⛹️‍♀️ Burnout, Strategy, Biases, EDI Must Not Die, Johari Windows, Red Folders, NHIs, Time Management: TMW #395

Hello again, happy Monday from rainy Belfast!

The number of available Early Bird tickets for our upcoming CTO Craft Con: Berlin is now in single digits - this event, like the others we've run, will sell out, so if you're thinking about joining us for a couple of days of talks, networking, learning, laughter and much more, this is your chance to secure your spot at the lower price point. Get in quick!

Last week's issue of TMW included a poll asking about readers' experiences with burnout. A massive thanks to everyone who took part - below are the results:

As you can see, and as we expected here at CTO Craft, nearly 75% of responders had experienced burnout to the point of having to take a break from work. Those numbers are simultaneously expected and horrifying, and confirm a real issue in the world of technology leadership that we've seen in coaching, Circles, community conversations and elsewhere. We'd love to help if you're experiencing any of these issues, if you're struggling to get back on your feet post-burnout, or if you think you might be on the path to burning out - just drop me a reply to this email or hit me up in Slack, and I'll make time to help out.

Circles members especially have reported feeling less isolated and more supported while going through periods of great work stress - if you're interested in learning how being part of a group can help, leave us your details here and we'll get a call in the diary.

Until next week - on with the links!

Andy @ CTO Craft

Reads of the Week

Harvesting, Fishing, Panning for Gold

Different problems, different solutions

Stay SaaSyStay SaaSy

Author Q&A: Engineering Effectiveness to Business Outcomes

Thoughtworker Sachin Dharmapurikar discusses his new book that explores how to measure the impact of engineering work on business objectives.

ThoughtworksRichard Gall

Leadership, Strategy & Business

When to write strategy, and how much?

Even if you believe that strategy is generally useful, it is difficult to decide that today’s the day to start writing engineering strategy. When you do start writing strategy, it’s easy write so much strategy that your organization is overwhelmed and ignores your strategy rather than investing time into understanding it. Fortunately, these are universal problems, and there are a handful of useful mental models to avoid both extremes. This chapter covers:

Irrational Exuberance

Priorities Of A Great Engineering Leader

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to be the E2E owner of your domain. Your domain has clients, partners and counterparts (e.g…

MediumRoni Poyas

Uncovering Bias: How to Identify and Mitigate Systemic Issues

In this episode about uncovering bias, David Dye sits down with Binna Kandola to explore the impact on our thinking and decision-making.

Let's Grow LeadersDavid Dye

Cognitive Load Theory: Does it apply in software delivery?

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) has been cropping up a lot lately in software engineering leadership circles and is a central concept…

MediumSorrel Harriet, PhD

Work Enemies: Actions You Can Take to Protect Yourself From Bad Relationships

You won’t always get along with your co-workers. What can you do to protect yourself?

Scarlet InkDave Anderson

Culture, People & Teams

2024 report: Why EDI must not die | Druthers Search

The last three years have seen a global spotlight placed on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), leading to numerous promises made across the tech

Druthers SearchKirsty Trafford-Owen

The Attributes of High-performing Teams

An evidence review of the scientific literature on team performance

Human-Centric EngineeringJohn Durrant

How to Use a Window to Build Trust on a Team

Explore how a simple framework can unlock your team’s full potential.

The Software Engineering TimesRyan Murphy

How to ensure effective 1:1s

All of us have been there. You want to cancel your 1:1 with your manager because you do not know what to talk about or find it as just a…

Management MattersAlfred Timothy Lotho

CTO Craft Events

CTO Craft Con: Berlin | 24th - 25th September 2024

CTO Craft Con will bring together Chief Technology Officers and other senior technology leaders from the most exciting start-ups, scale-ups, unicorns, and big tech companies to elevate their engineering culture.

CTO Craft Con: Berlin 2024

CTO Craft: Conversations

Welcome to the launch of our newest event, CTO Craft: Conversations! Join us for a half-day of engaging discussions and networking opportunities designed specifically for CTOs and engineering leaders.

CTO Craft: Roundtables

Check out all of our upcoming Mixer events, including events in Edinburgh and Copenhagen in the coming weeks - is there one happening in your city soon?

Technology, Operations & Delivery

The Red File Folder

When an analog tool does a better job than a digital one!

Embracing AgilityDave Rooney

Engineer’s guide to convincing your Product Manager to prioritize technical debt

Aligning it with the business strategy and demonstrating its direct impact is the key!

Engineering LeadershipGregor Ojstersek

How our CTO feels about AI and the future of the developer role - Work Life by Atlassian

Discover how Atlassian’s founders view AI’s transformative impact on software development. Learn how AI enhances developer productivity and innovation.

Work Life by AtlassianRajeev Rajan

What Are Non-Human Identities and Why Do We Need Them? | Infisign

Not all users are human! Non-human identities (NHIs) are digital credentials for machines like servers and apps. They allow secure communication and access control between these automated systems, keeping your digital world running smoothly and securely.

InfisignLearn More

Stress, Wellbeing & Growth

Influences

How our experiences mark us

Fish Food for ThoughtMike Fisher

There is no right time. Just time and what you do with it.

How to thrive in imperfect conditions

ElevateAddy Osmani

10 Cognitive-behavioral Therapy Techniques for Effective Stress Management

Discover 10 cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques to effectively manage stress. Learn how CBT can help you develop coping strategies for a healthier, happier life.

AceShowbiz.comAceShowbiz Team

Time management techniques that actually work

Ten tactics I use every single day

Lenny's NewsletterLenny Rachitsky

About our Sponsors

A huge thanks to all our sponsors and partners, who make Tech Manager Weekly and the CTO Craft community possible:

AWS, Albany Partners, Code Climate, Coherence, Damilah, DoIT, Google Cloud, Jellyfish, Plandek, Skiller Whale, Softwire, Sema, Uplevel, Vention, YLD

If you're interested in sponsoring TMW or any of our events, drop us a line at partners@ctocraft.com.

That’s it!

If you’d like to be considered for the free CTO Craft Community, fill in your details here, and we’ll be in touch!

https://ctocraft.com/community

Please do remember to share this link if you know of anyone who’d like to receive TMW:

https://techmanagerweekly.com

Have an amazing week!

Andy