Building Trust and Psychological Safety in Engineering Teams I Brandon Rockhold

In this episode of the 40% Better podcast, Bill Lennan sits down with Brandon Rockhold, VP Engineering at Aquia, to explore the principles of effective leadership, psychological safety, trust, emotional intelligence, and building high-performing technology teams. Brandon shares his journey from software engineering to leadership and explains how he stepped into management to protect and strengthen a team culture he deeply valued. The conversation explores why low ego and high support environments help teams collaborate, learn, and perform at their best. They also discuss how leaders can build trust by leading by example, creating psychological safety, embracing vulnerability, and recognizing their own emotional reactions before responding. Brandon shares practical insights on handling difficult conversations, staying calm under pressure, developing patience, and creating space between stimulus and response. The episode also dives into the idea of unconscious competencies and how leaders can identify the skills people naturally excel at, break those skills down into teachable parts, and help others develop them. Bill and Brandon discuss curiosity, self-awareness, confidence, continuous learning, servant leadership, and how technology leaders can reduce friction so their teams can do their best work. Key topics covered: * Brandon Rockhold's journey from software engineer to VP Engineering * How to build psychological safety within technology teams * Why low ego and high support create high-performing teams * Building trust through consistent leadership and leading by example * The role of vulnerability in effective leadership * Emotional intelligence and managing reactions under pressure * How to handle heated conversations and difficult situations * The importance of patience, curiosity, and active listening * Understanding unconscious competencies and making skills teachable * Building confidence as a new engineering leader * Creating a culture of continuous learning * Servant leadership and reducing friction for your team * Stoicism and the space between stimulus and response * Self-awareness and identifying where you lack confidence * How leaders can help people unlock their strengths and potential If you are an engineering leader, technology executive, manager, software engineer, or aspiring leader looking to improve your leadership skills, build stronger teams, and create a culture where people feel safe to learn and contribute, this conversation offers practical insights you can apply immediately. Guest: Brandon Rockhold VP Engineering @ Aquia Connect with Brandon Rockhold on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-rockhold/ #Leadership #EngineeringLeadership #TechnologyLeadership #PsychologicalSafety #EmotionalIntelligence #EngineeringManagement #ServantLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #SoftwareEngineering #HighPerformingTeams I hope you enjoy this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Bill and the 40 % Better podcast team Connect with Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wblennan/ Visit the 40 Percent Better website here: https://40pb.com/ Listen to 40 % Better on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qkqdMPkR9BqYPM7UPa4P0 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40%25-better---engineering-leadership/id1709546347 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01ad162e-7a33-4df4-8c29-04c4af0405fc/40-better---engineering-leadership #40PercentBetter #BillLennan #Leadership #TeamPerformance #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #BusinessGrowth #Kaizen #EngineeringLeadership #Coaching The 40% Better podcast with Bill Lennan unlocks previously unheard-of performance levels in teams and leaders. Bill Lennan, founder of 40 Percent Better, interviews experts on employee engagement, psychological safety, engineering leadership, and actionable mental models. Learn how to foster high-performing teams,...