Hosted by
Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke
Building in the Enterprise
Every engineering leader has been there. Your team wants the freedom to try new tools, adopt new frameworks, and build in ways that make sense to them. But leadership needs consistency, security, and cost control. So… who’s right? In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke unpack how to balance developer autonomy with organizational alignment. It’s not about locking everything down, nor is it about letting every team go rogue. It’s about knowing where freedom fuels innovation and where centralization prevents chaos. Whether you’re managing three engineers or three hundred, this episode delivers actionable insights for engineering leaders looking to optimize for both speed and stability.
Most advice about leadership transitions is sugarcoated: “Trust the process, be patient, focus on people.” While that’s not wrong, it’s not the whole story. In this candid episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke break through the noise to talk about what actually matters when you step into a new role: defining success metrics, proving yourself with early wins, and building credibility fast. Leadership transitions are less about theory and more about execution, and the way you handle those first 90 days can set the tone for years to come.
Metrics aren’t the problem. You are. For years, engineers have hated metrics, but what if the real issue isn’t the numbers… it’s how they’re used? In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke dig into why many engineers roll their eyes at metrics, the traps leaders fall into when measuring productivity, and how to shift the conversation toward continuous improvement. They challenge conventional thinking, arguing that metrics can transform engineering culture if leaders stop using them as surveillance tools. They break down how to measure without micromanaging, why team-level data beats individual stats, and how metrics can expose, not punish, weak spots in your delivery process.
“Should junior devs still learn the fundamentals if AI can write the code for them?” That’s one of the real questions Duncan and Jason tackle in this episode of Tech Council. They get honest about what AI is actually changing in engineering management, and what’s just hype. They dive into how teams are adapting, what mentorship looks like when everyone has an AI assistant, and why outcomes matter way more than implementations. If you manage a team or work on one, this episode will shift how you think about leading in a tech space that’s moving fast.
Monoliths or microservices? It’s one of the most hotly debated decisions in software engineering, and in this episode of Tech Council, Duncan and Jason lay it all out. They challenge the hype around microservices and explain why monoliths should be the default starting point for most teams. With Conway’s Law as a backdrop, they show how internal team communication patterns shape your system’s architecture, whether you like it or not. You'll also hear when it's actually time to break things up, and why Service-Oriented Architecture deserves a second look. It’s a must-listen for anyone scaling tech systems while trying to keep complexity under control.
Every engineering team pays a tax. The question is: how much? In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke spotlight the unspoken, underestimated cost of audit prep, compliance checklists, and spreadsheet-driven project tracking - the administrative tax. Administrative tax is the accumulation of compliance requirements, audit demands, spreadsheet sprawl, and redundant manual workflows that keep smart people from doing the work they were actually hired to do. If you’re a CTO or engineering leader aiming to operationalize strategy while scaling cleanly, this episode offers a data-driven roadmap.
“10x engineers? Probably jerks.” Jason and Duncan aren’t mincing words in this episode of Tech Council. They’re calling BS on the myth of the superhuman engineer and making a case for the everyday professionals who care deeply, collaborate well, and raise the bar for everyone else. This one’s for team leads, CTOs, and senior devs who want to build organizations where great work doesn’t depend on unicorns. Hit play and rediscover the power of normal engineers.
How do you go from launching apps to leading platforms? This week on Tech Council, Duncan sits down with Chris Boyd—a mobile dev veteran turned platform engineering leader—to talk about what changes when your team grows, your stack evolves, and your priorities shift. They talk React Native, metrics, AI, leadership, and what it takes to balance product demands with long-term engineering health. Chris is also on the verge of launching something new—so you’ll get a peek behind the curtain of what’s next in agent development. Hit play. This one’s packed.
When teams struggle with misalignment, vague responsibilities, or clashing priorities, it’s often not a talent issue—it’s a clarity issue. In this episode of Tech Council, Jason Ehmke and Duncan Mapes go deep into one powerful tool that solves these problems at the root: team charters. They begin by breaking down what a team charter actually is—beyond the corporate buzzword—and why it’s more than just a document. It’s a living agreement that shapes team culture, defines roles, and holds people accountable. From their own leadership experience, Jason and Duncan share the impact a well-defined charter can have on team dynamics, trust, and output. They unpack the process of building a team charter from scratch: who should be involved, how to navigate personalities and power plays, and how to evolve it as your team grows. Whether you're leading an engineering org, onboarding new members, or trying to realign a project that's lost steam, this episode will help you build stronger foundations.
Ownership and leadership are more than buzzwords—they're the backbone of successful software teams. In this episode, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke examine how to foster responsibility without micromanagement and lead with purpose in tech. Expect insights into managing trade-offs, building trust, and creating systems where autonomy thrives. The conversation covers leadership transitions, empowering teams, and ensuring standards don’t slip in the name of speed. If you're striving for balance between freedom and structure in your team, this is the conversation you need.
Software development is rarely straightforward. Even with experienced teams and the best intentions, projects still miss deadlines, fail to meet expectations, or get abandoned altogether. In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke explore why that happens—and what teams can do differently. They dig into the importance of real-time feedback, managing scope, and maintaining healthy communication between engineering and business units. Learn how to align vision, reduce cognitive overload, and create urgency without panic. Whether you're leading software projects or embedded in the code, these insights will help you understand where things go wrong—and how to fix them before it’s too late.
In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke break down the ethical, technical, and human implications of AI in software development. From workflow automation to code generation and performance tracking, AI is changing the landscape—but not always in the ways you’d expect.
What kind of season is your organization in—wartime or peacetime? In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke dig into the organizational cycle and how it shapes everything from decision-making to developer priorities. Whether your team is scaling fast, navigating a downturn, or recalibrating after a sprint-heavy phase, understanding the moment your company is in is critical to doing the right work at the right time. This conversation moves beyond theory to give tactical insight into how engineers, managers, and technical leaders can adapt to different phases of organizational life. From maintaining operational stability to responding to layoffs, Jason and Duncan explore how visibility, communication, and standard-setting influence the success of both the team and the business.
What does value creation really look like in software development teams? In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke cut through the buzzwords to explore what it means to actually create value—beyond features, deliverables, and code. Drawing from deep experience in both startups and large-scale enterprises, they unpack how developer autonomy, organizational clarity, and curiosity in conversation all shape the outcomes we build. From navigating enterprise bureaucracy to leveraging metrics with intention, Duncan and Jason discuss the hidden costs of unclear direction, the difference between shipping fast and shipping smart, and why thoughtful questions can often do more than rigid plans. They reflect on the tension between progress and technical debt, how to design for adaptability, and why understanding the why behind the work can make all the difference
Enterprise tech loves a good debate—and this one’s been simmering for years: Should you go serverless or double down on Kubernetes? In this episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Ehmke break down what it actually looks like to make that decision in a real-world engineering org. No hype, no buzzwords—just decades of experience navigating cloud complexity at scale. They dig into where serverless shines, why Kubernetes is still around (and still useful), and how to stop making decisions based on ego and start making them based on outcomes. Expect strong opinions, practical advice, and a few hard truths about infrastructure no one wants to admit. Whether you're scaling a new product or managing legacy workloads, this episode will help you better understand the trade-offs—and how to pick the right tool for your actual goals. 🎧 New episodes drop weekly. Subscribe and join the conversation as we rethink what it means to lead in enterprise tech.
Enterprise environments are complex — full of people, processes, politics, and change. In this first episode of Tech Council, Duncan Mapes and Jason Emkhe dig into the hard-earned lessons of leading change inside large tech organizations. From stakeholder dynamics and reputation capital to the tension between moving fast and asking permission, this episode gets real about what it actually takes to drive meaningful progress in enterprise tech. Expect unscripted insights, battle-tested stories, and candid conversations drawn from years of experience navigating big orgs. Whether you're building software, leading a team, or shaping strategy at scale, this episode will sharpen how you think and act as a tech leader. 🎧 New episodes drop every week. Hit Subscribe and join the conversation as we challenge assumptions and reimagine what it means to lead in enterprise tech.
Welcome to Tech Council — the podcast where enterprise tech isn’t just buzzwords and boardroom talk. Hosts Duncan Mapes and Jason Emkhe cut through the noise with real, unscripted conversations about tech strategy, system architecture, and the everyday decisions that tech leaders face inside massive organizations. If you’ve ever found yourself navigating the chaos of scaling software, debating design trade-offs, or rethinking how your org actually works, this podcast is for you.