The Bellamy Letter

Real-world leadership insights for tech industry managers navigating new teams, big transitions, and higher expectations.

The ONE Hiring Mistake You Keep Making (and How to Fix It)

You hired someone who checked every box. They had the experience. They knew the tools. They interviewed well. On paper, they were exactly what you needed. But six months in, something's off. They struggle to recover when things go sideways. They avoid hard conversations. They wait for clear dire...

Jun 06, 2026

When Being Capable Starts Working Against You

The pressure most leaders feel has less to do with workload, and more to do with dependency. Most leaders do not burn out in a single moment. There is rarely a dramatic breaking point or a clear line where everything suddenly becomes too much. More often, the strain slowly and steadily builds. Le...

Jun 06, 2026

How strong leaders accidentally slow their teams down

Leadership wasn’t meant to feel like this... Most leaders don’t set out to become the bottleneck. In fact, it usually happens with the best intentions. You want things done well. You want to protect the team from unnecessary friction. You want to keep momentum moving. So when something is unclear...

Jun 06, 2026

If You Stepped Away, Would Your Team Stay Aligned?

Why Good Teams Slip Out of Alignment Most teams don’t fall apart in dramatic ways. There’s rarely a single moment where everything breaks. More often, things just start to feel harder than they should. Progress slows. Conversations repeat themselves. You find yourself clarifying expectations that...

Jun 05, 2026

What Most Teams Get Wrong About New Year Planning

Why changing the plan is easier than changing what makes the plan succeed. Why New Year planning so often lock teams into last year’s patterns January is when most leaders run the same play. They look back at what didn’t quite work last year.They look ahead at what has to be different this year.A...

Jun 05, 2026

Why the First Week Back Always Feels Harder Than It Should

How Teams Actually Hit the Ground Running The first few days back after the holidays can feel brutal. If you were lucky, you got some real distance from work.Time with family.A slower pace.Maybe a trip, a few workouts, a movie, a football game, or just the rare experience of not constantly thinki...

Jun 05, 2026

Quarter-End Isn’t the Moment for Big Conclusions

Why Timing Matters More Than Insight at Quarter-End The Quarter Is Ending. Don’t Rush the Meaning. There’s a particular kind of pressure that shows up right now. For many people leaders, today feels like a scramble.Quarter-end targets. Commitments made weeks ago. Final pushes. Last checks. Last c...

Jun 05, 2026

Being a Manager Isn’t the Same as Being a Leader

You’re Doing the Right Things, but Something Still Feels Off Here’s a question every people leader should ask themselves, honestly: Why are you doing this? Why did you choose to become a manager instead of staying an expert individual contributor? For many leaders, this question has never really ...

Jun 05, 2026

Why Leadership Feels Heavier Than It Should

When Your Managers Are Guessing, Leadership Gets Heavier Good managers don’t fail because they lack talent.They fail because they’re guessing. I see this most often right after a manager takes on a bigger role. More scope. More people. More visibility. They’re capable, motivated, and working hard...

Jun 05, 2026

Why You Keep Cleaning Up Manager Messes

Capable Managers Still Need Structure Good managers don’t fail because they lack talent.They fail because they are guessing. When expectations are not clear, the senior leader ends up doing the cleanup. You’ve seen this pattern more than once: a manager steps into a bigger role. They want to prov...

Jun 05, 2026

Why Senior Leaders Are Stretched Thin: Your Managers Aren’t Aligned Upward

Why Your Best Managers Still Need Direction Imagine a manager who just stepped into a new role. They’re capable. They care. They want to prove they can handle more. They walk in determined to make a strong first impression. So, they try to figure things out on their own. They guess at priorities ...

Jun 05, 2026

What Managers Really Need in Their First 90 Days (A One-Year Lookback)

A One-Year Reflection on the Moment That Shapes a Manager’s Entire Career I’ve now been writing this newsletter every week for a full year. What started as a practice has quietly become a ritual, one that has taught me more about leadership than I ever expected. Through all the drafts, conversati...

Jun 04, 2026

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