Tactics for Tech Leadership (TTL)

 In this episode, Mon-Chaio and Andy delve into the essential role of storytelling in implementing change and leading an organization. They share examples of effective storytelling and reference theories ranging from Aristotle to environmental sciences. While facts are important, emotional connection, or pathos, is key to persuasive storytelling. They also discuss the dimensions of logos (the logical argument) and ethos (personal character) in storytelling, and reflect on the balance between truth and fiction in narrative creation. The well-crafted story not only motivates change but can improve mental health and support a positive work culture.

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Let's put Team Topologies to use. What can it tell us about why some team structures work out, why some struggle, and when we should switch our organisations to be more effective?

Mon-Chaio and Andy scrutinise a software project through the lens of the interaction modes, sensing, and triggers for change that the book introduces. They find that it provides a rich vocabulary to talk about the ills and strengths of your tech organisation.

References

Every organization wants to be a learning organization, but stories abound of employee skill gaps and stunted development despite expensive training programs. In this episode, Andy and Mon-Chaio utilize research on learning along with their own leadership experiences to reveal the blind spots that cause engineering leaders to unintentionally sabotage the ability of their organization to learn.

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Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! To end the year we are taking a break from our usual discussions and instead are delving into the culinary world of Eggnog, that classic, American Christmas cocktail. This is a drink that has been part of Mon-Chaio's and Andy's winter-time traditions for almost two decades and gives them a chance to geek out about cooking and food chemistry.

While eggnog is the focus of attention, we also delve a little into egg handling, woodworking, and pasteurization.

Eggnog I Recipe

5 eggs

5 oz / 142g Sugar

2 cups / 500ml Brandy

1 cup / 250ml Milk

1 cup / 250ml Heavy/Double Cream

Nutmeg

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Let's imagine that you are just taking on an engineering organization. Maybe it is new to you or maybe it is completely new. What should you do to set yourself up for success? What are some of the important, or critical, aspects to think through, write down, nail down, or get agreement on?

In a five-part series, Mon-Chaio and Andy look back over the long, and sometimes rambling, episodes of The TTL Podcast and try to condense them down to something more digestible. In episode one you learned about defining your cultural and structural north star and in episode two, hiring strategy, clarity of tasks and boundary, and explicit intentionality. Episode three covered building your team fabric and episode four explored the skills needed to ensure a smoothly running engineering organization. This last episode finishes by reviewing the necessary strategies to ensure your organization continues to evolve and doesn't get left in the dust by your surging competitors.

References:

 Let's imagine that you are just taking on an engineering organization. Maybe it is new to you or maybe it is completely new. What should you do to set yourself up for success? What are some of the important, or critical, aspects to think through, write down, nail down, or get agreement on?

In a five-part series, Mon-Chaio and Andy look back over the long, and sometimes rambling, episodes of The TTL Podcast and try to condense them down to something more digestible. In episode one you learned about defining your cultural and structural north star and in episode two, hiring strategy, clarity of tasks and boundary, and explicit intentionality. Episode three covered building your team fabric and leads us into this episode: providing just the right amount and type of guidance to ensure your organization runs smoothly.

References:

 Let's imagine that you are just taking on an engineering organization. Maybe it is new to you or maybe it is completely new. What should you do to set yourself up for success? What are some of the important, or critical, aspects to think through, write down, nail down, or get agreement on?

In a five-part series, Mon-Chaio and Andy look back over the long, and sometimes rambling, episodes of The TTL Podcast and try to condense them down to something more digestible. In episode one you learned about defining your cultural and structural north star and in episode two, hiring strategy, clarity of tasks and boundary, and explicit intentionality. This episode dives into building your team fabric, the threads of process and ceremony that underly everything your engineering organization does.

Let's imagine that you are just taking on an engineering organization. Maybe it is new to you or maybe it is completely new. What should you do to set yourself up for success? What are some of the important, or critical, aspects to think through, write down, nail down, or get agreement on?

In a five-part series, Mon-Chaio and Andy look back over the long, and sometimes rambling, episodes of The TTL Podcast and try to condense them down to something more digestible. In episode one you learned about defining your cultural and structural north star. This episode summarizes the tactics that are necessary to flesh out those north stars, including hiring strategy, clarity of tasks and boundary, and explicit intentionality.

References:

 Let's imagine that you are just taking on an engineering organization. Maybe it is new to you or maybe it is completely new. What should you do to set yourself up for success? What are some of the important, or critical, aspects to think through, write down, nail down, or get agreement on?

In a five-part series, Mon-Chaio and Andy look back over the long, and sometimes rambling, episodes of The TTL Podcast and try to condense them down to something more digestible. This episode will guide you to laying the foundation on which everything else will rest: culture, values, long-lived KPIs, and long-lived boundaries.

References:

What is safe about psychological safety? Do you really want everyone to feel comfortable all the time? Research tells us that psychological safety is a key component of effective teams and organisations. This week Mon-Chaio and Andy dig into the whats and wherefores of psychological safety. They dive into how it is measured, how it fits together with other concepts researched, tell some stories of their own about psychological safety, and debate how it interacts with accountability.

Opening quote from "Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct"

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References