Why every tech problem is actually a people problem... ft. Elisabeth Hendrickson

What if I told you that all those technical problems keeping you up at night—missed dates, buggy releases, burnout—are actually just symptoms of a team that doesn't feel safe enough to tell the truth. Hi! This is Michael Hunter, and I've spent over 35 years debugging code. Today, I help CEOs, founding teams, and heads of people debug themselves and identify those hidden patterns that are stalling growth and success. And I've learned that the code is usually the easy part. The hard part is the squishy stuff: the silence in the meeting room, the fear of speaking up, and the dangerous confusion between being nice and being kind. In this episode of the Uncommon Leadership Podcast, I sit down with Elisabeth Hendrickson, Founder at Curious Duck Digital Laboratory, to dismantle the biggest myth in software leadership: you can fix a delivery problem without fixing the human dynamics first. Episode Breakdown:

• Technical problems are almost never only technical problems
• Real trust isn't built by forcing people to bring their whole selves to work. It's built by respecting boundaries and letting people choose what to share.
• It only takes one person to name the elephant in the room. Once named, the fear dissolves, and the team can actually go from pretending to solving.
• Learn to be Kind not Nice. Nice is selfish—it's about protecting your comfort by avoiding conflict. Kind is selfless—it's about protecting the team by addressing the hard truth before it causes failure.
• Self-Reflection as a leader helps you respond to situations instead of simply reacting.

So, are you ready to debug your leadership? For more insights on human-centric tech leadership, subscribe to Michael Hunter's Uncommon Leadership Podcast. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9vaDKz5TI7gaWKLc801Dw Or sign up for the Uncommon Leadership newsletter at https://uncommonteams.com Prefer audio? Stream here: Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/uncommon-leadership/id1654637165 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2BkXGceaZgVWxGQCXcrmgj Presented By: Uncommon Change [Psychological Safety, Engineering Culture, Toxic Positivity, Socio-Technical Systems, Artificial Harmony, Elisabeth Hendrickson, Michael Hunter, Uncommon Teams, Uncommon Leadership] #PsychologicalSafety #TechLeadership #UncommonTeams #MichaelHunter #EngineeringCulture #DebugTheTeam About the Speakers Elisabeth Hendrickson As the Founder of Curious Duck Digital Laboratory, Elisabeth Hendrickson helps software organizations deliver better software, faster. With a career rooted in software testing and quality engineering, Elisabeth stands out as a compassionate leader with an expertise in diagnosing those human problems that often masquerade as technical blockers. By combining one-on-one coaching with strategic group work, she transforms friction-filled environments into high-performing, inclusive cultures where it is safe to speak the truth. Connect with Elisabeth Hendrickson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/testobsessed/ Michael Hunter Drawing from his experience working with tech leaders across six continents—from tiny startups to mega-corps, Michael Hunter partners with tech leaders to uncover the invisible dynamics that block quality, stall change, and quietly drain energy from their teams. With a unique career path that evolved from debugging code to debugging people, Michael now empowers individuals to debug themselves. He guides them, whether it's in leveling up decision-making or deepening their relationship with their inner selves. Michael's mission is to help leaders, CEOs, and founding teams unlock the heroic leadership and recover parts of themselves that may have gotten a little lost along the way. Connect with Michael Hunter: Website: https://uncommonteams.com/work-with-me/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/humbugreality/