Being a Dev Doesn’t Automatically Make You a Leader

English General Discussions
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Being a Dev Doesn’t Automatically Make You a Leader

This space gives a lot of respect to developers.
Rightfully so—they’ve built the infrastructure we all depend on.

But here’s the thing:
Technical skill ≠ leadership.
And we need to stop acting like it does.

I’m not a developer.
I’ve been part of this ecosystem since 2022.
Learned what I could, got CBCA certified, and then dove deep into governance, working groups, and community building.
Because that work matters too.

I’ve been part of almost every non-technical working group or SIG in Intersect.
Some delivered outcomes.
Some fell apart because people left.
Some exposed problems others didn’t want to face.

But I showed up. Every time.

Tech folks are essential.
But so are the people who:
:brain: Connect ideas
:pencil: Write docs
:studio_microphone: Host calls
:handshake: Mediate conflict
:loudspeaker: Share info

Governance isn’t just a codebase.
It’s a culture.

Right now, most influence in Cardano still sits with dev-heavy orgs.
That’s not decentralization.
That’s just technical centralization with a different flag.
And it shuts out everyone who doesn’t speak “dev.”

You want a sustainable ecosystem?
You need storytellers. Moderators. Strategists. Organizers.
You need people who keep showing up when the screen goes black and the hype dies down.

You need us.

The problem isn’t the devs.
It’s that we’ve confused domain knowledge with vision.

Leadership is about listening.
Balancing views. Taking responsibility.
Building trust—not just tools.

I’m not here to replace anyone.
I’m here to say the tent needs to be bigger.
Because if the only leaders we trust are technical, we’re leaving too much value on the table.

That’s why I’m running for the Intersect Board.
To remind us that Cardano grows stronger when we include all kinds of builders.
Even the ones not in the repos.
Even the ones who’ve been told they don’t count.

:ballot_box_with_ballot: Vote Gintama — For the other half of the story. Because Cardano was never meant to be led by just one type of mind.

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A reflect on the journey
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I agree, leadership isn’t solely dependent on technical skills. “Technical” are the skills through which we practice computational thinking. Computational Thinking empowers people to use technology for solving meaningful problems, and it makes us better communicators.
An authentic leader gains power through being able to let others see value of doing what the leader is doing enough to commit and follow through, this is product of clarity of vision, connection and communication. And these three aspects of being all become healthier with learning Computational Thinking skills.

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So right on the dots,

All the power is in team building more hands more brains more eyes etc etc a dev guy do great thing to ecosystem but its a brick of a house that is been under constru.

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I am relatively new to the Cardano ecosystem and reading through the forum, I agree with what you’ve said here, a mix of both technical and non technical folks in key positions will yield more results that echoes the views of the broader ecosystem and this is applicable everywhere else, you need someone who sees things from a different perspective.

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Vous me rappelez comment j’ai aussi connu cet écosystème Cardano.

Vers fin 2021, dans mon institution d’études supérieures, l’un des sides events a été tenus par notre promoteur ; lui, est un développeur qui vit aux États-Unis, mais il a été en R.D.Congo pour ce sommet là. …

En tant qu’étudiant en sciences sociales, curieux de savoir ce qui se passait dans la salle où se tenait la conférence (Sommet Cardano 2021); écoutant des termes qui étaient utilisés dedans ; je n’avais aucune envie de continuer à écouter… Tout semblait technique sur CARDANO pour moi en cette année là.

L’année s’était écoulé et nous étions entrés en 2022, là, nous avions déjà formé une équipe qui devait continuer à discuter au sujet de Cardano dans notre institution d’études.

Là encore, tout nous semblait technique, mais nous étions constitués d’une équipe qui regorgeait toutes capacités, techniques et non-techniques. On cherchait, on discutait et on pratiquait ensemble… On a été formé en HASKELL, R et PLUTUS… C’est là que l’équipe du début a été disloquée, mais une partie avait tenue tête pour continuer… D’où, nous avions résisté jusqu’à présent.

Des évènements comme le CIP_1694, Cardano Summit 2022 (Side event Goma) et bien d’autres ont été organisés et nous étions toujours parmi les organisateurs locaux… Nous avons ouvert des ponts comme partenariat avec d’autres membres de Cardano et même l’installation d’un StakePool (Celui de Goma)… j’ai toujours été là sans même développer en profondeur ces capacités techniques malgré la formation, je me disais toujours que j’aurais, d’une manière ou d’une autre, à contribuer à l’expansion et l’adoption de l’écosystème Cardano.

À cela, ce qui faisait aussi un autre frein, c’était la langue… l’écosystème est généralement anglophone et nous, dans notre pays, nous sommes beaucoup plus francophones… Là encore, il fallait trouver une autre solution et on a été toujours là en se concentrant sur ce qui était essentiel jusqu’à présent.

Pour dire que, si aujourd’hui, nous parvenons à amener les autres à participer et contribuer au développement et la construction de cet écosystème Cardano, ce n’est pas seulement grâce à des compétences techniques, mais grâce au sens du leadership qui nous tient à cœur… C’est le plus important pour travailler ensemble au sein de Cardano… Toutes les capacités sont aussi importantes et complémentaires ! :handshake:

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Thank you for your support and point of view fam :folded_hands:

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Yes a team is not just build by having one type of people it needs diverse skills to be efficient and effective , to build something for all , thank you for your support

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Definitely a valid view point fam , and yes we need new voices who bring in fresh perspective while the og shows the history of the chain they alone should not be the one who make the future , we need a future where everyone feels a sense of contribution be it old or new and welcome all with open arms and grow together

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First of all i would like to say sorry to you fam since i cant speak French so have to reply in English , and Thank you for replying to my posts and point of view.

Yes , only technical people have not built the chain its also people like you who support it , and help in community building are also the main components of the cardano we see today , and we each complement each other , if developers build tools , we as community use it , have other people use it and we grow together by supporting each other and we need all people .

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