This was also published as a Twitter thread here

Technical depth is necessary but insufficient for tech leadership roles. Many engineers and engineering managers (EMs) aspire to become a CTO in smaller organizations or a Director or VP in larger ones—but without a clear plan to get there, the journey can feel overwhelming. Based on my experience, there are four areas that many don’t invest in early enough, but absolutely should. Let me break them down for you.

1. The Art of Spotting Hidden Talent

As you climb the leadership ladder, finding and nurturing talent becomes one of your most crucial skills—and it’s an art form that separates great leaders from the rest. When I was building Infracloud, I personally handled the final interviews for the first 150 hires. Why? Because spotting the right talent isn’t just about checking boxes for skills and requirements—it takes instinct, patience, and a sharp eye for potential that others might miss.

Most hiring processes fail because they’re too conventional. Companies often chase ready-made skills—like AI expertise or cloud-native proficiency—but those candidates can be expensive, hard to attract, or simply not the right fit for a growing organization. Instead, I’ve learned that the real magic lies in identifying untapped potential—people who have the raw foundation to grow into something exceptional, even if they don’t check every technical box on your list.

So, how do you spot this hidden talent? It starts with looking for “fire in the belly”—individuals with genuine passion and drive, especially in the early stages of building something new. These are the people who show up early, ask questions, and bring energy to the table, even if their current skills aren’t polished. I’ve seen engineers who weren’t experts in Kubernetes or Docker but had an insatiable curiosity and willingness to dive deep—and they ended up becoming some of our most impactful team members.

Another key is finding people who’ve mastered something deeply, even if it’s unrelated to your immediate needs. Someone who’s obsessed with optimizing a niche process, mastering a hobby, or solving complex problems in their personal projects often has the mindset to go deep when they commit to your mission. This depth of focus is a transferable trait that can shine in any role, given the right environment.

I’ve also found that creating spaces to uncover natural talent is invaluable. For years, I ran the Pune Kubernetes meetup, and many of our best hires came from there. These individuals already knew our work, engaged with our community, and actively expressed interest in joining us. It wasn’t about formal interviews or rigid criteria—it was about observing who showed up, participated, and demonstrated a hunger to contribute.

Of course, spotting talent isn’t just about hiring—it’s about retention and growth, too. As one wise tweet I saw pointed out, “You can gather everything you need to know about a company by its inflows and outflows.” The talent you attract and retain tells your company’s true story. If you’re consistently losing your best people or struggling to bring in the right ones, it’s a signal to rethink your approach. That’s why mastering the art of talent spotting isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the foundation for everything else you’ll build as a leader.

Speaking the Language of Value, Not Just Code

Most engineers think in terms of technology and code, but they completely miss the economics of software. In fact, economics is probably the most underrated subject for engineers. To move up, you need to understand multiple dimensions: What are customers actually buying—technology, solutions, service, or skills? Why would they buy from you? Are you a niche player? Is demand too high and supply too low? Are you sitting in a country with cost arbitrage? How do you become discoverable to them?

Back in 2007, when I was the only person on support, our application went down. I immediately emailed all global users, fixed the issue within 15 minutes, and communicated the restoration. None of this was technical. But what mattered to those thousand users was that they were informed, updated, and back to work quickly. As an engineer, I thought my cool Java 6 implementation was important. But customers think: “Is my application working or not?” That’s their problem.

Focusing on Understanding the “Problem” Better

Many engineers fall into what I call the “LEGO block trap.” They get fascinated with individual blocks—the specific technologies, tools, and languages. But to lead, you need to rise above and see what you’re actually building.

Think of it like building a house. You need to talk about what kind of house you need and its requirements first. Engineers often get caught up in the brick type or cement quality. Yes, those details are important, but they’re not what lets you think at a higher level of architecture.

Beyond a point, most engineers don’t try to rise to the problem statement. They’re still lost in the building blocks of the LEGO. You need both—deep technical knowledge and solution thinking—to truly excel.

Articulation as Your Multiplier

As a CXO, you’re either convincing people, connecting ideas, or communicating priorities. You can’t learn these skills overnight when you become a Director. You need to start practicing early and fail early—rather than fail later when you actually step into that role. Every communication skill you build compounds. I go and give talks at meetups. This helps me attract talent (connecting back to point one!), improves my communication skills, and leads to serendipitous connections. Because I share ideas on LinkedIn or Twitter, many people know me through those ideas, which could lead to hiring opportunities or customer connections.

Most engineers think anything beyond technology is beneath them or not their job. That’s career suicide. You have to start building these muscles now—every conversation, every customer interaction, every person you mentor—it all adds up.

The Bottom Line To grow from engineer to CXO, invest early in these four underrated skills:

• Talent Spotting
• Customer Insight
• Solution Thinking
• Persuasive Communication

Don’t wait for that fancy title to begin learning these skills. The journey to becoming a successful CXO starts much earlier than most people think.