No matter how experienced you are in the technical aspects of the role, being a tech executive requires knowing how to communicate with other executives in the company, and especially having a great relationship with the CEO. For some people, this is a scary and problematic aspect of the job, yet Iāve found that boiling […]
In times of economic uncertainty, like many startups have been going through, itās natural to opt for playing it safe. However, deciding to do so can risk your organization forgetting what startups should be about: taking the right risks. Sometimes, the best thing we can do is bang our head against the wall for a […]
A CEO once told me it felt like the CTO misheard and thought his title was CT-NO. āCan we do that? No. Is that feasible? No.ā After wiping myself from having spilled my coffee laughing, I realized thatās such a common stance tech executives take that Iām surprised I hadnāt heard the term earlier. Letās […]
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. Iām not […]
From time to time, people revisit the concept of ā10x engineersā 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, Iāll 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 ātooā 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 theyād 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 Adamsās 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 ādefaultsā are and what to focus on to grow as leaders […]
Sometimes, you realize youāre in charge of a team thatās 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 youāre probably not going to be doing a lot and donāt have time to spare. With that in mind, I decided to write […]