A lesson from my childhood that transformed my leadership in the IT industry
Many, many years ago, when I was in primary school, my mother asked me a strange question.
“How can you make this line shorter without erasing it?”
There were conditions: no hiding, erasing, or breaking the line. I stared at the line, unsure. Then she smiled and said: “You just draw a longer line next to it.” That simple answer has never left me. Not because it was difficult - but because of how powerfully she explained it.
(Kannadigas might recall this idea from the film Eradu Rekhegalu - a metaphor of contrast and perspective)
That line came back to me.
Years into my career, I was leading a team on a long-term support project. We were responsible for maintaining legacy systems for Banking, Telecom, Retail, etc.
Nothing flashy. No bleeding-edge tech. No hackathons or overnight headlines. Just daily operational stability. Patching and fixing bugs. Ensuring systems are up all the time, enhancing some features, and keeping the lights on. Somewhere along the way, I began questioning my impact.
“Am I making a difference?” “Is this the work I was meant to do?” It’s a quiet thought that I know many professionals share but rarely voice.
Then, I drew the longer line.
That old lesson from my mother came flooding back. I began tracing the line further out:
The systems we were maintaining were managing the economy of the region The uptime we ensured meant fewer call failures, and people could connect with their loved ones Fewer delays meant critical supplies - like medicine - reached their destination on time. Maintaining a risk system, ensured people went home safely after their work
- The systems we were maintaining were managing the economy of the region
- The uptime we ensured meant fewer call failures, and people could connect with their loved ones
- Fewer delays meant critical supplies - like medicine - reached their destination on time.
- Maintaining a risk system, ensured people went home safely after their work
Suddenly, I wasn’t just leading an IT team. I was part of something far bigger, meaningful and relatable.
From Maintenance to Meaning - Through the Simplexity Lens
This also inspired me to create the Simplexity Transition Model - a framework to help individuals and organisations navigate complexity with clarity.
The journey I went through fits perfectly into its three phases:
Awareness: Realising that what seems small might have large, invisible value. Adaptation: Reframing your work with purpose and linking it to impact. Achievement: Rediscovering fulfilment through aligned vision and action.
- Awareness: Realising that what seems small might have large, invisible value.
- Adaptation: Reframing your work with purpose and linking it to impact.
- Achievement: Rediscovering fulfilment through aligned vision and action.
That mindset shift didn’t just change me. It changed how I led. It helped me coach others to see the “longer line” in their roles.
A tip to fellow professionals
If you’re in the tech space - or any industry - and feel overwhelmed, uninspired, or disconnected. You don’t need to erase your doubts. You just need to draw a longer line. Zoom out. Look beyond the task. Find the purpose that powers it.
Because:
Fixing bugs keeps planes in the air. Running reports helps leaders make smarter decisions. Coding backend logic powers human lives on the front end.
- Fixing bugs keeps planes in the air.
- Running reports helps leaders make smarter decisions.
- Coding backend logic powers human lives on the front end.
It wasn't a riddle
What my mother gave me that day wasn’t a riddle - it was a lifelong perspective. And that’s what I now share with teams and leaders through coaching, storytelling, and my book Simplexity.
So the next time you - or someone you lead - feels small or stuck, ask: “How can we make this line shorter - without erasing it?” Draw a longer one. And let them see how they fit into it.
