Incrementally Better
Scaling is hard. Your business is finally getting somewhere but you're finding it harder to ship. Deciding what to do next and getting agreement takes longer than it used to.
It was easier when you did the work. It was more straightforward. Back then, the team took autonomy and got things done. Now you have teams under you to do the work. It is harder to get alignment and define clear priorities for upcoming projects. Delivery has become a struggle. As everything has slowed down, risks feel larger. If you only ship once a month you can't afford to ship the wrong things. You have to ship the right stuff. Everything takes more planning. More debate. More conflict. You now need to communicate more, and with more peers and teams. It doesn't feel like you're getting anywhere.
We work with tech orgs to improve leadership, culture, and ultimately, performance. With decades of leadership experience in technology orgs, we have a deep understanding of the challenges that startups and scaleups face. We know what is required to succeed in a fast-paced industry that requires constant iteration and collaboration.
We will lead change and level up your engineering practices to support a high performing team. We give you practical tools you can start using right away.
Would you like to learn more?
Drop us a line or book a chat with us to tell us about your situation and see if we are a fit.
As well as excellent attention to detail, quality of work and communication, the most surprising thing about working with Elle and Blackmill are the benefits you get in addition to the stated project or programme.
In our case this was a modelled interview process designed to be inclusive and objective but also efficient. I highly recommend working with Elle and Blackmill and would be happy to expand on this recommendation in person.
Stu Liston, Head of Engineering, Qantas Hotels
We share what we know, seek to learn more, and strive for continuous improvement.
Through our workshops, coaching, and community of practice we provide an empathetic sounding board for strategy implementation, encourage leaders to see other perspectives, and broaden their thoughts on a specific topic. We help them to identify gaps in their knowledge, improve their communication skills, add clarity to their messages, and overall become better leaders. Our approach and advice is tailored to the leader’s challenges and circumstances.
We help leaders foster a growth mindset for continuous improvement, and empower them to do their best work.
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Upcoming programs
Practical engineering culture
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Leading engineering teams for new managers (intensive)
4 x 2.5 hour sessions
From leadership styles, team culture, giving and receiving feedback, effective one-on-ones, mentoring, prioritisation, to balancing speed, quality, and technical debt, this workshop will provide you with the essential technical leadership skills that you can apply immediately, and will enable you to lead with empathy and confidence.
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Community of Practice
5 x 1.5 hour sessions
Our community of practice is an environment where leaders can come together, and feel safe to work on real challenges. Where leaders can reflect on their setbacks, share their challenges and experiences, and discuss best practices and new possibilities. These structured discussions emphasise exploratory collaborative problem-solving through reflection, enquiry, and deep listening.
Recent resources
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Managing up
Management is a two-way relationship that both the manager and the report should foster and invest in
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Lead with authority vs influence
Know the difference between leading by authority and leading by influence and learn which to use when.
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Monthly free office hours
Monthly free product, engineering, or business office hours with Elle and Lachlan