Part 2: Mastering Technical Strategy as an Executive

Understanding the Business Context

One of the most common mistakes executives make with technology strategy is starting with the technology.

The starting point should always be the business.

Early in my career I saw how easy it was to fall into the opposite pattern. A team would discover a promising new technology and begin imagining how it might be used. The discussion quickly became technical instead of strategic.

The better question is always this.

What problem are we solving for the business?

When we were scaling eGroup, we spent a great deal of time understanding how our customers were evolving. Many were shifting workloads to the cloud and facing new security challenges at the same time. Their expectations of their technology partners were changing.

They were no longer looking for someone who could just install infrastructure. They wanted guidance. They wanted reliability. They wanted someone who could help them navigate complexity.

Understanding that shift shaped our strategy.

We invested more heavily in managed services, security, and advisory capabilities because that is where our customers needed help.

This approach reflects another STRIVE value that guides our decisions. Responsibility. The right way is not always the easy way. When customers depend on your expertise, responsibility means aligning your capabilities with their success.

Technology strategy works best when it begins with a deep understanding of the mission, the market, and the customer.

Next in the series:

Assessing the Technology Landscape