# Mini Episode | Growing Engineers with Goldilocks Challenges

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2023-02-03
- Length: 8m
- Episode: 5
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-02-03-mini-episode-growing-engineers-with-goldilocks-challenges
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/goldilocks-challenges/

## Summary

Aaron Moncur, founder of Pipeline Design & Engineering, explains the concept of "Goldilocks challenges" as a method for growing engineering teams. He uses analogies from Brazilian jiu-jitsu and teaching CAD to illustrate how tasks must be neither too easy nor too hard to foster growth. Moncur advises leaders to balance pushing engineers with psychological safety, ensuring they feel comfortable admitting when they are struggling.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-02-03-mini-episode-growing-engineers-with-goldilocks-challenges#t=0) Introduction to Goldilocks Challenges
- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-02-03-mini-episode-growing-engineers-with-goldilocks-challenges#t=0) The Muscle Growth Analogy
- [2:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-02-03-mini-episode-growing-engineers-with-goldilocks-challenges#t=177) Jiu-Jitsu and CAD Teaching Examples

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Pipeline Design & Engineering (company)
- CAD (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [How Soft Skills Drive High-Impact Engineering Teams w/ Aaron Moncur](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-08-26-how-soft-skills-drive-high-impact-engineering-teams-w-aaron-moncur) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [2024 christmas special](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2024-12-29-2024-christmas-special) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Creating Manufacturing Environments Where Engineers Can Thrive w/ Josh Tarbutton](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2025-12-02-creating-manufacturing-environments-where-engineers-can-thrive-w-josh-tarbutton) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Building Teams That Scale And What Happens When They Don't | Peloton, Meta, Blaze Talent | Will Blaze](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/tradeoffs/2026-04-13-building-teams-that-scale-and-what-happens-when-they-dont-peloton-meta-blaze-tal) (TRADEOFFS)
- [386: Not Managing Robots](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-09-02-386-not-managing-robots) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-02-03-mini-episode-growing-engineers-with-goldilocks-challenges. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Being an Engineer.