This time of year would typically be peak conference season in Europe, but understandably many have been cancelled or transitioned to an online format. One of the events I took part in this week was a panel called “The future of delivery: Taking advantage of the global talent pool” excellently moderated by Nigel Dalton (@nxdnz), Social Scientist @ ThoughtWorks Australia. Other than the excellent themes discussed, it made me think about how I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to take part in a panel hosted in the APAC region had it all been in-person. At least not as easily or would have had a more significant carbon footprint.

I’ll be honest though. I do miss the interaction and energy from in-person events. I know many other people do too. It’s also one of the topics we discussed in the panel where some people prefer coming into to the office, where it is safe to do so, because those human connections, particularly newer ones, are much harder to build over a screen.

It also reminded me that where change might bring positive benefits, there are also downsides. This is an important lesson for leaders at all levels. You’ll have change you can’t control. Where you can’t do anything about it, your best approach is to adapt to it, see what can be done to minimise or cushion adverse effects and find ways to benefit from any advantages the change brings. There’s rarely use in being stuck in “complaining mode”.

This week I also delivered the new keynote I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, “The Evolution of Engineering Excellence” which was also well-received. Thanks to those who responded who wanted to read an article on this. I’ve added it to my writing backlog. It won’t appear in the next couple of weeks but watch out for it in the newsletter when I do publish it.

Finally, the newsletter platform I use also enabled HTTPS support on custom domains, so you’ll be able to read back issues or this issue via https://levelup.patkua.com 🎉

I hope you enjoy this week’s content. If you find it useful, please forward to someone else and send me feedback. Stay safe and healthy 🙏

Join the virtual 3-hour workshop, “Shortcut to Tech Leadership” on Oct 28 (only 6 tickets left) or Nov 18. Each course has a limited number of tickets, so book now.