Intro
Intro
Lessons learned while building tech organisations - from org design to the tech landscape to reflections on leadership.
My name is Pawel Dolega, and I am the CTO at VirtusLab, a consulting and software development company that works with both small and large (FTSE100 & Fortune 500) companies. I've been in various technology leadership roles since 2012. You can read more about me in my bio.
In a post-ZIRP world, software organizations are changing, and with them, the entire software technology industry is maturing. Having been in the industry for roughly 20 years, I can see the shifts happening with my own eyes. I've experienced both highs and lows. I have successfully led some projects and teams, and failed with others. Both have taught me lessons and I have the scar tissue to prove it.
In this corner of the internet, I will cover topics ranging from organizational design to the technology landscape to leadership reflections - including comments about current trends in the tech world - as they relate to tech leaders.
My purpose here is threefold.
First, I see we already have a lot of material on technology leadership. However, a large chunk of it comes from lessons learned in Big Tech or hot Silicon Valley startups. While these lessons are undoubtedly valuable, there is a non-negligible difference between a hyper-growth payment scaleup based in Silicon Valley and a larger group of companies that might include: a 1000-engineer utility tech division or a mid-sized insurance company with a tech department or a self-funded European tech consultancy. Some lessons are transferable, others less so. Interestingly enough, the latter group is much larger than the former. I believe the insights I can contribute in this area will be valuable.
The second reason, and a more selfish one, is my personal learning. Past activities - both successes, failures, and all the things in the middle - are great teaching moments. However, when we talk about challenges we encounter in leadership, they are rarely related to just learning new factual information. We struggle mostly with perceptual discrimination or rebuilding mental models. To learn to deal with such problems, it is not enough to only do something. Sure - it is crucial to have practical experience (necessary condition), but to grasp and internalize the lessons fully - there needs to be a synthesis phase. A reflection. To quote John Dewey: “We don’t learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” For me, the best way to do this is to structure my thoughts in written form. Then the next step is to confront different perspectives. I hope this publication will help me with both of these steps.
Finally, I am eager to connect with other tech leaders facing similar challenges. Throughout my career, I've come to understand that while the solutions may be different and specific to each organization, the underlying challenges are often similar. Whether it's managing rapid growth, navigating complex technology landscapes, or fostering a culture of innovation, many of us can relate to these common experiences. So let’s talk. Feel free to reach out to me here, on LinkedIn, or on Twitter/X.
Stay tuned!