Show notes
đď¸ Whatâs really happening inside your engineering org?In this episode of the Mob Mentality Show, we sit down with Philip Borlin, Director of Engineering and advocate for lean thinking, mobbing, and team capability building, to uncover how Gemba Walks, smaller batch sizes, and healthy team nudges reveal the actual state of your tech organizationânot just what reports say.We explore how leaders can stop flying blind and start leading based on facts from the field.đ Topics Covered:â
Gemba Walks (Japanese term meaning âgo to the real placeâ):Why your assumptions about how work gets done are probably wrongHow spending even one hour a week in the mob or at the code level changes everythingThe myth of managing solely through middle managersWhy high-fidelity information beats filtered reportingRemote-friendly adaptations: mobbing, Lean coffees, and async insight gatheringâ
Mobbing (also known as ensemble programming):How mobbing surfaces capability gaps and builds shared understandingGrowing capabilities without enforcing rigid standardsReal stories of capability fire drills, single points of failure, and org fragilityâLow and slowâ growth as the only sustainable path to true skill development?â
Fixing Batch Size and WIP (Work In Progress):How large batches lead to delivery waste, delays, and bugsThe surprising power of reducing ticket size to unlock flowSocratic coaching at stand-ups to improve team work slicingGiving permission to drop non-priority work and focus only on what mattersâ
Building a Learning Culture:Why capability resilience > retaining every team member foreverUsing ânudgesâ and peer pressure the right wayInvesting in bright spots without ignoring skepticsCultivating environments where psychological safety and growth feed off each otherđĄ Whether youâre a Director of Engineering, Tech Lead, Agile Coach, or Software Engineer, this episode gives you practical ways to lead with clarity, scale team capability, and build resilience into your orgâs DNA.đ§ Subscribe now so you donât miss the drop:đ https://www.mobmentalityshow.com/Video and Show Notes: https://youtu.be/bFMD0AsVDUA

