As a CTO, you work on the box, not inside it. Understanding the team dynamics, organizational structures, and technology challenges and inspecting for improvement is crucial for achieving business outcomes. Thanks to Marc van Neerven Taking the last hurdle to become a CTO | by Marc van Neerven | CTO-as-a-Service | Medium for sharing his insights!
While the “T” in CTO traditionally stands for Technology, it embodies Transformation. A CTO constantly transforms technology choices, patterns, structures, and collaborations to drive relevant outcomes. It’s not about the technology but how you and your teams handle challenges and opportunities.
One major challenge I’ve faced is the blind adoption of technology choices that are successful from big tech by smaller teams. Copying patterns and practices without considering the context often leads to disappointment. Architects know that choices are situational and multi-dimensional, involving factors such as:
– Business challenges
– Existing technology landscape
– “Fit for purpose” patterns, tools, or technologies
– Maturity of the existing team
– Availability of knowledge, skills, and people
– Support and industry adoption of the technology or tool
– And more…
Smartly mixing and matching choices is a practice a CTO must instill in their team. As a CTO, you are expressing your intent. It means creating a work environment where people can become their best version. They do that in places where they feel valued and empowered and where their employers care about keeping them motivated and productive (8 Ways To Lead Employees With Intent-Based Leadership (forbes.com). Asking the right questions, challenging choices, and supporting the team post-decision is crucial. High-performance teams thrive on debate, alignment, choosing, and committing to choices. Creating, making mistakes, learning, and correcting is a collective effort.
#Leadership #Technology #CTO #Transformation #TechLeadership #TeamDynamics #Innovation #BusinessOutcomes #HighPerformanceTeams