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- Becoming a CTO
Becoming a CTO
#63 – November 15, 2021
this week's favorite
I realized that while there are some books on technology leadership careers, there aren’t many resources explaining the most senior levels. My goal is to provide some insight and advice for those interested in someday becoming a CTO.
It’s possibly the best advice for managers I’ve given so far. When you’re communicating with your team, lead with context and reassurance. Never message someone on your team, “let’s talk when you get a minute”. That’s void of information and scary as heck!
Good technical design decisions are very dependent on context. Teams that regularly work together on common goals are able to communicate regularly and negotiate changes quickly. These teams exhibit a strong force of alignment, and can make technology and design decisions that harness that strong force. As we zoom out in a larger organisation an increasingly weak force exists between teams and divisions that work independently and have less frequent collaboration. Recognising the differences in these strong and weak forces allows us to make better decisions and give better guidance for each level, allowing for more empowered teams that can move faster.
Shipping is the life blood of a startup. The faster you ship, the faster you learn, and the faster you move towards finding product-market fit and reaching that first existential milestone for an early-stage startup.
Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting your tech career journey, there’s always something new to learn.