Many claim that business leaders speak another language while techies only know one. Between, misinterpretation rules most of the time. One person, Alex Pollock, has enough bravery and know-how to create a bridge directly over that void though. his secret is Combining questions with a reasonable dosage of stubbornness and, sometimes, an engineering joke or two.

Originally an engineer, he began his career not as a business guru. the kind of person who will dissect a toaster in order to see its singing to your bread. Unlike most engineers, Alex soon discovered something strange: IT projects typically fail, not because the code is poor but rather because nobody tried to find out what the business side really required. It had nothing to do with better machines or prettier code. It was about asking “Why?” then hunting the “How?” That is where his path became fascinating.

Alex shows up at boardrooms sporting a three-piece suit and spewing buzzwords without dressing in accordance. He probes difficult topics. See him in a conference carrying coffee: “Okay, but what’s the point of this software?” Heads nod as he is right. Without a solid reason—that of a commercial need—it is simply noise. He has a natural ability to translate English everyone can grasp from what programmers say.

Here is where things become even more intriguing. Alex thinks companies need more than tools if they are to flourish using technology. They demand somebody who can view both perspectives. He developed courses for software engineers to assist them understand the numbers game, risk calculations, basic corporate reasoning. Flip the coin, and he’s created seminars for CEOs that teach them tech isn’t magic but you also can’t control it by yelling at your screen. Those who have enrolled in his classes claim better morale, less unsuccessful projects, and meetings that really get anywhere.