Adjusting course: The CTO Compass

A prelude

Over the past few months, my writing has gradually started taking a new direction, shifting slowly from remote work to broader topics such as hiring software developers, learning & development and productivity.

Photo by Antonin G on Unsplash

This new name, the CTO Compass, fits a lot better with where I want to take my writing. All of my career, I’ve worked in tech – growing from L1/L2 support, systems engineering and database administration to high-value consulting and VP leadership. It’s been a long and winding road. Sometimes I was proud of what we achieved, I’ve been lucky at times, but I often failed miserably as well. I’ve learned so much over the years. These are the lessons you’ll find in the CTO Compass.

Many CTO’s start their working lives as software developers. Over time, they become lead designer or architects. The next step is that of a CTO. The role of CTO is so different from that of a (lead) developer. The work is different, priorities are different, our goals are different. We’re now building & leading teams, hiring, developing & firing people, we’re managing budgets, building culture, productivity, and so much more. The longer you’re in the role, the less code you’ll see and touch.

The CTO Compass – Pillars

In the CTO Compass, these are the different content pillars that we’re going to touch on a regular basis.

• Our Value (Why): Customer value, financials, budget

• Our Team (Who): Hiring, Onboarding, Learning & Development, Culture

• Our Output (What): OKR’s, KPI’s, Productivity, Feedback

• Our processes (How): DevOps, CI/CD, Operations, Processes & Frameworks

• Remote Work (Where)

• Cyber Security and Compliance

Next week, we’re going to start with why we’re here – to create value for our customers.

Your input

I’d love to hear from you as well. If there’s something you would like me to cover, send me a message – and I’ll cover it.