About Mark Lambert

calendar Feb 28, 2019 · 3 min read  ·
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Mark Lambert sat at his workstation

Who I Am

I'm Mark Lambert, an Engineering Manager at Avayler (Halfords Group). I've spent 35+ years in IT, and I've never stopped being fascinated by how good teams build great software.

I started my journey on a ZX81 at school—that simple machine taught me something that still guides me today: the best work happens when people have clarity, support, and space to solve problems. I've spent decades refining that philosophy across roles ranging from developer to architect to manager.

Today, my mission is clear: build engineering cultures where developers thrive, delivery accelerates naturally, and quality is non-negotiable.

What I Do

As an Engineering Manager, I'm focused on:

  • Psychological Safety: Creating environments where people speak up, challenge ideas, and take smart risks
  • Technical Leadership: Bringing engineering credibility to management decisions
  • Coaching & Mentoring: Helping individual contributors grow into their potential
  • Systems Thinking: Building sustainable engineering practices, not just shipping features
  • Deliberate Improvement: Using data and reflection to improve continuously

I believe that high-performing teams don't just happen. They're built intentionally, through small decisions made consistently over time.

Why This Blog?

In my 35+ years, I've learned a lot about what works in engineering teams—and what doesn't. This blog exists to share those insights.

You'll find practical guidance on:

  • Engineering Management: Leading teams, managing performance, building culture
  • Software Development: AI-assisted development, deliberate practice, quality standards
  • Career Development: Building expertise, side projects, continuous learning
  • Operational Excellence: Tools, processes, and practices that actually improve delivery

Whether you're an individual contributor thinking about leadership, a newly promoted engineering manager, or an experienced leader looking to refine your approach, you'll find something useful here.

My Approach

I write about what actually works, not what sounds good in theory. You'll find:

  • Honest observations: About teams, culture, tools, and trade-offs
  • Practical frameworks: You can apply today, not MBA theory
  • Personal experience: From 35+ years in the industry
  • Respect for complexity: Real problems rarely have simple answers

I don't shy away from hard topics—AI adoption, vibe coding risks, hiring mistakes, or difficult feedback conversations. My goal is to help you make better decisions in your engineering organisation.

Beyond This Blog

When I'm not writing or managing teams, I'm building side projects—most notably, arcadeZOMBiE.uk, where I create simple games and tools in Angular. I also built a fully functional arcade machine from scratch, which taught me more about problem-solving and execution than any course ever could.

These side projects aren't hobbies—they're how I stay connected to the craft of building things, keep my technical skills sharp, and remember why engineering is magical.

Let's Connect

If this resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you. Whether you're working through a leadership challenge, building an engineering team, or just want to discuss engineering culture:

New to the blog? Start here:

Or explore the full blog archive to find posts by topic.

About This Site

This website is built with Hugo, hosted as a static site, and deployed with automated CI/CD. It's security-hardened, fast, and owned entirely by me. No WordPress vulnerabilities, no plugin bloat, no telemetry. Just clean, simple publishing focused on content quality.

If you're curious about the technical approach, read Why I Migrated to Static Site Generation.