The Visionary or the Integrator

Rocket Fuel for CTOs

Ever feel like you’re constantly juggling between a grand vision and the technical details of software development? Four years ago, someone recommended the book ‘Rocket Fuel’ to me. I love its focus on the two pivotal roles in any game-changing organization: the Visionary and the Integrator.

Photo by SpaceX on Unsplash

As tech leaders, you’re often expected to be both the dreamer and the doer. You’re expected to get up on that soapbox and paint a picture of that grand vision. And next, to get into the details of software design patterns, cloud infrastructure and DevOps. Switching between the two can be challenging. And, most of naturally align much more to one or the other. Recognizing, accepting and planning for it can be a game-changer for your leadership style and success.

The Book

‘Rocket Fuel’ by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters can be an eye-opener, it certainly was for me. The book breaks down why having both a Visionary and an Integrator is crucial and how such a duo creates (or perhaps is even necessary for) success. Understanding what role fits you better can help you leverage your strengths and find the perfect counterpart to complement your strengths.

As an Integrator myself, ‘Rocket Fuel’ helped me better understand not only my strengths, but also the type of person that could complement me in business. By nature, I’m an organizer. In my tech career, my credo has always been: “Just give me a target and a bag of money, and I’ll get it done“. It doesn’t matter how large or complex the challenge is, the bigger it is – the more fun I have. What I struggle with is to create a vision, a north star, a picture of the future where we’ve changed the world. When you put me on stage, I naturally tend to talk about the roadmap, not the end goal.

Realizing that this is a natural role for me was a moment of clarity. Embracing my natural role as an Integrator helps me understand I should search out a visionary leader to partner with, as I know together we’d be unstoppable.
Side note: of course there’s more to it than just this. I need a lot more in a business partner than just that Visionary role – but it is an important element for me.

The pair

The Visionary: You’re the big ideas person. Visionaries are all about dreaming big, innovation, and driving the business forward. They’re the source of disruptive ideas but hate getting bogged down in details or lose interest in the nitty-gritty of implementation.

The Integrator: This role is all about making things happen. Integrators translate the visionary’s ideas into actionable plans. They’re pragmatic, process-oriented, and excellent at managing teams and operations, ensuring the company runs smoothly.

Finding Your Counterpart: Recognize which role resonates with you. If you’re a visionary, seek an integrator who complements your skills, and vice versa. This partnership is the fuel that will rocket your team or company to success.

In an ideal world, you might want for a great leader to be both a visionary and an integrator. Those people are rare. Even if they exist, one of the traits comes far more natural. Most people naturally excel in one and struggle with the other. You’ll find that most successful CEOs are visionaries, and have very capable CTOs or COOs in their team to challenge them and deliver on their ideas. Just think of Steve Jobs, the Visionary, and Tim Cook, the Integrator, and their different leadership styles.

But… a Visionary without an Integrator is a dreamer. It’s nice to have a grand vision and big ideas, but someone needs to deliver on those.

Photo by Fons Heijnsbroek, abstract-art on Unsplash

CTOs, understanding whether you’re a Visionary or an Integrator is not just insightful, it can be transformative. If you’re a Visionary, you may get tired of all the delivery details, sprint reviews and defects. Assign a deputy in your team who is a natural Integrator to oversee all of the details of delivery on your behalf. On the other hand, if you’re an Integrator yourself, you most likely have a CEO who is a Visionary. Be their Integrator – and implement their vision.

Are you a visionary CTO in search of your perfect integrator match, or vice versa? Let’s explore how this dynamic can revolutionize your approach to tech leadership and drive your organization forward. Reach out for a strategy session where we delve into your leadership style and organizational needs!