TTF: Choose Your Own Adventure

July 21, 2025

This weekly email is my curated selection of interesting and useful topics related to BIM, design, and technology. I aim to provide you with some good information and a few laughs along the way. So, what did I find interesting this week? Read down to find out!

Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books? I loved them as a kid. Well, this week's selection of links reminds me that our careers are a lot like those stories – full of decision points that shape our path. We're at an interesting crossroads where AI can write our cover letters better than we can (#1). Yet the most successful firms are investing in deeply human approaches to knowledge sharing (#2) and leadership (#4). Each choice we make, such as mastering a new Dynamo technique (#3) or pursuing greatness in what truly lights us up (#5) is the next chapter of our professional story. In an industry racing toward automation, maybe the real adventure is choosing to be more human, not less. What do you think? 

#1: When AI Writes Better Than You Do

Niall Patrick Walsh at Archinect tested whether AI could write a better cover letter than he could – and the results might surprise you. This honest exploration raises interesting questions about authenticity and what it means when machines can present our professional selves better than we can. A must-read for anyone who's ever struggled with self-promotion in job applications.

Click here to read the full article at Archinect.

#2: Turning Lessons Learned Into Organizational Knowledge

AEI's "Company-Wide Teams" have spent 25+ years perfecting how to turn project insights into firmwide knowledge. Their secret? Don't just document lessons. Instead, transform them into tools, templates, and guidelines. With their "volunteer army" approach, good ideas spread fast, and mistakes aren't repeated. Pure gold for knowledge management.

Click here to read the full article at Knowledge Architecture.

#3: Ten Essential Code Block Techniques for Dynamo

I've compiled my favorite code block techniques to boost your Dynamo productivity. These tips will help you write cleaner, more efficient scripts, from fundamental values to conditional logic to creating Revit elements. Pro tip: Keep code blocks under five lines for easier troubleshooting!

Click here to read the full article at ArchSmarter.

#4: Redefining Leadership in AEC with Phil Putnam

In this latest episode of the TRXL podcast, host Evan Troxel and Phil Putnam explore Putnam's "Give to Get" leadership framework. The eye-opener: replacing someone costs 50-200% of their salary, but satisfying them? Just 5-10%. Phil shares how great leadership at Gensler transformed his partner's life trajectory. Essential listening for current and aspiring leaders.

Click here to listen to the episode at TRXL.

#5: You Can Choose to Be Great, But Not What You're Great At

Ryan Holiday examines how we can choose to pursue greatness, but not always what lights us up. The story of lacrosse legend Paul Rabil turning down the NFL to elevate his sport hits home. Taking our talents as far as they can go is entirely up to us, regardless of the recognition we might receive from the effort. Good food for thought!

Click here to read the full article at Ryan Holiday.

That's all from me. I hope you're having a great week. 

Michael