Show Notes
In this episode of the Leadership Language Podcast, I’m joined by CIO and technology leader Patrick Adesso for a conversation about what AI is changing — not just in software development, but in technology leadership itself.
Most IT leaders who get passed over are not short on effort. They deliver, they lead, they put in the work.
The harder truth: the skills that made you the best operator are the same ones keeping you out of the executive seat. The business sees a technologist, not a leader. And no one ever explains how to change that.
That is the work I do. I help IT Directors and VPs make the jump to the executive level.
It starts with a short private diagnostic. It shows you which of the things holding you back is costing you the most, and where you stand against the leaders who already made the jump.
For the right fit, it opens into the Executive Leap Session:
A private 45-minute session, one on one with me I read your full diagnostic before we talk A straight read on where you actually stand The one or two things holding you back, specific to you The move that matters next
45 minutes with a former CIO, normally something leaders pay for. Take the diagnostic and find out where you stand.
Take the diagnostic → https://www.tingleleadership.com/
Patrick believes the next great technology leader may not be the strongest traditional technologist. They may be the person who can communicate, create, exercise judgment, understand the business, and orchestrate people and AI toward a clear outcome. We talk about Patrick’s journey from aviation and software development to technology leadership, why he still writes and ships software himself, and why staying close to the work has helped him build trust with his teams and connect technology to real business outcomes. Patrick also shares how AI changed the conversation inside his organization. Instead of trying to convince skeptical executives with presentations, he began showing them working prototypes and measurable business results — including a use case that produced significant savings. We also get into one of the biggest shifts facing developers and technology leaders today: AI can dramatically accelerate coding, but that makes architecture, security, design, communication, creativity, and judgment even more important.
In this conversation, we cover:
Why the next great tech leader may be a linguist, not a traditional technologist Why technology leaders need to think like business leaders How AI changes the economics of software development Why showing an AI prototype can beat explaining an AI strategy How to move from shadow AI toward intentional adoption Why architecture matters even more when AI writes code How Patrick uses AI as a thought partner before building Why developers are experiencing an identity shift The human skills developers will need to stay valuable Why creativity, taste, communication, and judgment become more important in the AI era How technology leaders can become orchestrators rather than operators If you are a CIO, CTO, VP, director, technology leader, software leader, or technical professional thinking about what AI means for your career and leadership, this conversation will give you a very different way to think about what comes next.
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