My name is Neal Enssle. And this is a blog filled with my thoughts and ramblings – mostly about managing programmers, engineers, developers, designers, and creative types. I also have a page where I have collected some of my favorite quotations about programming, leadership, productivity, design, and quality.

For over 15 years, I have been helping build and lead high-performing software engineering teams that deliver high-quality software in a healthy and balanced way. I have experience leading both day-to-day and strategic software development operations in product, services, and consulting organizations. I have experience managing multiple engineering (front-end, back-end, full-stack, platform) and user experience (UX) design teams in multiple locations (remote and offshore) simultaneously. My industry experience includes: trust and safety, fintech (payments), e-commerce, security, data, healthcare, marketing, education.

I have more than 20 years of professional experience in software engineering overall, and have been a passionate programmer in multiple languages including Ruby, JavaScript, ColdFusion, Java, and various flavors of SQL. My technical interests include “clean coding” techniques, refactoring patterns, and evolutionary architecture. While I continue to enjoy coding in my free time, I feel I am most effective in leadership roles.

I am results-driven and customer-focused. I believe that active listening and open communication can solve most problems. I believe that trust and feedback create positive results. I believe that mistakes provide opportunities for improvement and growth. I try to take a proactive, hands-on, and entrepreneurial approach to building collaboration across teams and organizations. My job is to be a catalyst: get the right folks together in a room; create a safe space for dialogue and innovation; foster consensus on goals; and help iterate toward attainable solutions.

For more about my management style and leadership philosophy, please see my manager README.

I currently serve as EVP of Engineering at Bend Health. I was, until recently, Senior Engineering Manager at Twitter, where I was responsible for leading a team focused on improving overall platform health by building a rules engine supporting anti-spam, anti-bullying, and anti-harassment prevention. (To be clear: With a very heavy heart, I resigned after Elon Musk successfully destroyed the company and the platform in less than a week).

In past lives I’ve worked in technical leadership roles at Recurly, LogRhythm, Rally Software, Foraker Labs, and Acxiom, with experience delivering high-quality software in diverse industries such as healthcare, education, marketing, transportation, security, e-commerce, and finance. A long time ago I was a history professor in training at the University of Chicago. For more career info, check out LinkedIn.

Perhaps most importantly, I’m happily married and the proud father of two pretty amazing youngsters. In my free time I enjoy long walks in the woods, reading, spending time with friends and family, and the occasional romp through Skyrim. I used to volunteer on the Board of Directors at Flagstaff Academy, where the kids attended school. I also generally try to help my amazing wife shine as a special-education teacher in the St. Vrain Valley School District. The four of us, along with Oliver the cat, live in sunny Longmont, Colorado.

If you want to get in touch, hit me on email, Twitter, or Mastadon. Take a look at LinkedIn or ask me for a resume if you think we should work together!