Claire Brumby is a leadership coach, trainer, entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of Forget Normal – I Want Magic: The 5 Rules of Leadership, published by Kogan Page.
Leadership in tech is changing.
The old model of command, control, and hierarchy is no longer fit for purpose, especially in an industry built on innovation. You cannot build the future using leadership models from the past.
For years, confidence in the workplace has been confused with dominance. Clarity has been governed by targets and KPI’s. Culture has been treated like a token set of bullet points on a slide deck, rather than the lived experience of a workforce.
In tech the pace is faster than ever. Hybrid teams, global collaboration, AI reshaping roles, it’s relentless. While the tools have undeniable changed, many leadership behaviours simply haven’t.
And this is where the tension settles in.
The workforce is more values driven. Burnout in tech isn’t a quiet side effect anymore; it’s a board level issue, and it’s on the rise. Women are underrepresented in senior and technical and executive roles. Talented people are leaving, not because they lack capability, but because they are exhausted from navigating environments that reward performance over presence, and output over alignment.
People aren’t just asking ‘what do we do?’ they are asking ‘why are we doing it?’ and they want to know ‘does this align with who I am?’ Can I succeed here without the unsustainable pressure of becoming someone I am not?
I work with high performing leaders across industries, including tech. They are extremely capable, highly experienced, and commercially sharp. Yet privately, they second guess themselves. Particularly women. They are exhausted with leading in a performative way rather than their own way. What’s needed now is self-leadership. Depth, discernment, courage, and presence.
This is the reason I developed the M.A.G.I.C. Framework™. A practical human-centred model for modern leadership, in fast-moving industries like tech. MAGIC stands for Mindset, Awakening, Gumption, Intuition and Charisma. It strengthens confidence, sharpens clarity, and empowers you to trust yourself. It reshapes culture from the inside out.
Here’s why ‘normal’ leadership isn’t fit for purpose for women in tech – a few patterns that might look familiar:
- You look confident on paper, bit inside you’re over thinking every decision. You double check your technical knowledge before speaking. You rehearse your questions and over deliver to justify your seat at the table.
- You’re clear on the organisational goals, deadlines and team deliverables, but unclear on your own boundaries. You have a calendar filled with meetings, and slack notifications pinging away all day. Your own development, rest and strategic thinking, that’s sat at the bottom of the list.
- Your team are talented…but cautious. Ideas are softened before being shared. Risk is avoided, and people are waiting for permission rather than experimenting.
None of this is about weakness. It’s because there are outdated leadership ‘norms’ running modern workplaces.
MAGIC is the reset. It starts with you a self-leader, then ripples to how you lead your people and shape your workplace.
M – Mindset: The Operating System of Leadership
Every tech product runs on an operating system. So do you. If your internal narrative is driven by fear of failure or imposter syndrome, your leadership will reflect that. It shows up as over control, hesitation, reluctance to delegate or avoidance of bold decisions.
Mindset is not about surface-level positivity. It’s about examining the beliefs that fuel our behaviour.
A – Awakening: Alignment Before Strategy
Tech is full of strategy. Without alignment though, strategy in isolation can lead to quiet disengagement.
Many leaders operate for years without ever asking if their leadership aligns with their values. Awakening is the moment you ask, ‘does how I lead reflect what I value?’
Post pandemic, this has accelerated. The workforce is no longer motivated by title and hygiene employment factors alone. People want meaning, psychological safety, and they want coherence between ‘stated’ values and lived behaviour.
When leaders align internally it shows up with clearer decisions, stronger boundaries, honest conversations, and a more consistent culture.
G – Gumption: Courage in Motion
The modern workplace demands courage. Culture doesn’t change through vision statements. It changes through behaviour. Gumption is the willingness to take action even through feeling discomfort. Act with courage, even when it’s inconvenient.
In reality this displays as
- Challenging outdated processes that no longer serve the business.
- Addressing underperformance directly rather than tolerating to keep the harmony.
- Backing a strategic shift, before there is unanimous buy-in.
Culture doesn’t change through diversity statements. It changes through behaviour.
I – Intuition: The Strategic Advantage Leaders Ignore
In a data driven industry, intuition can often feel secondary. Experienced leaders know this truth…that some of their best decisions were not made with data and spreadsheets alone.
Intuition is not impulsive. It’s pattern recognition informed by experiences, emotional intelligence, and subconscious processing.
In product development, intuition guides where to explore. In hiring it signals to culture fit beyond what the CV points to fit. In leadership it alerts you when something feels off way before the metrics shine a light on it.
The strongest leaders integrate logic and intuition. In a world shaped by AI and automation, human discernment is a competitive edge.
C – Charisma: Prescence Over Performance
Charisma can often be misunderstood as being an ‘extrovert’ or having ‘flair.’ It’s not about being the loudest voice or dominating conversations though. Real charisma is grounded in presence.
When mindset is strong, your values are aligned, your courage active, and your intuition trusted, your presence changes.
Charisma in leadership looks like
- Listening fully before responding.
- Speaking with clarity, rather than speed.
- Admitting when you don’t know.
- Holding steady under pressure.
- Making junior associates feel seen.
Charisma built on authenticity creates connection. That connection builds loyalty and then strengthens culture.
Why MAGIC Matters for the Future in Tech.
The organisations that will thrive in the next decade and beyond, are not simply the most technically advanced. They’re the most human aware.
When leaders develop mindset, they build confidence.
When they embrace awakening, they gain clarity.
When they practice gumption, they model courage.
When they trust intuition, they move decisively.
When they embody charisma, they strengthen culture.
For women in tech, and for companies serious about closing the gender gap, this isn’t a ‘soft skills’ conversation. It’s a very real and needed one.
Leading with MAGIC isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about leading from who you already are, when you strip back the outdated norms of shrinking back, over-performing or self-editing.
