Behind the Firewall: Notes of a Punk CIO

There are days when I need to cut teams, kill projects, challenge peers, or walk straight into a meeting where I know I’ll be the villain. That’s not me—at least not the “me” most people know. I’m all the way wired for empathy. I tend to overthink and I lose sleep when things I care about go wrong .

So I did something that saved my sanity and – I hope – made me better at my job: I built a character, I became the Punk CIO.

Why invent someone else?

Because I needed to detach. I wanted to stay true to who I am without letting that limit who I can be at work. My personal self isn’t aggressive. I’m very empathetic, I don’t like conflict, I take failures (waaay too) personally and I replay situations in my head all night.

But the Punk? The Punk makes the hard call and moves on. He doesn’t get paralyzed by guilt. He analyzes failure like a game stat and upgrades accordingly.

It’s a bit like career mode in a video game. You pick a character, you develop traits, you keep leveling up. When something fails? You don’t say “I suck.” , you just say, “I need to work on stamina” or “my goal scoring efficiency is too low.” Then you make an improvement plan, try to get better and you try again.

That’s the Punk : he’s not perfect, but progressing.

Sooo, when I hit a difficult situation, I ask myself: what would the Punk CIO do? And I always remind myself: he’s bold but fair. Empathetic, but not indulgent. He simplifies, cuts through noise and takes the long term perspective. So I let him take over….and he helps me getting things done.

Science says this isn’t crazy

This isn’t just some quirky self-help trick, psychology backs it.

There’s a thing called the alter ego effect—used by elite athletes (remember Black Mamba?), performers, and leaders to step into roles that demand more than their natural personality gives them.

There’s also self-distancing, where talking to yourself in the third person or imagining yourself from outside your own head helps you regulate emotions and improve decision-making.

And there’s role-based behavior adaptation—basically, the science of how we act differently in different contexts without being fake.

None of this is about pretending. It’s about permission to act bold, to take heat, to lead without dragging your personal self through the mud every damn time.

Build your own punk (or whatever name fits)

If any of this resonates, here’s a simple way to start building your own alter ego:

• what parts of your role drain you the most?
• what traits would make that easier?
• what kind of character has those traits?
• how do they dress? talk? decide? show up in conflict?
• what would their name be?

Then, next time you need to be THAT version of yourself—do that mental shift. And when it’s over, take the suit off.

You’ll still be you. But sharper, more resilient and more in control.

Final thought

Trivial I hope, but still: I don’t want you to misunderstand me: your alter ego – whatever that would be – isn’t a license to bulldoze or manipulate. It’s not a mask for bad behavior. It’s a moral compass with muscle :-). A leadership version of yourself that’s bold, but never reckless. Fair, not fake.

The Punk CIO isn’t a mask for me. It’s a mirror—one that shows me what I need to become in moments that demand more than my natural self can give. He’s not a brute, but bold and fair. He leads with clarity, not cruelty; he simplifies without oversimplifying. He doesn’t hide from hard decisions—but he makes them with respect.

And over time, I’m noticing I need him less and less. Maybe the Punk is just me, future version?