Dennis Kozak is the Chief Executive Officer at Ivanti, responsible for the company’s overall strategic direction and growth.
In the tech industry—and, really, for the business world overall—the pressure to specialize has never been greater. Software engineers focus on narrow stacks, product managers become vertical experts and marketers master single platforms. This hyper-specialization seems logical—become the go-to expert in one area and climb the ladder efficiently.
The problem? This narrow path rarely leads to effective top-level executive leadership. The most effective tech leaders develop broad expertise through deliberate exploration and interactions. And where can tech leaders find inspiration for this varied approach? An unexpected—and ostensibly unrelated—source: sommeliers.
The Specialization Trap
A sommelier doesn’t earn mastery by studying only Napa Cabernets, however prestigious that specialty might be. They build expertise across regions, varietals, production methods and service techniques. Similarly, tech leaders can’t afford tunnel vision, especially as digital transformation blurs traditional boundaries.
I discovered this early when I stumbled into software through an accounting role. For 22 years at a single company, I sampled different functions—finance, operations, sales—developing a comprehensive palate that prepared me for executive leadership at Ivanti.
Cultivating Breadth In A Specialist World
Why does functional breadth matter when specialists might appear to advance more quickly? Because leadership requires understanding of how systems interact across an organization.
Much like how a sommelier must grasp how soil conditions affect grape development, how fermentation choices influence flavor profiles and how stemware shapes the drinking experience, tech leaders need to understand how engineering decisions impact customer experience, how marketing strategies affect sales cycles and how operational efficiency drives profitability—among many other things.
This systemic understanding only develops through cross-functional exposure.
A Sommelier’s Edge Isn’t Just About Wine
Sommeliers excel at one critical skill that directly parallels executive leadership: They understand their customers from multiple perspectives. A truly skilled sommelier doesn’t just recommend wines based on technical merit—they read the table, assess experience levels, discern unstated preferences and translate complex wine concepts into terms that resonate with that specific customer.
A sommelier who understands wine but fails to understand the customer’s needs won’t have many clients. The same goes for business leaders. Business acumen doesn’t go very far if you lack an audience.
In my role as CEO, I rely on perspectives gained across multiple functions. As a finance professional, I understand budget constraints. From operations, I recognize implementation hurdles. Sales experience taught me how security solutions must align with broader business objectives.
This multifaceted understanding of customer needs is impossible to develop from a single functional silo. Just as a sommelier must understand both the technical aspects of wine and the human aspects of service, tech leaders must bridge the gap between complex solutions and real human problems.
Taking Calculated Risks
A hesitancy to venture beyond a specialty is understandable. The discomfort of new environments and the risk of early failures keep many of us in familiar territory.
The best sommeliers approach new wines with curiosity rather than judgment. They taste widely, ask questions relentlessly and build mental frameworks that connect disparate experiences.
Tech professionals can adopt this mindset by volunteering for cross-functional projects, requesting stretch assignments in adjacent areas and actively seeking mentors in unfamiliar disciplines.
Building Your Tasting Menu
For those seeking broader experience, start with these practical steps:
1. Identify adjacent functions where you can contribute value while learning.
2. Request temporary assignments that expose you to different business areas.
3. Build relationships across departments by offering help before asking for it.
4. Articulate, as specifically as possible, what you want to learn from each new experience.
5. Reflect deliberately on contrasts between different functional cultures.
When transitioning departments or roles, I didn’t wait for a formal invitation. I identified a challenge, offered a solution based on my expertise and used that opportunity to learn a new side of the business. This proactive approach opened doors that would have remained closed had I waited for the perfect role to appear.
Top Tech Leaders Don’t Just Have Tech Skills
Remember that point about top sommeliers excelling at reading people and creating experiences—not just focusing solely on wine, chemistry and agriculture? Again, technical expertise alone won’t carry you to executive leadership.
Technology leadership also requires building relationships with employees, customers, partners and board members. This human element distinguishes truly effective leaders from those who settle for being competent specialists.
The ability to translate between technical and business languages is increasingly crucial as you advance. Like sommeliers who make wine accessible to novices while satisfying connoisseurs, effective tech leaders communicate complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
In my transition from COO to CEO at Ivanti, my focus expanded from primarily operational tasks to setting long-term strategy both internally and externally. This broader role requires translating complex technical concepts for diverse stakeholders—from engineering teams to board members and customers—each with different levels of technical understanding.
Breaking Down Organizational Silos
One of the most valuable contributions of functionally diverse leaders is their ability to dismantle organizational barriers. Having worked in multiple areas, they understand different departmental languages, priorities and constraints.
This perspective allows them to create connections where specialists see only divisions. They recognize when department-specific optimization creates system-wide problems. Like expert wine pairings, they know which combinations create harmony and which produce conflict.
Now What?
If you’re a professional in any area aiming at leadership roles, here’s the takeaway: Resist the specialization trap. Develop expertise in your core area while deliberately expanding your experience across functions.
Network extensively—relationships mature like fine wine when properly cultivated. Be genuinely curious about how different parts of the business operate. Develop an owner’s mentality that drives systemic understanding.
The technology industry will continue to evolve. Rather than constantly chasing the newest shiny kernel of knowledge, aim for depth and breadth. Those who can integrate diverse functional perspectives will navigate complexity most effectively. Like master sommeliers who confidently explore new regions and varietals, successful tech leaders never stop expanding their professional palates.
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