Top performance doesn't have to mean burnout.
I help teams and studios design people systems that sustain performance.
Our technical systems are a constant focus, but we tend to invest far less into our leadership systems.
Frontline managers are often promoted for technical excellence. These veterans have seen how projects ship and they demonstrate their IC craft deeply. It isn't wrong to elevate these successful individuals, but the need for them to enter a lead role too often strikes without preparation. When it comes to people management, we expect success without sufficient training or support.
Most of us care deeply about supporting each other and the games we're investing lives into. Our passion and our collaborative nature does sometimes carry the day, sometimes leadership success does just show up.
Unfortunately, even when the indidivuals succeed as leads, the whole tends to remain disjointed. It's a pattern of powering team success through individual effort rather than intentional design. Each new lead draws from personal experience. They borrow what seemed to work, avoid some that didn't, reinvent the rest. Too often we're leaving our culture and our teams to luck.
The organizational scaffolding to consistently grow, enable, and expect effective leaders is missing.
When people systems are left to chance, unfortunate patterns quietly degrade performance.
Through these patterns and others like them, performance becomes fragile.
Excellence begins to rely on heroics.
We don’t have to burn heroes.
Knowledge spreads. People grow. Velocity follows.
I want to highlight Rob's passion for driving change and making everything he touches a better place. He never stops thinking about 'what can be better' and 'how do we get there' while always putting supporting people above all else.
Rob brings an amazing combination of passionate creative energy with serious technical skill. I always knew that when I brought a problem, he wouldn't just solve it, he'd plus it in an exciting way.
Robert is a mentor among mentors. As an engineering mentor myself, I *always* still have more to learn from Robert. His insight into engineering, the industry, leadership, and what good organizations look like is always illuminating and valuable.
Thank you for your advice and perspective on transitioning roles! You’re very calm and grounding, bringing clarity when I was nervous.
One of the best people you can have on a team to foster the growth of others.
Carries a valuable combination, bringing both technical solutions and interpersonal acumen.
My first introduction to the games industry, and for that I am thankful. His ability to be relatable yet technical, serious yet welcoming, hard working but relaxed - it is truly unprecedented.
A great engineer, leader, mentor, and a friend to have on our team. I loved the whole time I spent working under his leadership.
Friendly, practical 1:1 for developing students, engineers, and new or aspiring leads/managers.
You'll be surprised how much you're able to help yourself.
Let's figure it out!
For teams that want to build better games
with teams that last.
Many studios need this work only occasionally.
An outside perspective often makes honesty easier and reduces resistance to change.
Sometimes there are games.
Play matters - and some things deserve intention.