The Everything Feed - All Packet Pushers Pods TL014: Scaling Your Leadership with Dr. Brad Topol
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May 22, 2025 Dr. Brad Topol, a Distinguished Engineer and Director of Open Source Technologies at IBM, shares his insights on scaling leadership in tech. He discusses transitioning from an individual contributor to an executive, emphasizing continuous learning and adaptability. The importance of recognizing the right opportunities and mastering 'constraint-based leadership' for team success is highlighted. Brad also underlines the value of kindness in leadership and showcases key open-source technologies from IBM, encouraging listeners to innovate and grow.
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Career Growth Through Learning
- Brad Topol stayed at IBM for 27 years by continuously learning and moving to hot and shiny growth areas like OpenStack and Kubernetes.
- He actively contributed personally to new projects to understand and lead teams effectively.
When To Move Projects
- Gauge when to switch projects by assessing if you could get a job outside your company with your current skills.
- Watch industry signals like conference energy and foundation membership to spot cooling or heating trends.
Power of Constraint Leadership
- Constraint-based leadership frees leaders from command and control by setting boundaries instead of dictating solutions.
- This approach respects experts' knowledge and scales leadership effectiveness over broader, complex domains.