Author: Jason
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What is the optimum size for a tech team?
Price’s law (competence is linear, incompetence is exponential) pertains to the relationship between the literature on a subject and the number of authors in the subject area, stating that half of the publications come from the square root of all contributors. If 100 papers are written by 25 authors, five authors will have contributed 50…
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10 Steps for CTO`s to Improve Their Critical Thinking Skills
Critical thinking skills are vital in any leadership role, but when you’re leading the technology arm of a business it takes on even greater importance – both for the key decisions you need to make and for the technical people you need to lead. A CTO needs to be able to reason, understand and solve…
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7 Steps to Become an Effective CTO
1. Define your vision for your future by setting goals When it comes to setting goals, many people fall victim to the “goal-setting paradox.” This is when a person sets unrealistic or uninspiring goals and then does not follow through with them. It’s important to be careful with what you set your goal as. It…
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10 Black Friday (& Cyber Monday) Tips For The CTO
If you are involved in online retail whether B2C or B2B then there are certain times of the year when your systems are pushed to their limit. A few years ago, I was involved in an e-commerce outfit that had about 10k live SKUs and the main times in the year for promotion where Black…
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Think Twice, Before Re-Inventing The Tech Wheel
Here is a scenario familiar to many us, from engineer to CTO. A shiny new and exciting concept has emerged. Might be a new idea for your startup, an internal application for your company or a new customer offer. What’s the first thought that whizzes across your mind … well, it used to whizz across…
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How to build trust with an inherited team
Moving into a new company or new role with an established team can be a challenge. Amplify that challenge if you’re taking over from a popular predecessor.
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Early Adopters – Wonderful but Dangerous
With constant pressure around innovation and product development, you’re grateful to the innovators and early adopters who will tolerate more the minimum feature set. But be cautious about what they’re telling you.
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The Art Of Giving Feedback
Giving constructive feedback to the people you manage is often one of the more uncomfortable tasks you face as a tech leader and yet it’s one of the most important leadership skills to get right.
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Operational Planning vs Strategic Planning: Who does what?
Are tech leaders responsible for taking care of operational planning or is it their job to get involved in strategic planning? How do you define a tech leader’s roles and responsibilities?
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5 Management Challenges For New Tech Leaders & Where Mentoring Helps
“as a new CTO I struggled with the jump from dev to management, especially at a time of growth and change at my company. It wasn’t always clear what that change needed to look like” These comments from one of our mentees is not untypical of the challenges faced, particularly by newly appointed CTOs and…