You’ve got an idea. You’ve got early affirmation that you’re headed in the Right Direction. Now you just need to get some programmer types to “code it up”, right?
Wrong.
You must start with a technical giant, someone who “scares the shit out of you” with their competence, deeply shakes your resolve in this big idea and why it matters, and then can reflect it back to you in a way that makes it real. Simply put, this is someone you’re willing to spend years of your life with — someone you’re comfortable having your success be contingent upon — someone you enjoy thinking with.
Still think you can settle for less and just manage more? I still disagree — Your time is precious and you must spend every moment building and strenghtening relationships, finding and refining product-market fit, and leading. Effective technical leadership of your core team of half a dozen requires daily care and attention. A bad technolgy choice can cost you weeks — an insensitive explanation of Why We’re Changing Direction can obliterate productivity — and a bad hire can cause your best people to respond to that google recruiter.
Ideas are cheap, execution is everything, and your technical leader is the focal point of your organization. The one who turns good ideas into an execution plan that people can actually commit to, keeps shit on the rails while you’re on the road, and turns a small group of developers into a resilient and powerful team.
Building a worthwhile product requires exquisite technical leadership, get this first.
Execution is everything.
This is a post by The Heretic’s Technology Dissenter Lloyd Hilaiel. You can (and should) follow Lloyd on Twitter and read his blog.