Most people think progressing into senior technical leadership is about becoming “good at everything.” It isn’t.

In this episode, Meri Williams breaks down the six skills that truly define modern technical leadership; the real capabilities behind roles like CTO, VP Engineering, Director of Engineering, and Staff-plus IC.

Meri has led engineering at Monzo, M&S, Moo, Healx and Pleo. She’s been an architect, a manager of 300+, a multi-time CTO, a board member, and a trusted advisor to CEOs. She’s seen what great leadership looks like, and what happens when the role and the leader don’t match.

Whether you’re already in the top seat or aiming for it, Meri’s Career Vectors Framework gives you a clearer way to understand where you stand and what to do next. Together, we unpack:

• Why leadership isn’t a “promotion” from engineering, but a career change
• What your company truly needs from you
• How your strengths match those expectations
• Where you’ll excel, where you’ll stretch, and where you may be miscast
• How to have honest, grown-up conversations with your CEO or manager
• How to evaluate a new role before you say yes
• Why you don’t need to be a “five out of five” in every dimension

We also explore how different shapes of technical leaders fit different stages of a company, and why talented people often struggle simply because they’re in the wrong context.

If you’re a Director on the rise, a VP looking for clarity, a Staff or Principal engineer exploring the leadership path, or a CTO sharpening your edge, this episode gives you a practical, visual way to map your capabilities to the role in front of you.

If you want to do the exercise yourself, Meri’s downloadable Career Vectors Framework is available at buildyouredge.org/downloads.