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🥪 Human Behaviour, Leading Like a Scientist, Audible Conflicts, Legacy Code Kryptonite, Upgrading Communication: TMW #427

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Thanks to Plandek for sponsoring this issue of Tech Manager Weekly - the smartest engineering metrics, analytics & mitigations to align and accelerate your software delivery​.

Hello, hello, hello!

This week, we delve into the intriguing intersection of human behaviour and effective leadership, exploring how understanding fundamental laws can transform your approach. We'll also take a look at the concept of leading like a scientist, encouraging a mindset that embraces uncertainty for better outcomes.

Beyond individual leadership, we'll be tackling the complexities of team dynamics, examining how to design organisations for constructive "audible conflicts" and navigate the ever-present challenge of legacy code – especially in light of new technologies like LLMs. On a practical note, you'll also see strategies for "upgrading your communication," a crucial skill for any successful manager.

There are two upcoming CTO Craft Bytes events in April, one in Manchester and one online - take a look below for more info, as well as how to get your subscriber discount for upcoming CTO Craft Con events.

That's it, see you next week!

Andy @ CTO Craft

CTO Craft Events

Here are all the upcoming CTO Craft Con events, along with your exclusive access code for discounted subscriber tickets - see you soon

CTO Craft Bytes: The Lean Tech Leadership Playbook - Maximum Impact with Minimum Resources | CTO Craft
Learn practical strategies for building high-performance engineering teams with Tim Benjamin of Softwire. Discover lean methodologies, MVP redefinition, flow optimisation, outcome-based development, key metrics, and AI’s role in scaling with limited resources.
CTO Craft
CTO Craft Virtual Bytes: Future-proof your IT Talent Acquisition Strategy in the Age of AI | CTO Craft
Join CTO Craft Virtual Bytes on April 30, 2025, for a fireside chat with Ash Gawthorp, Chief Academy Officer at Ten10, as we explore strategies for future-proofing your IT talent acquisition. Learn how to build a workforce ready to embrace AI and bridge the tech skills gap with innovative hiring models and a focus on continuous learning.
CTO Craft

Want to meet other TMW subscribers and CTO Craft Community members in your city? See all upcoming Mixers in cities around the world here.

Reads of the Week

Decoding human behavior: Laws every business leader should know
Effective leadership today transcends traditional notions of authority and control. It’s more about harnessing the power of human connection.
ThoughtworksFredrik Delin
The Software Engineering Identity Crisis - Annie Vella
Many of us became software engineers because we found our identity in building things. Not managing things. Not overseeing things. Building things. With our own hands, our own minds, our own code. But that identity is being challenged. AI coding assistants aren’t just changing how we write software - they’re fundamentally transforming who we are. We’re shifting from creators to orchestrators, from builders to overseers. From engineers to something that looks suspiciously like… managers.
Annie VellaAnnie Vella

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

Leadership, Strategy & Business

How to lead like a scientist
To lead like a scientist begins with a fundamentally different relationship with uncertainty. While leaders traditionally view uncertainty as a threat, research shows that teams that openly acknowledge what they don’t know consistently outperform those projecting false confidence.
Ness LabsAnne-Laure Le Cunff
Tradeoff costs in communication
If you work in software, and I say the word server to you, which do you think I mean? Software that responds to requests (e.g., http server) A physical piece of hardware (e.g., a box that sits in a…
Surfing ComplexityLorin Hochstein
How to get better at strategy?
One of the most memorable quotes in Arthur Miller’s The Death of a Salesman comes from Uncle Ben, who describes his path to becoming wealthy as, “When I was seventeen, I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich.” I wish I could describe the path to learning engineering strategy in similar terms, but by all accounts it’s a much slower path. Two decades in, I am still learning more from each project I work on. This book has aimed to accelerate your learning path, but my experience is that there’s still a great deal left to learn, despite what this book has hoped to accomplish.
Irrational Exuberance
Knowing where your engineer salary comes from
How tech companies make money and why it’s important
sean goedecke

Culture, People & Teams

Design Your Organization for the Conflicts You Want to Hear About
Organization design seems a popular topic these days. Maybe it’s the downturn. Maybe it’s just planning season. But either way, many people are asking me questions about how to design their organizations for 2025 and beyond. Questions like: The argument … Continue reading →
KellblogDave Kellogg
Evolving annual reteaming at Redgate
How we’ve adapted our approach to reteaming to be more dynamic and efficient, and retained the good stuff
Ingeniously SimpleChris Smith
The 25 Year Old Architect Problem
Architects with 25 years of experience are being drowned out by 25 years olds with no experience of architecture.
The Curious TechnologistJames Sperring
The Best Programmers I Know | Matthias Endler
I have met a lot of developers in my life. Late…
Matthias EndlerMatthias Endler

Technology, Operations & Delivery

How does Netflix manage to show you a movie without interruptions?
A deep dive in the Netflix systems architecture.
Tech World With Milan NewsletterDr Milan Milanović
LLMs Are Kryptonite for Legacy Code (But Don’t Let Them Touch It)
There’s a myth floating around that large language models (LLMs) like sonnet or gpt are mainly good for greenfield, one-off projects. It’s true they’re fanta…
the scapegoat dev
As a metaphor and practice, technical debt is holding us back
Ward Cunningham’s concept of technical debt should forever be held in high esteem. His easy-to-understand metaphor unlocked meaningful discussions on the risks and impact of technical trade-offs in software development. It enabled the expression of ideas and concerns many technologists had previously struggled to convey. Its positive impacts over
Computers & PeopleMartin Hertz
LLMs are Dissolving & Creating Work | #288
I’ve had a weird experience over the last month.
Pathless by Paul MillerdPaul Millerd

Stress, Wellbeing & Growth

Your Strengths Are Your Weaknesses
The qualities you value most in engineers are also creating your biggest problems. Here’s how to handle this paradox.
Terrible Software
How to develop a Senior mindset
5 specific real-world examples of the difference between Junior and Senior mindset!
Engineering LeadershipGregor Ojstersek
Time Management
10 Ways to Take Ownership of Your Time
Fish Food for ThoughtMike Fisher
Writing and Speaking Clearly and Concisely - Upgrading Your Communication
Communicating takes practice and skill. Learn the ingredients to high-quality communication.
Scarlet InkDave Anderson

That’s it!

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Have an amazing week!

Andy

Published by:

Andy Skipper