Newsletter #76 : US Election, Testing

Jason
February 15, 2021

 

 

 



 

Hi Everyone

It’s scary time again as another US election lurks around the corner, but CTO Academy are here to take your mind off spooky topics with our regular 5 Minute Tech Break.

Something of a Smorgasboard this week as we cover US Election Data, End of the CTO, Testing, Hiring a CEO and the launch of a new webinar series that looks at the #futureofwork and its potential impact on tech leadership.

Enjoy the read and more importantly, enjoy your weekend.

Andrew Weaver
[email protected]
 

 

 

Tracking The US Election

 


 

Whatever your personal views on the US election cycle this one feels particularly seismic. Not least because of the different ways for people to vote and the benefits, risks and politics that might bring.

What we do know about modern elections is the crucial and often politicised role that data plays how important APIs are in connecting and communicating the data. 

It’s another electoral event raising significant questions about how data is used and manipulated and highlights again how data security and data protection have become amongst the most significant challenges faced by modern tech leaders.

This article explores 15 of the APIs being used to track US election data and information. 

 

Is This The End of the CTO?

 


 

Don’t tell us that … we’ll have to change our entire branding strategy!

This headline comes from a Medium article written by Eugi Bartolo which picked up on a theme we’ve seen a few times in the recruitment market, companies looking for a CTO who still writes code.
 

Eugi argues that “it is becoming a common trend, in CTO / CIO hires, to expect someone who still writes lines of code … but that recruitment consultants, and ideally even candidates themselves, should not encourage this trend to spread further”

Interesting read and discussion point in his article – what do you think?

 

 

Testing at every stage of development

 


 

 

Our testing lectures are amongst the most watched from our online course material and this week we spotted a report from our friends at CTO Universe that looks in further detail at the topic.

“Up to 80% of new products fail. The reality is harsh and the reasons why are endless. Perhaps the new product couldn’t oust a customer favorite. Maybe it looked great but was too hard to use. Or, despite being a superior product, the go-to-market strategy failed.

There’s always risk when building a new product, but you can hedge your bets by understanding exactly what your customers’ expectations truly are at every step of the development process”

Check out their report Testing at every stage of development for additional tips and real-world customer examples.

 

How to Hire an External CEO

 


 

 

The sweet spot for our Careers Team is helping match companies and candidates for senior tech roles but this week we had an unusual request from one technical start up founder, who needed help and advice on how to find and qualify a CEO.

For those of you who are founders or early hires then it might be a scenario for you in the future – having to recruit, perhaps for the first time, an external CEO hence an interesting 
article from Andreesson Horowitz that explores the challenge, particularly from a technical co-founders perspective.

  

 

 

Live Webinar Q&A on 11th November

 

“Next Generation Enterprise”
The Future of Work & Tech Leadership

 


 

About The Event

As tech leaders and managers we are accustomed to dealing with change as a constant, it comes with the territory. But even the most visionary amongst us are having to deal with an ever faster pace of disruptive change much of it super charged due to COVID.

Next Generation Enterprise is a live webinar Q&A series that will explore The Future of Work For Technology Leaders. Every month we invite guests from in and around the tech world to explore what the future of work could look like and how tech leaders might need to adapt.

For this first event, host Rameshwar Balanagu will be joined by Shail Khiyara who is Executive in Residence at AV8 Ventures and research fellow at HFS Research in Silicon Valley. He is also a board member at IQPC, an Artificial intelligence & Intelligent Automation Network with more than one million members. With 20 years C-suite experience in CMO roles, he brings some fascinating insight into the potential fusion of elements of the CMO and CTO roles.

This will be a Live Webinar Q&A and we’d love you get involved with some questions for host and guest.

Date: Weds 11th November 2020.
Midday CT
1800 GMT
1900 CET

Find out more and register here

 

Book Of The Week : No Rules Rules

 


 

Away from work I generally read non business books, just to switch my head into something different for a while.

 

But this week I have been diving enthusiastically into No Rules Rules, a book about the culture that drives and has driven Netflix to such fantastic success.

Some really interesting observations about how to reinvent a business from the top down and how to adopt and make successful some fairly radical approaches to communication, not least their adoption of radical honesty.

Amazon review … “they explain in more detail the culture of Netflix. A culture that prioritises innovation. It is a book that must be read as it represents an innovation in company culture (Netflix, for example, does not use KPIs, management by objectives or bonuses, among others).

Their culture is a culture of Freedom and Responsibility, where they have some principles (Maximize the talent density in the company, always give honest feedback, eliminate controls (lead by context), become a global company)”

 

 


 
CTO Academy 
Book your free coaching session
Want help with an immediate managerial issue or discuss where some coaching can help your career?

 

We offer a free discovery coaching call where you can chat in more detail about the issues and explore where coaching can help you make a bigger impact. 

If you haven’t done it already, you can also Download our eBook

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend …

 

https://www.facebook.com/CTO-Academy-303278250259982/

Twitter

LinkedIn

Website

 

 

Copyright © 2020 CTO Academy, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email, having recently purchased a product from CTO Academy.

 

UK mailing address:
2nd Floor, 20 St Thomas Street, London SE1 9RS

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp

 

 

This email was sent to *|EMAIL|*

why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

*|LIST:ADDRESSLINE|*

 

*|REWARDS|*

 

 

 

Download Our Free eBook!

90 Things You Need To Know To Become an Effective CTO

CTO Academy Ebook - CTO Academy

Latest posts

Case-Study-The-Metric-Mirage-at-AgileX-Solutions-post-featured-image

Case Study: The Metric Mirage at AgileX Solutions

AgileX Solutions, a leading Software as a Service (SaaS) company encounters a significant challenge when its non-technical Chief Executive Officer (CEO) mandates the use of […]
Tech Leadership in So Many Words...#23-Influence - blog featured image

Tech Leadership in So Many Words…#23 – Influence

Duality of influence requires a leader to be perpetually mindful of the broader impact of their actions, ensuring they embody the values of integrity, responsibility, […]
Case Study: CEO-CTO Chasm featured image

Case Study: CEO-CTO Chasm at InnovativeTech

This case study spotlights the need for harmonising business drive and technical stability, managing technical debt, fostering team resilience and responding effectively to crises. It […]

Transform Your Career & Income

Our mission is simple.

To arm you with the leadership skills required to achieve the career and lifestyle you want.

Save Your Cart
Share Your Cart