To solve a problem, you need to have the full context, and getting the full context means stepping away from the technology.
The most valuable part of engineering is the human aspect. Stepping away from the code to get on a call and understand the customer and their challenges is how you find a solution that truly meets their needs. That’s how you create value.
We at Tailwind have this relationship focus in common with Q2 and today’s guest, Ryan Hollister. Ryan is the Vice President of Engineering at Q2, a financial experience company dedicated to providing digital banking and lending solutions to banks, credit unions, alternative finance, and fintech companies in the U.S. and internationally. He has over 18 years of diverse professional software development and leadership experience. Ryan has developed software from real-time systems to embedded devices to enterprise-class web applications. For the past nine years, Ryan has focused on building complex and robust web applications in fintech.
In this conversation, Ryan and I discuss the challenges of getting financial institutions to participate in cryptocurrency, the evolution of digital banking, why customer service and partnership are critical, the need for financial institutions to innovate and stay at the forefront of technology, and more.
Highlights with Ryan Hollister
– Ryan’s personal and professional background
– Ryan’s transition from engineering to people leadership as Q2 has grown
– Q2’s radical transformation over the years
– The guiding principles and customer partnership culture at Q2
– How Q2 stays competitive in the increasingly crowded FinTech space
– Q2 Innovation Studio case study: Q2 & NYDIG Partnership
– Balancing traditional ways of doing things in the financial industry with the need to move faster to meet customer demands
– Tailwind’s software as a relationship approach
– Ryan’s take on people-driven tech
– The advantages of starting with the problem rather than the solution
– Finding the true fundamental motivation using the three levels of “why”
– Human interactions are an essential part of agile development
– Ryan’s book recommendation: Will Larson – Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track
