Re:On Becoming a VP of Engineering
by borski on Friday July 14, 2023 @02:11PM
(#36727755)
> You can teach most engineers to sell, lead, and plan.
No, you can’t. Source: I’ve tried.
Some? Sure, you can teach some of them. Hell, some become exceptional at it. Most could not care less about it, though, and are thus terrible at answering customer questions, doing sales, understanding how to optimize a funnel, negotiating a sales contract, or anything else.
Even doing demos is a taught effort, whereas some folks naturally give great demos.
It’s okay for there to be room for multiple important skillsets in a company. It’s not a zero-sum game.
No, you can’t. Source: I’ve tried.
Some? Sure, you can teach some of them. Hell, some become exceptional at it. Most could not care less about it, though, and are thus terrible at answering customer questions, doing sales, understanding how to optimize a funnel, negotiating a sales contract, or anything else.
Even doing demos is a taught effort, whereas some folks naturally give great demos.
It’s okay for there to be room for multiple important skillsets in a company. It’s not a zero-sum game.