You Are a Prism

You are a prism. The organization exists around you, and you are in it, and you are of it. But it distills and refracts, and you are it.

As a software engineering leader, it can feel like there is a lot happening around you. There is context pushing in to you and your team. Deadlines, blockers, new learnings, new strategies can feel like walls pushing in and constraining your team. The faster the org moves, the faster you have to react. And the faster still you have to move to stay proactive.

And as an engineering leader, the eyes of the team are on you. Are you calm? Are you frustrated? Are you authentic?

Amidst all of that motion, it’s imperative that your team understands what it can control and what it can influence. This is your role and your leverage point. You can be the prism that refracts the chaos into clarity. Or you can show your sharp edges bending and splitting the light, creating confusion and frustration.

Either way, when you show up tomorrow, you will be the prism. Which prism will you be?