You don’t need a manager to grow—what you need is someone who’s got your back.
At Media Distillery, one of our core values is autonomy. We believe that empowered individuals make better decisions, grow faster, and ultimately build better products. But what does autonomy look like in practice—and how do you support it without leaving people to figure things out entirely on their own?
One of the ways we’ve answered that question is through our buddy system: a lightweight but powerful framework that helps our team support each other’s development in a more intentional, peer-driven way.
As Media Distillery has grown, we found ourselves at a crossroads. Like many scaling companies, we began to feel the limits of a flat structure. Some of our team leads, including our CTO, were stretched thin. They were juggling hands-on technical work, strategy, and a growing number of direct reports. As a result, some team members weren’t getting the coaching or developmental feedback they needed.
We discussed hiring full-time managers. But that raised a deeper question: did we really want to add another layer of hierarchy? Or could we find a better way? One that stayed true to our value of autonomy and got away from checking boxes, moving instead towards real, useful conversations.
We’d experimented with a buddy system in the past, but it hadn’t fully stuck. This time, we reintroduced it with a clearer purpose: helping people take ownership of their own development, with the support of a trusted peer.
We paired the relaunch with new training around personal development planning (PDPs). Everyone in the company is now encouraged to reflect on their goals and challenges, document their growth plan, and choose a buddy to support them through it.
Buddies can be peers at the same level or someone more senior. Some people even have multiple buddies for different goals. For example, one buddy to discuss product thinking, and another to help improve communication skills or code quality.
There are no set rules for how often you meet your buddy, or exactly what you work on when you do get together. Some pairs check in weekly, others monthly. What matters is that it works for them.
As Head of People, I also have buddies, although they’re mostly outside the company, since I’m the only one in my role internally. Autonomy doesn’t mean going it alone; it means being thoughtful about the support you need and finding the right people to help you grow.
The Impact: Stronger People, Smarter Products
Helping our people grow is very important to us, but we’re also looking beyond personal development because the buddy system is also helping us to build better experiences for our customers.
When someone sharpens their communication skills through mentoring, it improves collaboration across teams. When a junior developer gets timely feedback from a peer, they level up faster and write more maintainable code. And when team members feel in control of their own growth, they’re more engaged. All that positive energy shows up in the products we deliver.
We’ve also made the buddy system part of our promotion process. If someone wants to move from junior to a more senior role, they’re expected to pitch for the role using their PDP. Their buddy often acts as a sponsor, vouching for their progress.
Mutual growth, improved communication, greater clarity and focus, a rewarding experience. Here’s how a few of our team members have described their first steps in the buddy system:
“Having a colleague that can provide an accountability anchor and someone to soundboard growth initiatives with is very nourishing for me.”
— Alba
“I think it's great that I get to mentor Alex and do pair programming or look through parts of the platform together. I think that helps Alex get more familiar with certain aspects of our platform but also helps me improve my communication skills!”
— Chronis
“Our sessions have been really helpful, especially when my vision for future roles or tasks in the company isn’t clear. They help me stay more focused on my work and responsibilities.”
— Gulper
“It's been a very positive experience for me. Feels really good to share my knowledge with someone who can really benefit from it, and it's very rewarding to see him grow in his role.”
— Mathijs
We’ve now been operating the newest version of our buddy system for over half a year, and it’s continuing to evolve. We’re going to keep checking-in with the team to see how it’s going and how we can refine it further. For us, success isn’t about having a perfect system on paper. It’s about helping people feel more in control of their development and making sure they don’t have to wait for a manager to tell them when and how to grow.
Just like our technology, our culture is something we build, test, and improve over time. The buddy system is one of the ways we’re doing that, by turning autonomy from an abstract value into a practical, human experience.
And when our people grow, our customers benefit. That’s a win for everyone.
If you'd like to learn more about what drives us at Media Distillery, visit our About Us page to explore our values in action. Curious about what it’s like to work here? Head over to our Jobs page for a behind-the-scenes look at our team—and to keep an eye on future opportunities.
June 16, 2025
