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Can You Be a Tech Leader Without Knowing How to Code?

Can You Be a Tech Leader Without Knowing How to Code?

In this episode of the Engineering Leadership Series, host Tracy Lee interviews Sriram Venkateswaran, the CTPO of Root Pay. Sriram shares insights into his extensive engineering leadership journey and the projects he's been involved in throughout his career.

Sriram discusses his current role as the CTPO at Root Pay, a FinTech SaaS platform. Before his role at Root Pay, Sriram was heading engineering at Polygon and app engineering at Flipkart. He also had a brief stint at Coinbase before moving to the US.

During his five years at the Flipkart group, Sriram played a pivotal role in introducing 3D commerce and augmented reality capabilities within Flipkart, transforming it into a global leader in these technologies.

Sriram emphasizes the importance of maintaining technical skills as an engineering leader. He draws a comparison between a chef who can handle every aspect of cooking and an engineering leader who can still code and debug. He believes this helps leaders stay connected with their team, understand ground-level challenges, prioritize effectively, and earn the respect of their developers.

He recommends that senior leaders take time to code, even if it's only for a few days every quarter or so. This hands-on approach keeps them in touch with the technical aspects of their projects and helps them understand their team's challenges better.

Tracy and Sriram also discuss the difficulties non-technical leaders may face when making technical decisions. Sriram advises using metrics and data to build a strong case and support decision-making. He also stresses the importance of empathy and effective communication when dealing with stakeholders from non-technical backgrounds.

Sriram shares how he introduced 3D commerce and augmented reality at Flipkart to address customer pain points related to online furniture shopping. He emphasized the role of prototypes and aligning with stakeholders in overcoming challenges and making impactful decisions.

His dedication to maintaining his technical skills, even in senior leadership roles, underscored the importance of staying connected with ground-level challenges. His practical advice on decision-making, backed by metrics and prototypes, speaks to the nuanced process of making effective technical choices.

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