Turing Complete Understanding [WIP]

I've had many "hands off" managers in my career. Some of them were great, some of them less so. None of them truly understood the deicisons I was making or the work I was doing.

This matters because without deeply understanding the trade offs that your team(s) are making, you cannot do some of the critical parts of leaderhship. You cannot:

1. Hold your team to account
2. Help the wider business understand the impact of your teams
3. Ensure teams are focused on the right things for the business

We're agreed it's important. So what is "enough"?

I want to create a simple rule of thumb for the following problem...

What is the minimumu level of understanding of the technology that a leader needs to have in order to be effective?

My new mental model for this is the "Turing Complete Understanding".

Turing Complete Understanding

To grasp the concept of "Turing Complete Understanding," we first turn to the principle of Turing completeness in computing. A system is said to be Turing complete if it possesses the capability to simulate any Turing machine, meaning it can solve any problem given sufficient time and resources, provided the problem is computable. This concept is foundational in computer science, underlying the versatility and power of programming languages and computational systems.

Drawing a parallel from this computational concept, "Turing Complete Understanding" in the context of leadership signifies the threshold level of knowledge and insight necessary for leaders to effectively navigate any challenge or project within their domain. It doesn't imply an exhaustive mastery of every detail but rather a profound and robust grasp of the fundamental principles and technologies that define their field. This depth of understanding ensures leaders can make informed decisions, foster innovation, and guide their teams through complex challenges with confidence and authority.

In a nutshell, Turing Complete Understanding is:

The minimum level of understanding to (just about) be able to do any task, given sufficient time and resources.

Why is Turing Complete Understanding Critical for Technical Leadership?

Here are several reasons why a Turing Complete Understanding is indispensable:

Accountability