Apologies upfront. This is a bit of a brain dump of stuff I've been thinking about. I'm posting here because I'm hoping it leads to some interesting conversations! I see so much focus on AI at the moment and it feels like everything is pushing towards upskilling in that area. However I feel that there is a conversation missing around people management in tech that is becoming more important in this new AI driven world. People management feels like it gets a bad rep. It's the touchy feely stuff that often gets put at the bottom of the requirements when hiring team leads and above. However from my own experience it is what underpins productivity and helps team members grow. It's that thing that keeps the ship steady and helps us adapt with all the changes going on around us. The reason I'm thinking about it is that I met up with one of our software users (a scientist) for a cuppa on Friday afternoon. During the course of the conversation they noted how improved the team is since I took over and that they wished there were more managers like me. This is a customer, not a team member. They are seeing things from the outside and so their opinion is based on what they are receiving in terms of software and support. I don't really think about the impact managing has beyond each individual but it was a reminder that there is a wider impact. I've not managed non-tech teams but I do think they might be different to other areas. For starters there is the gender balance with the majority of the team identifying as male. Then there is neurodiversity - as well as those who openly disclose a diagnosis with me there are a number who display characteristics associated with certain forms of neurodiversity and often work better with classic adjustments for those. Where does AI come into this? Well I firmly believe that work is shifting and software development skills are changing. Communication, reviewing code, requirements gathering are just some of the skills that are needed more than just writing code. How are software developers going to acquire and flex these skills? This here is the role of people management. The upskilling team members, the leadership direction, the leading by example.

Without our fabulous @Sue Black, there would be no WiTPN…..no catch-ups…..none of our lovely friendships, and definitely no conversations that end up changing lives!!! Our awesome Sue has spent years championing women….. opening doors…. lifting people up and building the most incredible community along the way.…..So today, let’s celebrate her. 🥳💃🏼🎉❤️ Happy Birthday Sue! Thank you for creating this amazing network and for everything you do for all of us. We hope you’re having the most fabulous day in NYC and are being spoiled, you deserve the world & soooo much more ❤️🎂✨

My favourite post of the week… here we goooo 🤣✨❤️💃🏼 I’ve opened the leaderboard… and there she is… our incredible @Amanda Parkin back on the top spot. 👑 I didn’t even see it happen you know…. and now I’m scanning the rest like a nosy neighbour… @Sian Kelly Guy holding strong, @Dee Hutchinson right there 👀….. @Maria Alicia De Andres Herrero & @Susan Walsh not far behind…it’s the movement for me… every week it’s shifting and I’m just here watching it unfold like a live episode 🤣❤️ I love it, you can literally see how much everyone is showing up in here & we appreciate you all ❤️✨ Here’s this week’s top 10…. 1. @Amanda Parkin 2. @Sian Kelly Guy 3. @Dee Hutchinson 4. @Maria Alicia De Andres Herrero 5. @Susan Walsh 6. @Amanda Moore 7. @Fawzia Zehra Kara-Isitt 8. @Gemma Clarke 9. @Sarah Foxley 10. @Marianne Whitfield Thank you all for being awesome members!!!! AND this week’s spotlight is @Dee Hutchinson, I’ll message you… nothing scary I promise, just us all wanting to celebrate how awesome you are!!! Right… who’s plotting their takeover for next week then 👀

Hey you lovely bunch, I hope you are all well ✨❤️ My wins this week are pretty much the same… I’m just really happy right now…. Content…. Settled….. Loving my new role and I don’t even know how to explain it properly but… it just doesn’t feel like work?? I’m not complaining, they’re keeping me busy, but it’s so much fun & feel like I have truly found my passion with community management in tech spaces!!! ✨💃🏼❤️ Only whine… I am running on fumes…..I think the new routine & the past few weeks of pure adrenaline has finally caught up with me….. My body’s gone “yeah nice try, slow down woman” Before I disappear for a hot drink and a very early night… random one for you… One of the first computer “bugs” wasn’t a metaphor… it was an actual bug!!! Back in 1947, engineers working on the Harvard Mark II computer found a moth stuck in a relay, which had caused the machine to malfunction. They literally removed it, taped it into the logbook, and wrote: “First actual case of bug being found.” 🤣🤣🤣 The term “bug” already existed in engineering before that, but this is the moment it properly cemented itself in computing history. So yeah… somewhere between that moth and whatever is breaking my code this week… we’ve come a long way!!! Anyway… your turn…. Wins? Whines? Random facts? I want all of it ✨🙏❤️