How Software Developers Destroy Business Value (and What to Do About It)

When

Thursday February 15^th, 2024 @ 5:30 PM

Who

Aaron Stannard

Where

SmartDraw Software

RSVP

Abstract

Software developers are intended to be massive, highly leverageable value creators for their companies and teams - using their creative and technical talent to build products themselves or mission-critical systems that facilitate the delivery of value inside the business.

The blunt truth, however, is that many software developers would screw up tying their own shoes when left to their own devices.

There’s an abundant corpus of work out there on how managers routinely let down their software developers through insufficient planning, communication, listening, and support.

In this talk we’re going to explore the inverse - how individual software developers contributing to a project unintentionally sabotage their teams, their companies, their projects, and themselves through:

• Immutable technical preferences + biases;
• Bad attitudes;
• Poor listening;
• Inflexible and unproductive learning styles;
• Risk aversion;
• Incuriosity;
• And more!

Most importantly, in this talk we’re going to try to address how we can help shift developers who want to learn and improve, but are have trouble executing, become the high value contributors they’d like to be.

Who Is This Talk For?

This talk is for managers of developers, senior developers who want to learn how to effectively mentor or collaborate with other team members who are struggling, and crucially - for JUNIOR developers who don’t want to fall into these bad habits before they even get started.

Food / Drinks

Food and drinks will be provided! Please contact us (on meetup) if you have any dietary restrictions/food allergies.

Directions and Parking Instructions

Meeting will be held in the offices of SmartDraw Software, 1780 Hughes Landing Blvd #1100 on the 11th floor.

Enter through the main doors of the building and take the elevator to the 11th floor; the door to SmartDraw’s suite is in the elevator lobby on the 11th floor.

If you arrive at 1780 Hughes Landing after 6pm a member of the SmartDraw team will help you enter the building then travel up to the 11th floor.

Parking:

Park in the garage directly opposite. You’ll need to take a ticket to enter but there is no fee to leave - parking is free.