Intellectual Territory

What are you known for? Is it what you *want* to be known for? And how much control do you have over either? In this episode of the Testing Peers, Chris Armstrong, Russell Craxford, Dan Ashby and Tara Walton explore **intellectual territory**: the ideas, problems and patterns of thinking we repeatedly return to. Against a backdrop of AI, changing roles and questions about future relevance, the Peers discuss whether intellectual territory is something we choose, discover or have placed upon us by others. They explore identity and perception, the opportunities and limitations of becoming known for something, and whether being a generalist makes territory harder to define. They also consider how territory can evolve as careers, interests and contexts change. And it doesn't require global recognition. Your intellectual territory might simply be what colleagues come to you for, what your team associates with you, or the perspective you consistently bring to a conversation. Exploring Your Intellectual Territory Chris introduces seven questions for exploring your own intellectual territory. The fuller prompts are below. The aim is to uncover something durable: not trendy topics or surface positioning, but the patterns of thinking that are consistently yours. 1\. Across your past work, talks, writing and decisions: - What recurring tensions do you return to? - What problems do you seem unable to ignore? - What assumptions do you frequently challenge? 2\. Where do you consistently add value? - Do you clarify? - Reframe? - Simplify? - Expose risk? - Connect systems? - Interrogate signals? - Something else? 3\. What irritates you professionally? - Vanity metrics? - Superficial optimisation? - Incentive distortion? - Performative confidence? - Something deeper? Irritation often points to intellectual territory. 4\. What do you believe that is both: - True across contexts, and - Uncomfortable enough that not everyone agrees? 5\. What is the mechanism behind your thinking? - Do you operate through empiricism? - Through systems thinking? - Through cultural observation? - Through risk framing? - Through interrogation of assumptions? 6\. If you stripped away job titles and trends, what lens remains? 7\. What capability would organisations strengthen if they deeply adopted your way of thinking? As you explore them: **Challenge where you generalise. Push yourself to be specific. Avoid buzzwords. Avoid praise. Articulate patterns, not slogans.** The questions aren't intended to produce an immediate answer. There may be a difference between the territory you believe you occupy and the one others place you in. You cannot completely control what sticks, but you can reflect on it, reinforce it or choose to move towards something different. References and Mentions The episode references Simon Sinek and Start With Why, Brené Brown's work on vulnerability and leadership, April Dunford and positioning, DORA metrics, Lisa Crispin & Janet Gregory and agile testing, and Dan Ashby's continuous testing/DevOps model. #PeersCon27 (March 11th, 2027) is now LIVE Tickets for the event are live for the Price of £30. The Call for Papers is open until July 31st, 2026: https://testingpeerscon.com/collaboration/ And as always, we are looking for sponsors to make this event the success it has been for the last 3 years, get in touch if interested Twitter (https://twitter.com/testingpeers) LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/testing-peers) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/testingpeers/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TestingPeers) If you like what we do and are able to, please visit our Patreon to explore how you could support us going forwards: https://www.patreon.com/testingpeers Support the show