Satisfying the inner-Geek
What replaces that rush of learning a new tech when you move to a leadership role?
I had lunch with the CTO of Six Feet Up yesterday. We chatted about the challenge of moving away from hands-on technology and focusing more on leading our practices. Solving a technology challenge is hugely satisfying. A mental rush comes from getting the code to compile and run. So how do you replace that high when you move away from the hands-on technology as a leader?
There are a couple of areas that help me ween off the hands-on. First, I’m finding there’s no shortage of problems to solve. For example, before starting the CTO Advisor LLC, I talked to the CEO of a manufacturing company. He has millions of dollars a year in revenue. He said it feels like he’s reinventing his business every 3-weeks. I caught up with him two weeks ago, and I can relate.
We are constantly learning new things. For example, we’ve started planning to bring the CTO Advisor Studio to the show floor of conferences. I got advice from Jeff Frick about the process. It’s similar to learning Kubernetes. First, you think you know what you are doing, and then you are asked to replace the Service Mesh with a new solution, and you think, “OK, conceptually, I know it can be done, but how?” It’s exhilarating.
What have you done to replace that endorphin hit from hands-on geeking out?
You need to consider how you approach the change. I am as passionate about how we grow as an org as the technologies we select (more even more nowadays). I am still applying those learning skills, It's just not always the same result.