Vik

A Daily Checklist for Staying Close to the Business (as a Technologist)

Over the years, I’ve come to believe that the most effective technologists are the ones who stay deeply connected to the business. Not just during planning sessions or leadership reviews, but in the day-to-day rhythm of their work. This wasn’t always intuitive for me. Early in my career, I focused heavily on technical architecture, coding, and project delivery. But I eventually realized that without business context, even excellent technical execution can miss the mark. Here’s …

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Doing Great Work Isn’t Enough: Why Alignment, Visibility, and Sponsorship Matter

You’re grinding. You’re pushing through. You’re delivering. But is anyone noticing? In corporate world, execution and independence are table stakes. But real impact, and real career growth, come from something more: alignment, visibility, and sponsorship. Pushing Through Is Necessary, But Not Sufficient As I wrote in Pushing Through, the ability to keep going through ambiguity and resistance is critical. It builds resilience. It earns trust. But grit alone doesn’t guarantee your work will land. You might deliver a technically …

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Structuring Data and Analytics Teams for Impact

As more companies invest heavily in data as they grow, the question of how to structure the data and analytics function becomes increasingly important. It is not just about reporting lines or team charters. Structure influences how effectively data is used, how talent is retained, and how aligned the team is to business priorities. In my experience, I have seen a range of models in action: centralized teams, embedded analysts, and hub-and-spoke hybrids. I have …

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The Lone Wolf: Misunderstood or Misaligned?

In today’s business culture, collaboration is treated as the gold standard. We idolize team players, prioritize consensus, and treat solo work as a red flag. But that perspective isn’t always right. Not every meaningful contribution comes from group efforts. Some of the most important breakthroughs, elegant systems, and high-leverage solutions come from individuals working alone, without distraction. These “Lone wolves” aren’t anti-collaborative, they are just built differently. And when you learn to recognize and support …

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Stop Automating Broken Processes

One of the biggest mistakes I see in digital projects? Teams rushing to automate business processes without first asking whether those processes make any sense to begin with. Just because something exists doesn’t mean it’s worth preserving. If a process is slow, unclear, or stitched together with manual workarounds, automating it won’t solve the problem — it’ll lock it in. You’ll make the mess go faster, not better. A Real Example In a former company, …

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