Hey everyone, welcome to the first episode of The Velocity Executive. I'm Daniel Carter, and I'm joined by Todd Curzon—the leadership guy, the tech troublemaker, the consultant who’s seen it all. Todd, how’s it feel to finally kick this thing off? Well, Daniel, you make it sound pretty good when you say it like that! I’ll admit, I’m pumped. I’ve spent most of my life buried in organizations where everyone thinks the person in the next office must have it all figured out. But, let’s be honest, none of us really start off knowing how to make the jump from technical contributor to executive leader, right? Oh, for sure. And that’s exactly who we’re talking to here—those newly promoted VPs and Directors in high-growth tech and related companies. I mean, we're focusing on folks in companies making a hundred million dollars in revenue, all the way up to the Fortune 500. If you’re walking into your first VP gig or leading a big team as a Senior Director trying to make that next jump—this is your crowd. Yeah, and let’s throw in those high-potential Directors too. The ones who, you know, have that target on their back—because someone said, “Alright, we think you’re the future, now prove it.” Been there, got that t-shirt... sometimes two sizes too small. Look, I remember my first big leap: I was the go-to tech guy, coding late at night, thinking the best solution was always the most complicated one—because, well, that was my jam. And then, one day, I’m told, “Todd, you’re leading the digital transformation for the whole dang business.” Suddenly, I’ve got fifty people looking at me, execs grilling me over budgets, and all I’d ever led was... maybe a five-person dev squad. I mean, my first planning session looked like a scene from a sitcom—except nobody was laughing. It’s a wild transition for anyone. And the wild part is, that scenario is so common, especially in these mid-market scale-ups or even the big multinationals. Suddenly you’re in charge of way more than product releases or project roadmaps—you’re managing millions in budget, multiple teams, and you’re reporting to a C-suite or the board, maybe for the first time. And it’s not just tech either—these are property management, engineering, you name it. In-person, hybrid, virtual, all with unique flavors, but pretty much the same leadership leap. So let’s get into it. What makes this transition so loaded with pitfalls? We keep hearing about moving from tactical management to strategic leadership, but what does that actually look like, Todd? Yeah, so here’s the thing: you’re not just solving technical problems anymore. Now, your calendar’s a chessboard of stakeholders. You’ve got C-levels, boards, maybe even investors—they all have opinions and they all want your time. Suddenly, you have to scale your impact because, let’s face it, working harder in this job just means burning out faster. I always say, your old playbook—being the smartest person in the room, jumping into the weeds—that doesn’t work at this level. It’s a different ballgame, and a lot of folks crash here if they try to just do more of what got them promoted. Right. I was coaching a VP of Engineering not long ago—she was brand new on the exec team, really sharp. Her first board meeting? Absolute trial by fire. She tried to win them over with all the technical details—charts, architectures, sprint retros, you name it. Board didn’t care. The room wanted strategy—impact, risk, business value, and she felt completely blindsided. And, you know, that’s so common—because nobody told her it’s not about the details anymore, it’s about big-picture presence, message, influence. And along comes the killer: influence without authority. I mean, how many times were you told, “Hey, make this happen, but oh—none of these teams actually report to you.” It’s like, “Great, well, let me just Jedi-mind-trick my way through this org chart!” The scale gets nuts—sometimes you’re managing twenty, fifty, even a hundred people, with dotted lines all over. And throw in P&L, budgets, and everyone’s fighting for priority. You have to communicate business impact, you have to build out your leadership bench, and you’re still learning to manage up to the execs above you. It can feel like everyone’s watching you, waiting to see if you’ll sink or swim. And all this is happening while you’re still figuring out, “Can I even get my day straight?” You’re juggling priorities, changing orgs, big deadlines, and it’s easy—even tempting—to just try what’s always worked. But you know, those old success patterns don’t scale here. It’s just a totally different skillset, and the learning curve—it’s, uh, it’s steep. And sometimes a little lonely at the top, too. So what do folks in these roles actually need? This is my favorite part because it’s the stuff I needed—badly—back when I made my own jump. First thing’s framework—leadership transition frameworks, not just how to run a meeting, but how to rewire how you think about your value to the organization. You need this shift from tactical to strategic, big picture stuff—a way to make sense of all the moving pieces. Yeah, and on top of that, executive presence—we throw that term around a lot, but it’s really about, can you walk into a boardroom or an exec call and get your voice heard without having to shout? Do you know how to land that message so it resonates with everyone, not just the engineers or product folks? Communication skills for broader impact—it’s about telling the story in a way that gets buy-in from people with different priorities. And let’s not forget, they gotta see immediate traction—our listeners, they don’t want “theory,” they want frameworks, templates, stuff they can take from the podcast and use tomorrow. Plus, they value peer learning, being able to say, “Hey, I’m not alone in this,” and seeing progress they can measure—not just feel-good stuff. When you’re reporting to a CEO or prepping for your own next role, you need to prove you’re progressing, not just guessing. That’s right, and that’s what we’ll cover in upcoming episodes. We’re planning practical themes like “First 90 Days as a New VP,” and “From Manager to Strategic Leader.” These aren’t just lists of tips—we’ll break down real-world examples. Like, think of SaaS scale-ups or PE-backed companies—what does the transition look like there? Or mid-market firms reinventing how they lead through digital transformation? If you’re leading in that world, we want this podcast to help you skip the avoidable mistakes, focus on the right habits, and build community as you do it. Couldn’t have said it better. Whether you’re a first-time VP, a seasoned Director ready for more, or just hungry to make the leap, we’re making this for you. So, Daniel, I don’t know about you, but I feel good about what’s coming up. Absolutely. If this sounds like your world, stick around—we’ll dig into all of this and a whole lot more in the weeks to come. Todd, thanks for launching this with me, man. And thanks to everyone listening for joining us on The Velocity Executive. We’ll see you next week! Take care, everyone. Daniel—let’s do this again soon. Signing off.
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