The Art of Technology Leadership I Anand B Narasimhan

The Art of Technology Leadership I Anand B Narasimhan

Author: Bill September 18, 2026 Duration: 25:58
In this episode of the 40 Percent Better podcast, Bill Lennan sits down with Anand B Narasimhan, CTO at S-Docs, to explore technology leadership, communication, servant leadership, and the journey from hands-on engineering to executive leadership. Anand shares how he went from being an individual contributor and programmer to becoming a technology leader, consultant, architect, and CTO. He explains why the ability to translate complex technical ideas into language that executives and non-technical audiences can understand has been one of his most important leadership skills. The conversation covers servant leadership, building trust with engineering teams, effective communication, problem definition, product thinking, execution, and the transition from having great ideas to actually turning those ideas into products and results. Anand also discusses his 15 years at Salesforce, his experience working with Fortune 100 companies, and the lessons he learned while moving from consulting and technology architecture into product and technology leadership. Key topics discussed: * Technology leadership and engineering leadership * Servant leadership * Communicating complex technology to non-technical audiences * Building trust with engineering teams * Leadership lessons from Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar * Problem solving vs. problem definition * Product thinking and execution * Turning ideas into MVPs and minimum lovable products * Building and motivating high-performing teams * Visual communication and presenting technical ideas * Helping engineers become better communicators * Creating safe spaces for teams to practice communication * Career growth from engineer to CTO * Lessons from 15 years at Salesforce * Leadership, technology, and customer impact Whether you're an engineering leader, CTO, technology executive, product leader, software engineer, or someone looking to improve your leadership and communication skills, this episode offers practical insights into becoming a more effective technology leader. Hosted by Bill Lennan. Guest: Anand B Narasimhan CTO, S-Docs Connect with Anand B Narasimhan on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anandbnarasimhan/ Learn more about Anand B Narasimhan and S-Docs through their LinkedIn profiles. #40PercentBetter #BillLennan #AnandNarasimhan #TechnologyLeadership #CTO #EngineeringLeadership #ServantLeadership #TechLeadership #SoftwareEngineering #ProductLeadership #Leadership #Communication #SDocs #Salesforce #Technology I hope you enjoy this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly. – Bill and the 40 % Better podcast team Connect with Bill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wblennan/ Visit the 40 Percent Better website here: https://40pb.com/ Listen to 40 % Better on these podcast platforms: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qkqdMPkR9BqYPM7UPa4P0 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40%25-better---engineering-leadership/id1709546347 Amazon Podcasts: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/01ad162e-7a33-4df4-8c29-04c4af0405fc/40-better---engineering-leadership #40PercentBetter #BillLennan #Leadership #TeamPerformance #EmployeeEngagement #PsychologicalSafety #BusinessGrowth #Kaizen #EngineeringLeadership #Coaching The 40% Better podcast with Bill Lennan unlocks previously unheard-of performance levels in teams and leaders. Bill Lennan, founder of 40 Percent Better, interviews experts on employee engagement, psychological safety, engineering leadership, and actionable mental models. Learn how to foster high-performing teams, improve team productivity, and achieve sustainable success in business through a focus on human-centered systems. #technologyleadership #productmanagement #engineeringleadership #leadershipdevelopment #careergrowth #podcast

Hosted by Bill, 40% Better-Engineering Leadership is a conversation for those who build and guide technical teams. This isn't about abstract theory; it's a practical dialogue focused on the tangible mechanics of morale, motivation, and output. Each episode features a single expert in employee engagement, and together we dissect the specific strategies that lead to measurable leaps in performance. You'll hear detailed explorations into what actually moves the needle for engineers and their managers, translating research and experience into actionable leadership techniques. The goal is straightforward: to provide the insights that can help your team operate at a significantly higher level of effectiveness and satisfaction. Tune in for a focused, deep-dive podcast that cuts through the noise of generic management advice, offering concrete ideas you can apply directly to the unique challenges of engineering leadership.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

40% Better - Engineering Leadership
Podcast Episodes
Why Employee Loyalty Has Nothing to Do With Salary | Ian Watts [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:41
In two decades of coaching leaders across startups to multi-billion dollar corporations, Ian Watts discovered that companies lose talented people not because of compensation, but because they treat employees like replace…
From Dial-Up Belarus to 350 Engineers | Andrei Yurkevich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:41
In 2002, a 25-year-old Andrei Yurkevich started a software outstaffing business in Belarus with internet speeds under 100 kilobits per second for the entire country—slower than a dial-up modem. Twenty-two years later, he…
SE1E94 - From Dial-Up Belarus to 350 Engineers | Andrei Yurkevich [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:41
In 2002, a 25-year-old Andrei Yurkevich started a software outstaffing business in Belarus with internet speeds under 100 kilobits per second for the entire country—slower than a dial-up modem. Twenty-two years later, he…
Run to the Inevitable: High-Trust Engineering Teams | Josh Carroll [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:53
When Josh Carroll tells his engineers not to bring him their hard problems, he's actually doing the opposite—he's making sure they feel resourced enough to tackle anything. As an engineering leader with 20+ years of expe…
How Failure Made Her a Better Engineer | Sairan Aqrawi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:16
When Sairan Aqrawi decided to become a swimming coach as a teenager in Iraq, she discovered something critical about leadership: passion alone isn't enough. You need skills, responsibility, and the willingness to take ac…
From Student Entrepreneur to CTO Leading 371 Engineers | Taran Lent [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:38
From College Meal Plans to Multi-Tenant Cloud Platforms: How a CTO Built an 80% Market Share by Stacking the Odds for His Teams with Taran LentWhat started as a hungry college student solving his own problem with slips o…
Leading from a higher level | Prashanth Kumar Tondapu [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:34
When Prashanth Tondapu started his company at 27, he had no formal leadership training. What he discovered through building an 85-person engineering team would completely transform his approach to leadership, starting wi…
How Curiosity Builds Better Teams | Durgesh Sukhtankar [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:56
In this episode of the 40% Better podcast, host Bill Lennan is joined by technology leader Durgesh Sukhtankar for a deep conversation on leadership, curiosity, and building high performing product teams.Durgesh shares hi…