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đŸ„‘ Documentation, OKR Theatre, Behaviour Patterns, Big Bang Rewrites, Vibe Code Debt, DevOps Burnout, Forced AI Adoption: TMW #428

Are you near Manchester this Thursday?
🍁
Thanks to Bufstream for sponsoring this issue of Tech Manager Weekly - store directly to Apache Iceberg tables and guarantee data quality with a drop-in self-hosted replacement for Apache Kafka.

Hello again, happy Easter! 🐣

Are you near Manchester, UK, this Thursday? If so, you should definitely get along to our next CTO Craft Bytes session, where we'll be chatting with Softwire's Tim Benjamin, one of the country's great technology storytellers, about how to do more with less - Maximum Impact with Minimum Resources. You'll also have the chance to network with dozens of CTO Craft community members and other leaders from the area. Come along, it's going to be great!

Let's get on with the links - 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

What nobody tells developers about documentation
Developers have a lot of misconceptions about docs:
Product for EngineersIan Vanagas
RDEL #88: What factors influence the well-being of software engineers?
A cross-country study identifies that well-being in software engineering is shaped by trust, recognition, and connection.
Research-Driven Engineering LeadershipLizzie Matusov

From our Sponsors

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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

TBM 351: The 4 Prioritization Jobs (And Why It Matters)
After all these years, I finally put something into words about prioritization.
The Beautiful MessJohn Cutler
Why doing less makes you a better leader - Blog - Tech Leaders Launchpad
Recently I’ve been speaking to a lot of new leaders, and a mistake I am seeing quite often is equating productivity with the number of tasks they complete, meetings they attend, and decisions they make. Many new leaders, particularly those transitioning from individual contributor roles, fall into the trap of trying to do everything themselves. This approach stems from good intentions—wanting to demonstrate value, support the team, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. However, this “more is better” mindset often leads to diminished leadership effectiveness, team underperformance, and personal burnout.
Tech Leaders Launchpad
Escape OKR Theatre — Ant Murphy
“9 Ways to Improve your OKRs” Over the last couple of weeks I’ve gotten a lot of questions about OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), including one yesterday whilst writing this post
 honestly if this was published I could have just sent them the link. So let’s avoid another call. In this post I wan
Ant MurphyAnt Murphy
The Precise Language Of Good Management
Words matter.
Stay SaaSyStay SaaSy

Culture, People & Teams

Tech hiring: is this an inflection point?
We might be seeing the end of remote coding interviews as we know them, and a return of in-person interviews, trial days and longer trial periods. Could hiring be returning to pre-pandemic norms?
The Pragmatic EngineerGergely Orosz
Nailing the basics: How to collaborate cross-functionally
Amplify your impact by managing dependencies and working well with others — whether in-person or remote
The Operator's HandbookTorsten Walbaum
Heard of Design Patterns? How About Behavior Patterns.
Recognize patterns in management to be able to solve issues, and deliver results.
Scarlet InkDave Anderson
How to Use Delivery to Move from Blame to Trust - Johanna Rothman
This is the April 2025 Pragmatic Manager Newsletter, from Johanna Rothman. The Unsubscribe link is at the bottom of this email.Early in the agile community, people referred to the Product Owner as the “single wringable neck.” Somehow, if the product owner didn’t define the stories well, or create acceptance criteria, or even represent what someone [
]
Johanna RothmanJohanna

Technology, Operations & Delivery

The Explosive Nature of ‘Big Bang’ Rewrites
Tick, Tick... Boom!
Maarten’s NewsletterMaarten Dalmijn
Your CEO Just Said ‘Use AI or Else.’ Here’s What to Do Next.
Shopify’s CEO announced that AI is a workplace expectation. This is your step-by-step guide to mastering AI at work.
Alex Duffy
Vibe Coding is not an excuse for low-quality work
A field guide to responsible AI-assisted development
ElevateAddy Osmani

Stress, Wellbeing & Growth

Managing Infra Teams — Part 2: Burnout on Schedule
This is Part 2 of a multi-part series on managing infrastructure teams. 👈 Read Part 1 here | 👉 Read Part 3 here
MediumAleksandr Makarenko
Your Boss Thrives on Chaos. Here’s How to Protect Your Energy.
Some leaders don’t just respond to crises—they thrive in chaos, rushing in to save the day, often from problems they unknowingly created. Meet the “firefighter”—the boss who runs on urgency, constantly pulling their teams into high-stakes battles, rewarding reaction over strategy, and exhausting heroics over efficiency. A firefighter boss’s leadership style has the power to reshape workplace culture in ways that go beyond mere frustration. It has a measurable psychological cost on employees. While their quick-thinking and ability to mobilize teams can be invaluable in emergencies, their leadership style often comes at a steep cost—one that exhausts teams, stifles strategic growth, and fosters a culture of burnout. But there are measures you can take to protect yourself. By shifting what they value, resisting their chaos, and redirecting their energy, you can thrive under their leadership.
Harvard Business ReviewEric Charran
Stop Looking for Your “Authentic Self”—It Doesn’t Exist
Discover why the search for your “authentic self” is a myth and learn how to consciously create your evolving self in different contexts.
George Sudarkoff, LLCGeorge Sudarkoff
What Are the Best Self-Care Practices for Managing Stress? - Chris and One
In today’s fast-paced world, self-care has become essential for managing stress. With overwhelming demands on our time and energy, prioritizing our
Chris and Oneadmin

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Have an amazing week!

Andy

Published by:

Andy Skipper