From Suffering to Leading: How Bad Management Inspired My Journey
One of my most formative professional experiences came early in my career when I found myself working under a manager who embodied everything I now strive to avoid becoming.
This manager was masterful at corporate speak and making promises in meetings, but consistently failed to deliver. They would confidently discuss AI implementations and data strategies they clearly didn't understand at a technical level. When challenged on specifics, they'd retreat to vague platitudes about "synergy" and "thinking outside the box."
What made this particularly frustrating was watching projects fail that I knew could succeed with proper leadership. Simple action items would disappear into the void of forgotten follow-ups. Technical decisions were made based on buzzwords rather than substance, creating massive technical debt our team had to silently manage.
I remember thinking: "If someone with actual technical expertise was leading this team, we could be doing remarkable work."
This experience fundamentally shaped my leadership philosophy. As Steve Jobs wisely noted in 1985, "great individual contributors are best managers." This resonated deeply with me.
I committed to becoming not just a competent data professional, but an exceptional one. I spend evenings diving into the latest AI research papers, weekends experimenting with emerging tools, and continuously refining my skills. But technical excellence alone isn't enough.
I've invested equal energy in developing management capabilities—learning to communicate effectively, understanding team dynamics, and creating environments where innovative thinking flourishes.
My leadership approach is simple: maintain deep technical credibility while creating the conditions for my team to do their best work. I never ask my team to trust my direction based on my title, but on the demonstrable expertise and follow-through I bring to every initiative.
No one on my watch will ever experience what I did under that manager. Instead, they'll work with someone who understands their challenges firsthand and provides both the technical guidance and managerial support needed to truly excel.