One important personal concept that you have to learn to handle, especially as you get more senior, is how to handle what are seemingly contradictions. Let me explain via example.

As you get more and more senior, you need to stop worrying about the days, in terms of what specific things did you accomplish today. If you are a strategic leader, the outcome of one particular day doesn’t matter. Instead, it is what happened in the last month, the last quarter, the last year? And when looking ahead you are planning for goals in the months or years ahead, not days. So don’t worry about what happened today. Right?

Well, there’s an immediate contradiction here. After all, months are comprised of days. The small activities you do today have the net effect of what happens over the course of months or years. So yes, although you shouldn’t worry about what you got done today, you still need to worry about what you got done today.

Ding. Contradiction.

The key to managing this apparent contradiction lies in shifting your evaluation criteria, not abandoning daily accountability entirely. Focus your daily attention on whether you’re moving in the right direction rather than measuring specific deliverables. Ask yourself: “Did today’s activities align with my strategic priorities?” instead of “How many tasks did I complete?” This approach allows you to maintain daily intentionality while keeping your eyes on the longer horizon that senior leadership demands. The most effective technical leaders master this balance—they stay present in their daily decisions while remaining anchored to their strategic vision.

What contradictions are you wrestling with in your current role? Take a moment this week to identify one area where you might be caught between competing priorities, and consider how reframing your daily focus could help resolve the tension.