The myth of the 10X programmer has long done the rounds in the software
world. Stories abound of unicorn software engineers that can churn out 10
times, or 100 times, as much code as the average programmer. The rockstar
coders that accelerate startups with their ninja skills.
For some people there is no doubt that the 10X programmer exists, and is
essential to success. The argument goes that programming is not linear, so 10X
programmers can compound experience, knowledge, an uncanny ability to achieve
efficiencies, and a creative flair for coding that allows them to outstrip
their team mates.
The other side of the argument goes that it doesn’t matter whether or not
they exist, rather that very often these 10X programmers cause so much
disruption (of the unhelpful kind) in the long-term, that they aren’t worth the
short-term wins. This chaos ranges from technical debt – where down the line
the fallout from their “genius” causes a whole lot more coding and debugging
work; to poor culture fits: the stereotype of the unapproachable, unwashed,
sleep-deprived coder.
Whatever your views on the 10X programmer, it is very clear that we all
need to 10X our skills and experience to remain relevant in a rapidly digitalising,
fourth industrial revolution world. This challenge was rather beautifully
summed up, as only an accountant could, at our user conference earlier this
year.
“Am I an asset to my company?” asked one of the attendees during a
keynote and Q&A session with Sameer Rawjee, the founder of Google’s Life
Design Lab, and currently working with companies and schools to tackle
continuous learning and purpose at work.
“Or am I just OpEx?” the attendee continued.
The rest of the audience of accountants chuckled that he had managed to
avoid using the word “liability”. But this insightful question really gets to
the heart of a matter that affects us all, as individuals and business owners
in a rapidly changing workplace. How do we ensure we stay relevant in our own
roles, plus, as leaders, how can we help our people stay valuable in our
companies?
I think that on day one of our jobs, we are all assets to our company.
But that we run the risk of depreciating every single day, unless we actively
work to ensure our growth, to 10X ourselves and the people around us
continuously, to keep pace, stay relevant and remain impactful.
Darwin nailed it when he highlighted adaptability as the key to survival.
And today, as digitalisation gains pace, we need to adapt over a shorter time
frame than ever before. However, if companies and their people adopt the right
mindset, this offers immense opportunity.
Much has already been written about how AI and automation promises to relieve
us from repetitive, mundane work. And it is becoming increasingly clear that companies
will need to spend some of the savings and increased earnings gained from
digitalisation’s greater efficiencies and productivity on helping their people
continue to learn. In the same way that businesses have an imperative to
digitalise in order to survive, they have a moral obligation to their people to
help them adapt around these changes.
Ensuring that we stay one step ahead of the machines, doing the things
that AI can’t yet, or won’t ever, do is the sweet spot of how we can 10X our
careers. A good way, and perhaps the only way, to focus on the things that the
machines can’t do, is to hone in on the skills that require emotional
intelligence. One of the challenges here is that these skills are difficult to
measure and grade in the formal learning system. But, ironically, they could be
the key to successful uptake of automation and AI in an organisation as well:
communicating change effectively; listening empathetically to people’s
concerns; leading the way in this new way of working. These are all “soft”
skills. Others that will be critical to the take up of digitalisation are
creative problem solving and ethical judgement.
A way that this ongoing learning can happen, I would suggest, is that responsibility
needs to be shared. Individuals must identify their areas of growth, and
companies need to ensure that everyone is very clear about the business’s
vision, goals and plans, so that the two can align.
This is not dissimilar to how I advise companies to canvass the
grassroots of their organisation during the budget process as they know what
needs to be done at the coalface, especially during tough times. Likewise it’s
the people on the ground who know what they need to learn to remain relevant,
and happy, in their roles. They may not always get it right but it is the role
of management to guide them and help them align their goals with what the
company needs to survive and grow.
Working to continuously 10X our careers, and those of our people, is
going to ensure we remain true assets, constantly appreciating, and
continuously adding value in ever-changing times. And never becoming expenses,
or worse, liabilities.
As published on ITWeb - June 2019
