TC Gill, our host of CTO Confessions, particularly loves doing deep dives into the unfiltered journeys of tech leaders who have faced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In this episode, he sits down with Misha Makara, a true wizard of tech turnarounds. Misha has made a career out of untangling the most messed-up companies, extracting valuable lessons from their failures, and guiding them back to profitability and growth. In this session of CTO Confessions, we get an unvarnished look into the trials, tribulations, and hard-won wisdom of a tech leader who’s stepped into the arena of huge challenges and turned things around.
“I wish it was easier to do Diversity Equity hiring. That’s always been one of my personal struggles. I do care a lot about having diversity in my teams, but also being able to ensure that I’m hiring based on merit”
–Misha Makara, Fractional CTO–
Key Takeaways:
- Embrace Failure, Embrace Learning
Misha’s key message is that mistakes and failures are inevitable, but they are also your greatest growth opportunities. Lean into the lessons your missteps can teach you.
- Design for the Customer, Not the Tech
Misha emphasizes the critical importance of deeply understanding your customer’s needs and designing intentional experiences rather than getting caught up in the latest shiny new technology.
- Cultivate a Culture of Experimentation
Misha advocates for creating a work environment that encourages small, low-risk experiments to test hypotheses and iterate rapidly towards product-market fit. Failure is fuel for progress.
TLDR: Straight to the point
(Quick Links)
Introducing the guest Tamás Petrovics
The journey to becoming a tech leader
What is the problem that XUND is solving?
How Tamás roles as a leader
As a leader, what keeps Tamás up at night?
How to create the best performing teams
Engineering challenges
Book recommendations by Tamás
Tamás’ wish to the tech genie
Tamás’ key takeaways for aspiring tech leaders
TC’s key takeaways from the podcast
“For me, in the conversation with Misha Makara, there are several key takeaways that truly resonated. First and foremost, Misha’s candid approach stood out—his willingness to openly discuss his own missteps and “oopsies” in the tech world offered invaluable insights and lessons for the audience. This level of honesty is rare and refreshing.
Equally compelling was Misha’s emphasis on experimentation. TC Gill found alignment in their shared belief in the importance of small, controlled experiments to iterate and improve quickly. Misha’s passion for this approach and his ability to foster a culture of learning left a strong impression.
Beyond his technical depth, Misha’s storytelling ability added another layer to the conversation. His use of relatable metaphors, like “debris on the highway” to describe technical debt, made complex ideas more digestible and memorable.
As we wrapped up, Misha left us with two key wishes: more equitable and diverse hiring practices in tech, and a greater focus on customer-first design in technology. Both speak to his enduring commitment to building inclusive, user-centered products.”
TC Gill, CTO Confessions Host
