3 Secrets to Tech Success

Happy Thursday!  PNW IPA Cheers to a decade!

It was 10 years ago today that I ditched my corporate gig and launched Engaged Pursuit. Since then, I’ve coached thousands of tech professionals on how to successfully navigate our crazy industry. What a wild ride it’s been!

Here’s my three secrets to success:

1. To maximize the tech experience, you must goon offense.  From new-role onboarding to defining what’s next for you, tech professionals must proactively define their own journey (and communicate the journey with confidence and enthusiasm).Gone are the passive days of “resting-and-vesting.” To win in today’s environment, you must have a plan with the ability to shift gears quickly. Know where you’re headed. Get people in your corner. Don’t settle.

2. The simplest messages always win. We over-complicate everything in tech. From corporate-speak to confusing swim-lanes, tech folks love to sound smart on paper and in the conference room.I’ve found the best tech leaders are great at over-SIMPLIFYING messages (and processes), especially when it comes to answering the most important questions:“How am I doing?”, “What’s the latest with your team?”, and “Where do you see yourself next?” Having a pulse on how you’d answer these water-cooler questions is key to winning in tech – whether you’re at a Fortune 50 corporation or an early stage start-up.

3. We all need to calm down.  The tech industry is nuts. There’s going to be more layoffs and you’re job (probably) isn’t secure. While it’s important to drive impact, your health and your family are more important. It took me awhile to realize this, and the #1 struggle for most tech leaders today.

Value Add – Additional ways to show-up as a tech leader:  When’s the last time you wrote-down your secrets to success or big wins? With the end-of-the-year quickly approaching, now is a great time to get in the habit of documenting where you drove the most impact this year. Remember, as a leader, you want to showcase both the “what” and the “how” – even if your org is “all about the numbers.” Returning monthly to ensure you’ve captured the latest/greatest is a best practice for you to implement in 2026!

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Here’s to your Engaged Pursuit!