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IN THIS SECTION, YOU WILL: Understand how to apply ideas from David Marquet’s work and Netflix’s valued behaviors to develop architects’ leadership traits.

KEY POINTS:

  • My view of architecture leadership is inspired by David Marquet’s work and Netflix’s valued behaviors.
  • Marquet emphasized the principles of Intent-Based Leadership.
  • Borrowing from Netflix’s original values, I see communication, judgment, impact, inclusion, selflessness, courage, integrity, curiosity, innovation, and passion as crucial for architects.


“A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential.” –Brené Brown



My view of architecture leadership is shaped by two strong influences: David Marquet’s leadership principles and the Netflix Culture Memo.

In the structure of this book, leadership is what allows architectural skill and impact to scale beyond the individual. Grounded Architecture depends on influence without constant central control, so leadership here is less about authority and more about creating clarity, ownership, and better decisions in others.

Marquet emphasizes several ideas that are especially relevant for architects:

  • Empowering everyone: It’s about giving people at every level the authority to make decisions.
  • Clarity of intent: Clearly communicating intent helps everyone stay aligned.
  • Decentralized decision-making: Letting teams make their own calls fosters ownership and accountability.
  • Servant leadership: Supporting others in their growth is crucial.
  • Continuous improvement: Always looking for ways to get better keeps innovation alive.

Netflix complements this with a behavioral model for leadership that extends well beyond formal management. Its emphasis on judgment, curiosity, courage, and candid feedback maps naturally to architectural work.

Together, these perspectives form a practical framework for modern architecture leadership: cross-functional influence, clarity in complexity, and leadership without dependence on hierarchy.

Architecture Leadership Figure 1: Architecture rests on three key pillars: skills, impact, and leadership. Without that leadership element, even the most skilled architects can feel stuck, struggling to scale their influence or drive meaningful change within their organizations.

David Marquet’s Work: The Leader-Leader Model

One of the most useful leadership concepts for architects is David Marquet’s Leader-Leader approach. Rather than concentrating authority at the top, it distributes responsibility and invites initiative across the team.

At its core, the model assumes that everyone can lead. The point is not to remove accountability, but to build a culture in which people take ownership, speak up, and act with intent.

Image by Caiaimage/Martin Barraud from iStock

For architects, this means stepping away from being the default answer to every question. The role shifts toward facilitating, coaching, and mentoring while still guiding architectural direction.

Building a Collaborative Culture

The Leader-Leader model supports inclusion, accountability, and creativity. When people are expected to contribute rather than wait for permission, teams become more resilient and more capable.

“I Intend To”: A Small Phrase with Big Impact

In Leadership Is Language, Marquet stresses that language shapes behavior. His phrase “I intend to” replaces passive, permission-seeking language with explicit ownership.

It is a small linguistic shift with large practical consequences.

“I have found the phrase ‘I intend to’ to be a powerful catalyst for positioning architecture work.”

Figure 2: Leadership language, based on Intent-Based Leadership by David Marquet.

When architects use this language consistently, they reinforce a culture of clarity, initiative, and mutual accountability.

Applying Leader-Leader Thinking in Architecture and Engineering

The Leader-Leader model is practical, especially in engineering environments:

  • Empowering Teams in Agile Environments
    In Agile teams, everyone has a seat at the table when it comes to decision-making. Developers, testers, and product owners collaborate to contribute meaningfully, rather than simply following orders.

  • Cross-Functional DevOps Collaboration
    DevOps fosters a culture of ownership throughout the product lifecycle. Teams manage everything from development to deployment, which aligns perfectly with the Leader-Leader philosophy.

  • Driving Continuous Improvement
    DevOps also emphasizes learning through iteration. Instead of leaders controlling every decision, they coach their teams to improve through feedback loops, retrospectives, and experimentation.

  • Mentorship as Leadership
    Senior architects can take on a mentoring role, guiding junior members through architectural challenges while empowering them to make their own decisions and grow in confidence.

  • Community-Driven Leadership in Open Source
    Open-source projects demonstrate that leadership can be earned through contribution, not titles. Teams collaborate openly, review code together, and make decisions as a unified group—another great example of distributed authority.

  • Autonomy in Microservices Architecture
    Teams have ownership of their services from design to deployment and support. They can make decisions independently but work together for overall success.

  • “You Build It, You Run It” Service Ownership
    Teams that adopt this philosophy take responsibility for the long-term quality and reliability of their work, which fosters pride in ownership and motivates ongoing improvement.

Leader-Leader Model: Final Thoughts

The Leader-Leader model gives architects a practical way to lead through clarity, coaching, and empowerment rather than control. It turns architecture leadership into the work of amplifying other people’s capability.

In that environment, architects are not just decision-makers. They are multipliers.


Netflix’s Valued Behaviors: A Guide for Architecture Leadership

The Netflix Culture Memo strongly influences how I coach and develop architects. If Marquet provides the leadership mindset, Netflix provides a useful behavioral model.

Its values, especially judgment, curiosity, courage, and selflessness, are highly relevant in architecture, where influence matters more than positional authority.

Image by chaiyon021/Martin Barraud from iStock


Below is a concise version of these behaviors, reordered for architectural work.

Communication

At the heart of effective architecture is clear and thoughtful communication. Architects thrive when they can break down complex ideas, actively listen, and adapt to different audiences.

  • Be concise and articulate in both writing and speaking.
  • Listen actively and aim to understand before jumping in with your thoughts.
  • Keep your cool under pressure—this fosters clarity and calm.
  • Tailor your communication style for multicultural and multilingual settings.

Judgment

Architects often step in when things get tricky or decisions are hard to make. Having sound judgment is absolutely essential.

  • Use data to back up your intuition, blending analysis with your experience.
  • Make wise decisions even when the situation is ambiguous.
  • Dig deep to identify root causes instead of just scratching the surface.
  • Think about the long-term impact rather than chasing short-term gains.
  • Be strategic in your thinking and communicate your priorities clearly.

Impact

Architecture must deliver real business value, not just elegant designs.

  • Focus on delivering substantial, high-value work.
  • Raise the performance of those around you consistently.
  • Always prioritize outcomes over the process.
  • Your work should be reliable and trusted by both peers and leaders.

Inclusion

Good architects lead across various teams, disciplines, and cultures. Making everyone feel included helps foster collaboration and leads to better decisions.

  • Team up with people from different backgrounds and experiences.
  • Embrace diverse viewpoints to strengthen your ideas.
  • Evaluate others based on talent and values, not just similarities.
  • Stay curious about how different backgrounds shape work, instead of brushing those differences aside.

Selflessness

Leadership in architecture often requires putting ego aside and choosing what is best for the organization.

  • Always put the company’s success ahead of personal accolades.
  • Be open and share knowledge and information freely.
  • Invest time in helping others succeed.
  • Be open to the best idea, no matter who it comes from.

Courage

Architects sometimes need to make difficult and unpopular calls. Courage matters because influence is meaningless if it disappears under pressure.

  • Speak up when it’s for the greater good, even if it feels uncomfortable.
  • Don’t shy away from challenging the status quo when it’s necessary.
  • Make tough decisions efficiently.
  • Take thoughtful risks, even knowing failure is a possibility.
  • Stand firm for your core values, even when under pressure.
  • Be willing to be vulnerable to pursue truth and clarity.

Integrity

Trust is everything. Your influence as an architect hinges on your credibility, transparency, and ethical consistency.

  • Be known for your honesty, humility, and authenticity.
  • Say only what you’d feel comfortable saying face-to-face with someone.
  • Own up to your mistakes openly.
  • Treat everyone with respect and fairness, no matter their status or opinion.

Curiosity

Because technology changes quickly, architects need sustained curiosity to keep their guidance relevant.

  • Learn quickly and proactively.
  • Look for connections across systems, domains, and ideas.
  • Seek out alternative perspectives.
  • Engage with areas beyond your core specialty to get a broader understanding.

Innovation

Curiosity fuels learning; innovation turns learning into impact. Architects should champion pragmatic innovation rather than novelty for its own sake.

  • Generate new ideas that tackle real problems.
  • Strive for elegance by minimizing complexity.
  • Reframe problems to unlock new solutions.
  • Challenge assumptions to uncover better approaches.
  • Embrace change, using it as a launchpad for improvement.

Passion

Architects often serve as cultural role models. Passion helps sustain excellence, resilience, and momentum.

  • Inspire others through your commitment and enthusiasm.

Together, these behaviors create a practical leadership standard for architects who want to build trust, increase influence, and raise the bar around them.

This is the larger point for the manuscript as well. Architecture becomes durable when leadership is distributed, judgment is strengthened across teams, and people are empowered to act with shared intent. That is how an architecture practice grows beyond a few central experts and becomes part of how the organization works.


Questions to Consider

Use the following questions to reflect on how you lead, where your influence comes from, and how far it actually extends.

  • Reflect on the Leader-Leader model of leadership model in your work. How can you empower your team members and encourage them to take ownership of their work?
  • Have you acted as a facilitator, coach, or mentor as an architect? Can you share an example of when you gave team members guidance, support, or resources to achieve their goals?
  • How does the phrase “I intend to” resonate with your approach to architecture work? How can it change your perspective on taking the initiative and leading efforts?
  • How effective do you believe your communication skills are?
  • How can you foster an inclusive working environment as an architect? How do you nurture and embrace differing perspectives to make better decisions?
  • Reflect on a situation where you made a decision that was best for the organization rather than what was best for yourself or your group. What was the outcome?
  • Have you ever had to take an uncomfortable stance but in your organization’s best interest?
  • How do you maintain integrity as a trusted advisor in your organization? Can you share an example where your honesty, authenticity, and transparency were vital?
  • How have you maintained your curiosity in your role as an architect? Can you share an instance where your learning eagerness led to a significant outcome?
  • What innovative solutions have you created as an architect? How have these innovations benefitted your organization?
  • How do you inspire others with your passion for excellence? Can you share an instance where your optimism and tenacity led to a successful outcome?
On Being an Architect
On Being an Architect
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