My Journey from Engineer to Executive: Learning to Lead Through 'Hunt, Hack, Create'

I didn’t wake up one day as a tech executive with all the answers. I started where you might be right now—deep in the technical trenches, focused on perfecting my craft, solving problems, and pushing out quality work.

But at a certain point, I realized I wanted to make a bigger impact. I wasn’t content with just solving problems myself; I wanted to lead others in solving bigger, more complex challenges together.

When I decided to make the shift, I knew that this new role would require something beyond technical skills. So, I looked at the situation the same way I would any complex technical problem—with curiosity, a willingness to experiment, and a drive to improve.

That’s where “Hunt, Hack, Create” came in. Let me tell you how I used this approach to transform my career, and maybe it’ll inspire you to take a few bold steps of your own.

Hunt for Opportunities to Step Up

When I first aspired to become a manager, I didn’t have a roadmap. There wasn’t anyone handing out guidebooks on how to go from a developer to a team leader.

So, I started hunting for any opportunity to demonstrate leadership. I looked for projects that needed coordination across teams, complex issues that required a big-picture perspective, or team-wide challenges that weren’t being addressed.

It didn’t matter if it was within my role’s "scope"—I knew that to lead, I had to be seen as someone who could tackle challenges beyond my job description.

One of my first big opportunities came when a high-stakes project was in trouble. Multiple teams were involved, deadlines were slipping, and no one seemed to have a handle on what was going wrong.

I saw a chance to step in—not by solving the technical problems myself but by bringing everyone together to figure out the issues as a team.

I set up regular syncs, worked with team leads to untangle bottlenecks, and encouraged open conversations about what was and wasn’t working.

That project taught me an important lesson: leadership often means creating the space for others to succeed rather than just showcasing your own skills.

Hack My Existing Skills for Leadership

I wish I could say that I became a perfect leader overnight. The reality? I struggled, especially at first.

I kept finding myself wanting to dive back into the technical weeds, focusing on details that used to make up my day-to-day as an engineer. But I realized that I had to hack the way I used my skills.

Instead of using my technical knowledge to directly solve problems, I learned to apply it as a translator—bridging the gap between our engineering team and non-technical stakeholders.

For example, early on in my leadership journey, our team was dealing with a security vulnerability that required some pretty complex mitigation. My business stakeholders wanted answers fast—when would it be fixed? What was the risk to the business?

My first instinct was to tackle it head-on, to dive into the problem myself. But instead, I hacked that instinct. I stepped back, translated the issue in a way they’d understand, outlined the impact, and presented options on how we could handle it.

This shift from technical doer to strategic communicator wasn’t easy. I had to consciously push myself to reframe my skills in a way that served the team and the organization better. Instead of solving every problem, I began focusing on enabling my team to solve them, making sure they had the resources, support, and clarity they needed.

Create a Culture of Growth and Trust

Finally, I realized that creating was no longer about building code; it was about developing people and relationships.

This is where the biggest transformation happened for me. I knew I couldn’t be everywhere, doing everything myself, so I needed a team that felt empowered and trusted.

That’s when I focused on creating a culture where everyone had ownership.

One day, a junior developer approached me with a fresh idea for optimizing a process that had been causing delays. Now, I could have shut it down or reworked it my way.

But instead, I encouraged him to run with it. I asked questions to guide his thought process, helped him align his plan with team goals, and then stepped back to let him lead it.

The impact was powerful—he grew more confident, and other team members saw that they had the freedom to bring their ideas forward.

Building that kind of trust didn’t happen overnight. It required me to consistently give my team the autonomy to make decisions and, yes, sometimes make mistakes. But that’s how we built a culture of innovation.

My role evolved from being the problem-solver to the facilitator, helping my team hunt for solutions, hack their own skills, and create a high-performing environment where everyone felt they could contribute.

I tell you this story not because it was easy but because it was worth it.

Moving from being an engineer to a leader was one of the most challenging transitions I ever made. It required rethinking how I approached work and redefining success.

Through "Hunt, Hack, Create," I found my own style of leadership—one that’s about empowering others, creating space for innovation, and focusing on outcomes over individual achievements. And if I could make that shift, you can too.