Tanaka Mutakwa

I'm a technology leader who is driven to help software engineers have fulfilling careers.

Organiser of 🎤

Founder of 📈

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

Announcing the launch of the NoDaysOff Monday Inspiration Newsletter. 💡

The Monday Inspiration Newsletter is a weekly collection of curated inspirational visuals.

https://t.co/xMtvda1z5F

[Tech Leadership @TechLeadershipX]

What's an EM's job when agents write all the code?

Thamsanqa Moyo (CTO at Jem) will be sharing 6 weeks of honest lessons from running autonomous coding agents in production.

📅 Wed 20 May · 6PM
📍 Jem offices, Sandton

RSVP 👉 https://t.co/xQAh9waVzR

[Bobby Sequeira 🎙️ @Bobby_Seq]

Great Teach Leadership event last night.
Well done @GeneralMutakwa

There is a definite thirst for leadership guidance in South Africa.

[MoonPay 🟣 @moonpay]

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[Tech Leadership @TechLeadershipX]

Join us for our 1st Tech Leadership meetup of the year on Tuesday 6th February at 6pm.

Topic of Main Talk - The first 90 days: My take on how to succeed in your new engineering management role.

https://t.co/9WoePgixiJ

[Bobby Sequeira 🎙️ @Bobby_Seq]

If you thought your company was struggling trying to connect design, tech and product teams, well you’re not alone!

Another great event by @annua and her team!

@GeneralMutakwa’s insights into warning signs absolutely resonated with me!

[Tech Leadership @TechLeadershipX]

Join us at our next in-person Tech Leadership meetup on Tuesday 7th November (6pm) at the AWS Skills Center Cape Town (57 Heerengracht Street).

Veliswa Boya will be talking about "Lessons learned from technical mentoring of Africa’s Cloud Engineers"

https://t.co/5x67AGcURB

[Tech Leadership @TechLeadershipX]

Join us for our in-person Tech Leadership meetup at the Stitch offices next Tuesday at 6pm.

Topic of main talk - Transforming Tech Teams through Gender-Inclusive Hiring and Growth

Speaker - Thalia Pillay

https://t.co/7BMdAJcSqj

[Tech Leadership @TechLeadershipX]

Join us for our next online Tech Leadership meetup next Tuesday at 6pm (SAST).

Topic of Main Talk - Least Worst Outcome

Lessons learned from mid-career leadership failures.

Speaker - Irfaan Imamdin

https://t.co/xq3K132ew9

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

Monday Inspiration: Be patient with yourself

https://t.co/eTOQ6I1fDu

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

Monday Inspiration: Habits for success

https://t.co/ymnUxDwvre

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

Your habits open the door to your dreams

Habits unlock the door to success, as the small choices we make every day shape our destiny. Cultivate empowering habits, and watch your dreams flourish.

https://t.co/CrCw8MOOqN

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

When one is genuinely passionate about their work, it goes beyond a mere job or a means of making a living. It becomes a source of motivation, satisfaction, and personal fulfillment.

https://t.co/aQUMlqHOmH

[Tech Leadership @TechLeadershipX]

Join us at our next in-person Tech Leadership meetup on Tuesday 4th July (6pm) at the Root offices in Greenpoint, Cape Town.

Dino Bernicchi will be talking about "Unleashing Generative AI Into The Workplace"

https://t.co/Ew5UBWbtku

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

Monday Inspiration: Time flies but you are the pilot

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot.

https://t.co/vU7P3fYaP8

[Billy Oppenheimer @bpoppenheimer]

James Cameron has written & directed 3 of the top 4 highest-grossing movies of all time (Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Titanic).

Before he made movies, Cameron was a truck driver.

He didn't go to film school.

Instead, on the weekends, he would go to the library and..

"I'd pull any thesis that [University of Southern California] graduate students had written [on] anything that related to film technology," Cameron explained.

"And for the cost of xeroxing (photocopying), I [got] all these doctoral dissertations [and] build up these big binders on how everything was done."

"So I literally gave myself a full graduate course on film technology for about $120.

I didn’t have to enroll in school because it was all there in the library. I’d set it up to go in like I was on a tactical mission, find out what I needed to know, and take it all home."

Takeaway 1:

When asked what motivated him to read those big binders full of information on filmmaking, Cameron said he was just following what excited him.

"People seek out the information and knowledge they need," he said. "It's like a divining rod."

The mythologist Joseph Campbell similarly talked about how reading is like "a divining rod," a way to find what you are uniquely attracted to and meant to do.

"You’ve got to read," Campbell said. "Find [what] excites you. And if it doesn’t excite you…It’s not yours.”

Takeaway 2:

Of course, at some point, Cameron had to put the binders down and pick up a camera.

When he eventually attempted to make his first movie, Cameron said, “It was a bit like a doctor doing his first appendectomy after having only read about it."

The bestselling author and learning expert, Scott Young, has a great article with a great title, "Do The Real Thing."

"When you examine case studies of people who have had major accomplishments," Scott writes, "you expect there to be some trick or shortcut...More often, however, the strategy used is dead simple: doing the real thing."

Takeaway 3:

Leonardo da Vinci used to sign off his letters, “Leonardo da Vinci, disscepolo della sperientia” ("disciple of experience").

He used to believe that one learns best by solely "doing the real thing."

Over time, however, he evolved out of this belief and, biographer Walter Isaacson writes, "became a disciple of both experience and received wisdom."

When you examine case studies of people who have mastered their craft, you usually find they are "disciples of both experience and received wisdom."

Like Cameron, they read the library and they do the real thing.

- - -

“Those who are in love with practice without theoretical knowledge are like the sailor who goes onto a ship without rudder or compass and who never can be certain whither he is going.” — Leonardo da Vinci

Follow @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

Success often seems like an elusive goal, surrounded by challenges, uncertainties, and self-doubt. However, there is a crucial factor that can make all the difference in one's journey toward success: believing in oneself.

https://t.co/gjlhIpm7Je

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

Monday Inspiration: Life is full of ups and downs

https://t.co/riZzNbFKX7

[Tech Leadership @TechLeadershipX]

Join us for our online Tech Leadership meetup tomorrow at 6pm (SAST).

Topic of Main Talk - How to Manage Technical Debt

Speaker - @lucaronin

https://t.co/tLad4HMOfL

[Tanaka Mutakwa @GeneralMutakwa]

The Power of a Growth Mindset: Unlocking Your Potential

https://t.co/fSXdF6D0mX