In this video, the host engages in a conversation with Klaas Ardinois, a seasoned technology strategy consultant and New England Patriots fan. The discussion centers on the significance of educating tech teams about business strategy to help them thrive. Class shares his extensive experience, from being a CTO in various companies to becoming a strategy consultant. He emphasizes the importance of reading outside one’s comfort zone for personal and professional growth. Class recommends the book ‘Good Profit’ by Charles Koch and discusses its core concepts, including the value of ‘good profit.’ The talk covers real-world examples of how strategic thinking in tech teams can lead to better decision-making, operational efficiency, and overall team flourishing. Class also recounts a humorous yet insightful story about how he once mistakenly omitted France from a digital map while working at TomTom. The discussion concludes with practical advice on how tech leaders can start integrating business strategy into their teams to enhance productivity and alignment with organizational goals.

Links:* Klaas Ardinois on LinkedIn – http://linkedin.com/in/klaasardinois * “Good Profit” by Charles G. Koch – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0349416060?tag=sommardahl-20

Timeline:00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 00:52 Guest’s Background and Experience 01:54 Book Recommendations for Tech Leaders 03:20 The Concept of Good Profit 05:37 Hiring for Attitude and Principles 06:27 Confession Booth: Embarrassing Mistakes 09:59 Teaching Tech Teams About Business Strategy 17:56 The Importance of Business Strategy in Engineering 19:43 Balancing Speed and Quality in Software Development 20:22 Learning from Mistakes and Adapting Strategies 23:45 Understanding Operational Efficiency vs. Strategy 25:32 Training the Strategy Muscle 27:18 Real-World Examples of Strategy Implementation 33:17 Practical Steps for Tech Leaders to Improve Team Flourishing 34:21 Conclusion and Contact Information