A CEO once told me it felt like the CTO misheard and thought his title was CT-NO. âCan we do that? No. Is that feasible? No.â After wiping myself from having spilled my coffee laughing, I realized thatâs such a common stance tech executives take that Iâm surprised I hadnât heard the term earlier. Letâs […]
You might know the old adage about the only two hard things in computer science: cache invalidation and naming things. Sadly, we disregard the effort people have put into naming things properly and abuse them. The other day a barista asked me if I wanted some milk in my macchiato or just foam. Iâm not […]
From time to time, people revisit the concept of â10x engineersâ and contemplate whether that is purely a mythical creature. Well, having witnessed such engineers and teams in the past several times, I know the answer, and in this article, Iâll attempt to list some of the team concepts, processes, and skills that enabled those […]
It feels like it should go without saying that startups always entail a healthy dose of uncertainty. It should come with the territory, right? However, for a few years as the tech industry skyrocketed, startups became âtooâ secure. As it was so easy to raise money, it was rare to see startups closing. That resulted […]
Many tech leaders tell me they feel adrift. Instead of deciding where theyâd like to go today, they are shoved here and there based on whatever issues the day brings. In what feels like a nod to Douglas Adamsâs writing, they are leaders being led by their calendars and interruptions. You can take the lead […]
In another effort to open the kimono, here is another key part of effective executive coaching. Many tech leaders find it hard to decide what behaviors they should be working on personally. One diagnostic measure that is effective in helping them realize what their âdefaultsâ are and what to focus on to grow as leaders […]
Sometimes, you realize youâre in charge of a team thatâs burned out, lacking trust, or in a rut. Perhaps you joined the organization or had to step in for a leader who left. It could also be that you had a part in that. If you choose to tackle it instead of closing your eyes […]
Everyone is short on time, and senior leaders are especially so. That makes investing in your personal growth much harder. Whatever you spend your time on, it better be worth it because youâre probably not going to be doing a lot and donât have time to spare. With that in mind, I decided to write […]
A recurring theme Iâve seen lately is executives being unhappy with the performance of their management teams. Unsurprisingly, with most startups slamming the brakes on hypergrowth, leaders have now become more aware of gaps in their organizationâs foundation. Having forgotten that management is a profession, now youâre facing a rude awakening. Here are the seven […]
You can imagine I get to hear from many executives and leaders about their challenges and issues. Specifically, whenever someone shares a challenge thatâs not obvious, I try to make a mental note and reach out after a few months. I love âclosing the loopâ and hearing how things were resolved in the real world. […]