Newsletter #45 : Everyone loves a good list

Andrew Weaver
February 15, 2021

Happy Friday ….

1st November folks, Halloween over for another year.
12 months before those marauding kids can again legitimately harass me for chocolate at my front door … nothing else to be scared of (for now).

The only other person knocking on my door this week was asking me to complete a survey so I decided to dedicate this weeks newsletter to surveys, of the kind that might be of particular interest to those of us leading the way in tech management.

Oh, and a little plug for us.  We release great new management lectures every month – more details below. If you’re not already a full subscriber, why not treat yourself with an upgrade today.

Have a great weekend.

Andrew Weaver
CTO Academy
[email protected]

64% of people trust a robot more than their manager

Survey out this month from Oracle suggests people have more trust in robots that their managers. 

“Study of 8,370 employees, managers and HR leaders across 10 countries found that AI has changed the relationship between people and technology at work and is reshaping the role managers need to play in attracting, retaining and developing talent”

Well, we’ve met some incompetent managers in our time but that does seem a remarkable stat.

“rely” might make sense when it comes to the shift from robot to human but “trust” is such a fundamental part of building a team and achieving great results … for now!

In the words of Bob Dylan, “the times-they-are-a-changin”


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Open Source Data Management Software Survey

A survey was conducted earlier this year of open source database users to find out more about how they deploy open source software (OSS) databases.

Report conclusions is even though software vendors have worked hard to add features, users gravitate towards the best database (and best tool) for the job, using the right database for the right application in database environments that can exist either on-premises, in the cloud, or a hybrid of the two.

Main findings;
>92% of respondents say they use more than one database 
89% of respondents have more than one OSS database 
43% are running both PostgreSQL and some variant of MySQL 
54% are running some purpose-built NoSQL database (Document, key-value, big data, etc.) 
73% are running both a relational database as well as a NoSQL purpose-built database

Don’t get me started on the way companies treat candidates

“67% Of Tech Leaders Say Their Companies Text In Hiring Process”

Now I have a personal distaste for how most companies treat their candidates.

The experience for most candidates is pretty soul destroying as the majority of companies fail to even recognise their application let alone give them any feedback about progress or not.

I always think this is incredibly short sighted of a company, to treat candidates with such disdain. Your recruitment process reflects on you as a company and more specifically, you as a manager.

Your compassion and consideration are all part of the wider marketing of who you are and what you represent.

A friend of mine was recently out of work and applied to approx. 60 jobs in London, often with high profile start ups.
<50% even bothered to acknowledge his application.
Only 25% gave him any information on his application at all and barely any gave him feedback on why he hadn’t been successful.

I’ve been involved in many recruitment campaigns and sometimes it can be a daunting having to filter hundreds of applications but it cannot be beyond a tech company to put in at least a simple process of acknowledgement and respect for those applying.

So, with this survey whilst I’m not a huge fan of texting people within a recruitment process, at least its a form of communication, which for most candidates will make a refreshing change.How does your recruitment process work?
Is it a good reflection on you and your company?


And finally ….  “67% of employees say they are sometimes, very often or always burned out at work”

Some workplace research from Gallup opens up with a truth from Bill Gates … “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.” 

Most of the findings here should strike alarm bells about how employees are (or are not) being engaged by the work they do.This survey concludes 

“Business is moving faster than ever. The old ways of doing things aren’t working anymore. And today’s executive leadership needs to be more connected — in a persistent, “always-on” capacity — with the emotions, opinions and attitudes of their employees.Are your employees waiting a year to figure out if they belong with you? Are they waiting a year to talk with their boss about their performance? Waiting a year to grow professionally? Waiting a year to stop feeling burned out? Waiting a year to know leadership’s vision for your organisation? If you leave your employees waiting, they are already leaving — and that should worry any leader”

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CTO Academy – New Lectures Every Month 

October Releases

For full subscribers we provide a steady stream of new course material every month.

Most of our new lectures are shaped by specific requests from CTO Academy members. 

October saw the release of these new lectures;
1.  How to become a thought leader (Personal Branding)
2.  Presenting to non-technical customers (Communication)
3.  10 Steps to Crowdfunding Success (Funding)
4.  Managing the CEO (Board Management)

November and December will see another batch of new lectures including;– Building to exit
– Strategic partnerships
– Tech strategy
– Futurology
– How to create value in a company
– Interviewing techniques

Get in touch if you’d like us to deliver lectures covering a particular area of tech management and leadership.

If you don’t currently have full access then please get in touch and/or upgrade your current membership level … 

Recent feedback from CTO Academy members;

“CTO Academy course has had a huge impact on my career as an early startup CTO”“I have found the CTO Academy training modules to be highly valuable resources, providing broad-based business skills and awareness that are essential for succeeding in the modern workplace”

“The challenges I’ve faced in recent past could have been more easily overcome by better communication and understanding of process. CTO Academy courses and mentoring have helped me improve these skills and I  feel much more comfortable in progressing my career” 


 
Last Webinar: How To Create and Manage a Tech Budget

Jason and I walked through some of the key issues to consider when creating and managing a tech budget, particularly from a start up and/or early stage perspective. 

If you didn’t make the live version, you can watch a recording here.
Quote of the week 

Latest survey shows that 3 out of 4 people make up 75% of the population” – Stephen Hawking

Download Our Free eBook!

90 Things You Need To Know To Become an Effective CTO

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