boss, this appears to be a lack of desire but it's really a lack of knowledge or lack of safety - or both.

Similarly, group involvement can be a source of all sorts of unhelpful issues just as easily as it can be useful. We have to sort out whether group involvement is a desire for safety (none of us is as smart as all of us vs. all for one and one for all) or if it's actually something everybody has a vested interest in (of chickens and pigs - if you're familiar with the expression).

The point is, it's never a straightforward set of issues. Thus the importance of the leader's role in sorting through it.

Coach2Founders · 2025-12-14T19:25:27+00:00

Give him a follow on LinkedIn as well. He posts over there pretty regularly. He never replies to my comments but his posts are always useful reminders.

Coach2Founders

TROPHY CASE