Know Your North Star

In tech, we spend so much time talking about strategy, roadmaps, frameworks, execution. All important. All part of the work. But none of it really means anything unless you understand what’s guiding you underneath it all.

Your North Star.

For me, it’s simple. It has always been the same: helping people bring their ideas to life.
That’s the thread. It’s the thing that’s pulled me through every chapter of my career, every team I’ve joined, every community I’ve been lucky enough to be part of.

It’s why I care so deeply about developer experience. It’s why open source matters to me. It’s why teaching, mentoring, and lifting up new builders feels like home. And honestly, it’s why even during the most chaotic stretches of leadership, I never feel lost. Because the direction is already set.

A real North Star answers the tough questions before you even ask them.

When things collide

And they do. Always. Timelines, personalities, shifting priorities — every org with ambition has friction. Every leader eventually ends up choosing between options that all feel imperfect.

In those moments, I ask myself one thing:

Will this help someone do their best work and help others bring their ideas to life?

That choice is rarely the easiest one. But it’s always the right one. And people feel it. They know when decisions come from a place of care for the team. That’s how trust builds. That’s how momentum starts.

When the world moves fast

This industry moves at a speed that’s hard to describe unless you’ve lived in it. Frameworks evolve. Companies reorganize. Doors open and close. A North Star doesn’t slow anything down — it steadies you inside all that motion.

Whenever a new opportunity shows up, I ask myself something simple:
Does this help me help others build?

If the answer is no, it’s not my path. If the answer is yes, I’m all in.

When you lead

Leadership isn’t really that complicated. It can be really hard, but it’s not complicated. It’s human. People want to know what you stand for. They want to know what guides your choices so they can trust where you’re going.

A North Star makes you consistent. Not rigid — steady.
People can feel that. They relax. They focus. That’s when you stop being a group of individuals and start being a team.

Finding yours

Your North Star won’t come from a whiteboard session or a brainstorm. It’s the thing that keeps showing up in your life before you’ve named it.

Pay attention to what energizes you, even on the tough days.
Pay attention to the work that feels like alignment instead of effort.
Pay attention to the moments you come back to again and again.

That’s it. That’s the thing you’ve been orbiting.

Mine

Helping people bring their ideas to life.
It’s the purpose behind every team I’ve led, every engineer I’ve mentored, every talk I’ve given, every risk I’ve taken.

It’s my North Star.
Find yours.
Let it shape the way you build, lead, and live.