Product-minded engineering and leadership authenticity ft. Johnny Austin, VP of Engineering at Upwell

In this episode of The Confident Commit, Rob Zuber sits down with Johnny Austin, VP of Engineering at Upwell, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to grow as an engineering leader. The conversation explores the critical distinction between making your team happy versus setting them up for long-term success, why the most impactful engineers are those who ask questions about the business and product rather than just technical implementation details, and how to effectively communicate context across multiple levels of an organization. Whether you're an early-career engineer learning to think beyond the code or a leader working to build teams that drive real business value, this episode delivers practical wisdom grounded in real-world challenges.Have someone you'd like to hear on the show? Reach out and let us know on X at @CircleCI!