There are many good reasons to be a “technologist”. Everything is headed to the cloud. Automation is overtaking large chunks of the job market. Education funding is pointing us towards STEM. It can be hugely profitable to plug into a promising startup.

Ť这里有许多很好的理由是“技术专家”。 一切都将走向云端 。 自动化正在取代大量的就业市场。 教育资金使我们走向STEM 。 插入有前途的初创公司可能会带来巨大的利润。

With all these signals, it makes total sense, then, to pick a technology-focused career path — coding, machine learning, software engineering, and the like. No doubt, with a world only growing more digital, having technology and data skills provides you an important perspective that’ll be relevant over your lifetime. And yes, if you’re good enough, you’ll probably do well in traditional measures of success.

在所有这些信号的帮助下，选择一种以技术为中心的职业道路(编码，机器学习，软件工程等)是完全有意义的。 毫无疑问，在这个数字世界日渐增长的时代，拥有技术和数据技能将为您提供重要的观点，并将在您的一生中发挥作用。 是的，如果您足够出色，那么在传统的成功衡量标准中您可能会做得很好。

This approach can prove rewarding…until you hit the threshold.

这种方法可以证明是有益的……直到您达到极限。

The threshold is a mental “pull” that creeps up on many technologists. For years, they’ve been making significant and fulfilling strides in their field, often as an individual contributor or team lead. But all of a sudden, they aspire for something bigger. Something more influential. New thoughts stream through their head: “I could really turn this organization around” or “I want to have a larger impact”. They crave helping other people grow — a natural human inclination. Suddenly, they face the threshold — stepping from doer to leader — and they don’t know how to cross it.

该阈值是许多技术人员不断攀升的心理“牵引力”。 多年来，他们通常以个人贡献者或团队负责人的身份在自己的领域中取得重大而成就的进步。 但是突然之间，他们渴望更大的东西。 更有影响力的东西。 他们脑海里浮现出新的想法：“我真的可以改变这个组织”或“我想产生更大的影响”。 他们渴望帮助其他人成长-这是人的天性。 突然，他们面临着门槛-从行动者到领导者 -并且他们不知道如何越过它。

A backward look reveals an excellent personal history of building and tweaking machines. A forward look — to running an organization of dynamic human beings — sends chills down their back. Past and future are misaligned. Looking ahead, the skillset and mindset are far different. How did this happen? And what can be done?

向后看，揭示了建造和调整机器的出色个人历史。 前瞻性的眼光-经营一个充满活力的人的组织-使他们发冷。 过去和未来错位。 展望未来，技能和思维定势截然不同。 这怎么发生的？ 那该怎么办呢？

机器繁殖力学 (The Machine Breeds Mechanics)

Our education system is a machine, designed to produce predictable outputs at scale. The majority of the schools, certification programs, and training seminars we experience over our lifetime — whether we sense it or not — are rigid and meant to keep our thinking and skills within easy-to-categorize boxes. This makes it easy for others to evaluate us.

我们的教育系统是一台机器 ，旨在大规模产生可预测的产出。 我们一生中经历的大多数学校，认证计划和培训研讨会(无论我们是否感觉到)都是僵化的，旨在将我们的思想和技能保持在易于分类的范围内。 这使其他人可以轻松评估我们。

Human minds love to sort things, so we’ve built an education machine that works like this:

人类的大脑喜欢对事物进行排序，因此我们构建了一种教育机器，其工作方式如下：

1. Sally gets degree/certification X

   莎莉获得学位/证书X

2. She’s perceived as having skill Y

   她被认为具有技能Y

3. This qualifies her for job (and career path) Z

   这使她有资格获得工作(和职业道路)Z

The machine has now created a mechanic — a person deemed able to work on a distinct system. Python programmer, network architect, web developer, cybersecurity analyst, and so on. Slot them in and let them ride. Indeed, devoted technologists deliver significant value in what they do.

机器现在已经创建了一个机械师 -一个被认为能够在不同系统上工作的人。 Python程序员，网络架构师，Web开发人员，网络安全分析师等。 将它们放进去，让它们骑行。 确实，敬业的技术人员可以在自己的工作中发挥重要作用。

There is a cost, however. As Seth Godin highlights, our educational approach is a product of yesteryear’s factory mentality and we’ve never questioned it. When Henry Ford and other industrialists needed to build cheap and repeatable products at scale, they needed people to run through the above steps to qualify for specific roles. Each person was a cog in a machine.

但是，这是有代价的。 正如塞思·戈丁(Seth Godin)所强调的那样 ，我们的教育方法是过去工厂思想的产物，我们从未对此提出质疑。 当亨利·福特(Henry Ford)和其他工业家需要大规模生产廉价且可重复的产品时，他们需要人们完成上述步骤才能获得特定职位的资格。 每个人都是机器中的一枚齿轮。

What does this all have to do with today’s technologist? A lot. Even over the last century, as business, technology, and social norms have greatly evolved, we’ve still kept with the factory mentality. More so than other disciplines, we ask technologists to learn a narrowly-defined discipline and then align them to a role designed to exploit those valuable technical skills.

这与当今的技术专家有什么关系？ 很多。 即使在上个世纪，随着业务，技术和社会规范的飞速发展，我们仍然保持工厂思维。 与其他学科相比，我们更要求技术人员学习狭义的学科 ，然后将其调整为旨在利用这些宝贵技术技能的角色。

No one asked them to go wide — to develop range. “Leadership” was never part of the curriculum.

没有人要求他们扩大范围以扩大范围 。 “领导力”从来都不是课程的一部分。

The organization captures value and the technologist becomes more adept in that technical skillset over time. Technologists undoubtedly have to keep up with the incremental advances in their field, but generally, they stay on a one-lane highway for a long time. This “all in” model is fulfilling for some people….but for others, the runway suddenly stops short.

随着时间的推移，组织会抓住价值，技术专家会变得更加熟练于该技术技能。 毫无疑问，技术人员必须跟上其领域不断进步的步伐，但总的来说，他们在单车道的高速公路上呆了很长时间。 对于某些人来说，这种“全能”模式是令人满意的……但是对于其他人，跑道突然停顿了下来。

Some people crave more. They feel the threshold. In their hearts, they know it’s time to leap from technical master to leader. It’s an undeniable, physiological feeling.

有些人渴望更多。 他们感觉到了门槛。 在他们的心中，他们知道是时候从技术大师跳到领导者了。 这是一种不可否认的生理感觉。

This change doesn’t happen naturally or by waiting it out. Passivity does not differentiate. It takes an entrepreneurial ethos and deliberate action.

这种变化不是自然发生的，也不是等待它发生的。 被动性没有区别。 这需要一种企业家精神和深思熟虑的行动。

通往执行领导者的创业之路 (The Entrepreneurial Path to Executive Leader)

“You are your own raw material. When you know what you consist of and what you want to make of it, then you can invent yourself.”

“您是自己的原材料。 当您知道自己的组成和要制造的东西时，就可以自己进行发明。”

— Warren Bennis

沃伦·本尼斯

Being entrepreneurial means that you know your subject matter and you’re able to exploit that knowledge to create new opportunities.

创业意味着您知道自己的主题，并且能够利用这些知识创造新的机会。

Compared to being a star technologist, leading an organization is a different beast. Whether you’re striving to reach the C-suite or another executive position, it’ll take focused effort from you…plus some luck. As Cassandra Frangos, lays out in Crack the C-Suite Code, such a move depends on the following features being true:

与成为明星技术专家相比，领导一个组织是另一回事。 无论您是想升任最高管理层还是其他高管职位，都将需要您全力以赴……再加上一些运气。 正如Cassandra Frangos在《 Crack the C-Suite Code》中介绍的那样 ，此举取决于以下功能是否正确：

• Timing: sometimes a given organization is too crowded at the top or the current leadership is newly-installed; aspiring leaders should align where there will likely be a need soon

  时间安排：有时给定的组织高层过于拥挤，或者新成立的现任领导层； 有抱负的领导者应团结一致，尽快解决可能出现的需求

• Experience: your technical expertise should match the formal need, but you’ll need to demonstrate broader abilities too (see below)

  经验：您的技术专长应符合正式需求，但您还需要展示更广泛的能力(请参阅下文)

• Impact: there are lots of ways to make waves as a technology-oriented executive (e.g., disruptor, turnaround-organizer, stabilizer) so make clear what you’re best at

  影响：以多种方式成为技术型高管(例如，颠覆者，周转组织者，稳定者)，因此要弄清楚自己最擅长的领域

• Cultural fit: every business is a distinct culture — the potential technology executive needs to demonstrate their cultural understanding and ability to “fit in” with politics and ways of working

  文化契合度：每个企业都是一种独特的文化-潜在的技术主管需要证明他们的文化理解和“适应”政治和工作方式的能力

• Broad support: being known within your vertical as a technology whiz is a start, but you’ll want to have people advocating for you from other parts of the business as well

  广泛的支持：在您的行业内被称为技术天才是一个开始，但是您也希望有其他业务领域的人为您提倡

Luckily, making the move from technologist to leader does not require wholesale reinvention. It’s a build upon a solid foundation. However, it does require a mindset shift, targeted skill acquisition, and thoughtful personal brand cultivation.

幸运的是，使移动从技术专家到领导者并不需要大规模改造。 它是建立在坚实基础上的。 但是，这确实需要转变观念，有针对性地掌握技能并进行周到的个人品牌培养。

1) Adopt and practice an “executive” mindset. Being a leader is a very human endeavor. Beyond internally-focused requirements like self-reflection, it takes authenticity and warmth to build trust with others and turn them — bluntly speaking — into followers. One person doesn’t “follow” another and consider them a leader because they’re coerced or because the org chart says so. Leaders must earn their followers by illustrating a compelling vision, genuinely connecting with people, and helping them grow. A follower chooses a leader.

1)采纳并练习“执行”的心态。 成为领导者是一项非常人性的工作。 除了诸如自我反思之类的内部重点要求之外，还需要真实性和热情来建立与他人的信任，并直言不讳地将他们转变为追随者。 一个人不会“跟随”另一个人并认为他们是领导者，因为他们被胁迫或因为组织结构图是这样。 领导者必须通过说明令人信服的愿景，与人建立真正的联系并帮助他们成长来赢得他们的追随者。 跟随者选择领导者。

This idea of building people stands in stark contrast with the mindset of being a successful technologist — building machines. A solid technical background makes you credible with others, but going forward, you need to offer more. Instead, use your professional upbringing as a platform to engage in conversation, build trust, and apply leadership skills (see #2) that boost the individual and the organization.

这种建造人才的想法与成为成功的技术专家的观念形成了鲜明的对比- 建造机器 。 扎实的技术背景使您在他人中树立信誉，但是，今后，您需要提供更多。 取而代之的是，以您的专业成长为平台，进行对话，建立信任并运用领导技巧(请参阅＃2)，以促进个人和组织的发展。

2) Expand your skill set to guide and uplift others. There is no perfect list of the skills required for a technology leader, though every aspiring leader should have guiding principles in mind. Look around at the leaders you admire, inside and outside of your organization. What do they do? How do they handle themselves in various situations? Distill the principles that you want to emulate — for example: creativity, personal resilience, emotional intelligence, devotion to the team, clear communication, prioritization, etc.

2)扩展您的技能来指导和提升他人。 尽管每个有抱负的领导者都应该牢记指导原则，但是对于技术领导者而言，并没有完美列出所需的技能。 在组织内部和外部环顾您欣赏的领导者。 他们在做什么？ 他们在各种情况下如何应对自己？ 提炼出您想效仿的原则，例如：创造力，个人应变能力，情商，对团队的热爱，清晰的沟通，优先级等。

I believe I’m a calculated patchwork of the best people I’ve encountered in my life. I see something I admire — how a person acts, speaks, dresses, or treats others — and I start putting that to practice. Eventually, that characteristic is a part of me.

我相信我是我一生中遇到的最好的人的精打细算的拼凑而成。 我看到了我很欣赏的东西-一个人的举止，说话，穿着或对待他人的方式-然后我开始将其付诸实践。 最终，这个特征是我的一部分。

Reflect on these principles daily and begin implementing them. With the right deliberate practice, they will eventually form as skills in your “leader” repertoire. One way to jumpstart new skill development is by tapping into what Todd Herman calls The Alter Ego Effect — the mental game of becoming someone else at a moment’s notice. Have a portfolio of alter egos at the ready to help you succeed in any situation.

每天反思这些原则并开始执行它们。 通过正确的认真练习，它们最终将成为您“领导”曲目中的技能。 加快新技能开发的一种方法是利用Todd Herman所谓的“ Alter Ego Effect”(改变我的自我效应) —一种在瞬间意识到成为别人的心理游戏。 准备好各种自我的投资组合，以帮助您在任何情况下都能成功。

3) Cultivate your personal brand. Realize that you have a lot of competition, both inside and outside of your organization. Because of the industrial system that churns out in-demand talent, there are a lot of people (competitors) that — on the surface — look like you, and they want what you want.

3)培养您的个人品牌。 意识到组织内部和外部都有很多竞争。 由于产生了需求型人才的工业系统，表面上看起来很多人(竞争对手) 看起来像您，他们想要您想要的。

But realize they aren’t you.

但是要意识到他们不是你。

You must differentiate by shaping your personal brand. Boring, standardized, and bureaucratic don’t work. That keeps you down in the crowd. Instead, rise above, unflinchingly showing the world what makes you special. As Jerry Garcia said, “Be the only one who does what you do.”

您必须通过塑造个人品牌来与众不同。 无聊 ， 标准化和官僚主义行不通。 那会让你在人群中失望。 相反，超越自己，坚定不移地向世界展示让您与众不同的原因。 正如杰里·加西亚(Jerry Garcia)所说： “成为唯一做自己的事情的人。”

This is not boastful. It’s about confidently asserting yourself and ensuring your ideas rise to the top and spread. Zig Ziglar had it right:

这不是自夸的。 这是关于自信地维护自己并确保您的想法升至最高并传播的想法。 Zig Ziglar说得对：

“Don’t become a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific.”

“不要成为徘徊的普遍性。 做一个有意义的细节。”

You get there partly by willingly taking on uncomfortable experiences — ones that others turn away from. As you do do, you’ll build strength and develop a brand that screams “executive”. Eventually, as Cal Newport says, you’ll “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

您乐于接受不舒服的经历(部分是其他人拒绝的经历)部分地到达了那里。 当您这样做时，您将建立实力并建立一个尖叫“执行”的品牌。 最终，如Cal Newport所说，您将“变得很好，他们不能忽略您。”

结论 (Conclusion)

Technology leaders are now highly valued, but the growth path is ambiguous. It used to go like this: rise to the top of your technical game, wait for the spot to open up, and then you might get the job. That’s now outdated. Now, a potential technology executive needs to be more than a technical master. They must adopt entrepreneurial behaviors, transforming into someone who sees and thinks in terms of growing others and creating value.

技术领导者现在受到高度重视，但增长之路不明确。 它曾经是这样的：上升到技术游戏的最高点，等待机会开放，然后您就可以得到这份工作。 现在已经过时了。 现在，潜在的技术主管不仅需要技术主管。 他们必须采取企业家行为，转变为在发展他人和创造价值方面能够看到和思考的人。

As Peter Thiel says, competition is for losers. Don’t sit back and look like everyone else in the crowd. Instead, demonstrate your unique ability — it’s the fastest way to avoid competition and attract attention. Use this as a guide to cultivating the mindset, skillset, and personal brand that makes you the inevitable choice for an impactful technology leadership role.

正如彼得·泰尔(Peter Thiel)所说， 竞争是针对失败者的 。 不要坐下来，看起来像人群中的其他人。 相反，要展示自己的独特能力 -这是避免竞争和吸引注意力的最快方法。 使用此指南来培养思维定势，技能和个人品牌，使您成为具有影响力的技术领导角色的必然选择。

您是有抱负的技术领导者吗？ 下载“数字领导者成功手册” 。 (Are you an aspiring technology leader? Download “The Digital Leader Success Manual”.)