Big Problem

In every CTO’s mind, an overarching Big Problem drives his or her higher quest for technical excellence beyond the mundane business of getting day-to-day things done in IT.  The Big Problem is not necessarily the one that keeps you up at night — it’s the one you think about while you’re sitting by the pool on vacation or taking a long hike.

To a large degree, succeeding as a CTO depends on an unusual mix of idealism (“One day, all of our systems will work seamlessly”), pragmatism (“If X, Y, and Z happen, our entire back end could crash and burn in 10 seconds”), and persistence (“We knocked one problem down — only 15 more to go”).  A good CTO recognizes real, day-to-day technical limitations, but refuses, ultimately, to accept them.  He or she focuses instead on the daily incremental gains that push toward the longer term of solving the Big Problem.  The idealist thinks a grand solution might be just around the corner, but the pragmatist wouldn’t be too surprised if an elegant solution never appears.

The Big Problem is different for every CTO, but we all have one.