Still Building.
Building the new leadership playbook, and the tools that go with it.
I'm a VP of Engineering managing 30 people through a moment where the rules change every month. Still Building is where I publish what works: a writing arc on rebuilding leadership in real time, a free management tool called Paperwork, and one-on-one coaching for leaders working through the same shift.
The old playbook is dead. Nobody's written the new one yet.
The org chart you inherited was designed for cheap capital and big teams. That era is over. AI changed what one person can build. The coordination layers you staffed up? They're friction now. But nobody hands you a manual for what comes next.
I'm writing that manual. One week at a time. From inside the thing, not from the sidelines.
What's inside.
Free, open source
An AI-powered management partner for the boring stuff.
Paperwork is a setup your AI agent runs to build a working management system into a directory on your machine. One conversation, fifteen minutes, and your AI handles 1-on-1 prep, status digests, action-item tracking, and all the operational paperwork managers spend half their week on. You own the files. No SaaS, no template, no telemetry.
Try Paperwork →One-on-one
Coaching for engineering leaders working out what AI changes about the job.
I work with engineering leaders one-on-one on the shift happening right now: flatter teams, more individual leverage, the new operating model nobody handed you a manual for. Sessions are practical. We work on whatever you brought, with the same playbook I'm writing in real time.
Book a session →Still building products.
AI changed what one person can build. The leaders winning right now aren't delegating from a distance. They're hands-on again. Building prototypes between meetings. Shipping alongside their teams.
Still building teams.
Flatter structures, more autonomy, fewer layers. The teams that move fastest are designed for what's next, not what worked five years ago.
Still building builders.
The best thing a leader can do is make themselves unnecessary. Give engineers agency. Give them AI. Give them space to own their work. Then get out of the way.
This is for you if
- Your team is slower than it should be and you know the structure is the problem
- You're trying to figure out how AI changes your team, not just your product
- You're a builder at heart who got pulled into management and never quite let go
- You want practical, honest advice from someone in it, not someone who left five years ago to consult
Who's behind this?
I'm Jamie. VP of Engineering at Kajabi. Managing 30 people and still writing code between 1-on-1s. I've been building software since 2007 and leading teams since long before I had the title.
I didn't set out to be a manager. I got pulled into it because I was good at building things, and eventually the job became helping other people build things too. That part stuck. But I never stopped wanting to build.
Now AI is changing everything about how we staff, structure, and lead engineering teams. I'm figuring it out in real time and sharing what I learn along the way.
Get the playbook as I write it.
I publish what works (and what doesn't) as I figure out engineering leadership in this new era. Tools, frameworks, and the occasional embarrassment, sent when there's something worth sending.
No spam. Just signal. New products and posts land here first.
