Code to People

The #1 newsletter for technical professionals navigating the move from IC into management - written by someone still inside the room.

Latest Issues

1:1sIC TransitionAI & ManagementDelegation

May 19, 2026

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4 min read

The IC-or-manager debate is missing the point

On Verna, Zhuo, and what the fluid technical career actually looks like.

Andrea Aleman

May 5, 2026

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4 min read

Issue #10: No one on your team should be surprised in their performance review

The annual review isn't the feedback moment. The 11 months before it are.

Andrea Aleman

Apr 28, 2026

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3 min read

Issue #9: The delegation ladder: why "just let go" is terrible advice

Readiness isn't about the person. It's about the task.

Andrea Aleman

IC Transition

Apr 16, 2026

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3 min read

Issue #8: The trust equation every new manager needs to understand

Authority is assigned. Trust is earned. Most new managers confuse the two.

Andrea Aleman

AI & Management

Apr 16, 2026

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3 min read

Issue #7: What Dorsey got wrong about your job

Middle management isn't dead. It just got renamed.

Andrea Aleman

IC Transition

Apr 16, 2026

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3 min read

Issue #6: What nobody tells you about managing former peers

The hard part isn't the friendship. It's the territory.

Andrea Aleman

Delegation

Apr 16, 2026

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2 min read

Issue #5: The first thing new managers get wrong about delegation

The trap starts with one thought: 'It's faster if I do it myself.

Andrea Aleman

Delegation

Apr 16, 2026

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4 min read

Issue #4: The Stop Doing List

New managers fail not because of what they start doing, but because of what they don't stop.

Andrea Aleman

1:1s

Apr 16, 2026

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3 min read

Issue #3: The 70/30 rule that changed how I run 1-on-1s

Most new managers talk too much in their 1-on-1s. Here is the simple ratio that fixes it.

Andrea Aleman

IC Transition

Apr 16, 2026

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2 min read

Issue #2: Your value completely changed

The hardest part of the IC-to-manager transition has nothing to do with your technical skills.

Andrea Aleman

IC Transition

Apr 15, 2026

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2 min read

Issue #1: Why I built the playbook nobody gave me

Becoming a manager isn't a promotion. It's a career change and nobody prepares you for it.

Andrea Aleman