Newsletter #80 : Movember, AWS Blackout

Jason
February 15, 2021
  CTO ACADEMY  Our new platform is almost ready!

With lockdown ending next week here in London and an easing up on the rules regarding home visits during Christmas excitement is brewing here at CTO Academy.To top it all off, we’re almost done working on our new dashboard. With the aim to provide users with an integrated UX between different elements of our service, from leadership skills assessment to management courses, 1:1 coaching to career development support.In this newsletter, we will be covering Black Friday deals, Movember, mental health and staying motivated during the holiday.Have a great weekend!
(Image credit: Mike Moore)
  NEWS  Amazon Web Services OutageOn Wednesday, saw a multi-hour cloud outage from Amazon Web Service (AWS) affecting many sites and services. With an Amazon spokesperson, as reported by The Verge explaining in an email that only one of its 23 geographic AWS regions were experiencing issues at the time. However, this didn’t stop it taking down a large chunk of the internet.Among the list of apps, services and websites affected by the outage were the likes of Flickr, Glassdoor, Autodesk and others. Although, major AWS customers such as Apple, Slack and Netflix did not appear to be affected.Sites and services that depend on AWS should be operating normally now and thankfully the outage did not occur during crucial Black Friday periods as that would have caused a massive blow to the sales of online retailers.
(Image credit: medium.com)
MOVEMBER  
As Movember Ends, Mental Health RemainsEmpathy in leadership is one of the key attributes for a successful tech leader and the COVID crisis has brought the need for compassion management to the fore as we grapple with the unique challenges of working through a pandemic.As Movember draws to a close for another year, we look at the issue of Men’s Health, how to spot when someone is suffering and how to manage both yourself and your team through an individual’s personal crisis.Our Co-Founder Andrew Weaver shares all in our latest blog post as he dives into the history of Movember, mental health leadership (particularly in a pandemic) and making a difference. You can read the full article on men’s health and man management HERE
LEADERSHIP  Keeping Your Team Motivated During The Festive PeriodWith the Christmas holiday fast approaching, keeping enthusiasm levels high amongst your team can be tough. The pull towards spending time with family and Christmas shopping can cause them to be distracted or lose focus. So here are some tips you can do to keep your team motivated towards meeting the company’s end of year goals from late November through to the New Year: 1) Recognise your team with thank you notes and small gifts
Expressing appreciation to your team in a personal way can motivate them as Globoforce Workforce Mood Tracker Survey shows that there is a link between thanks and motivation. 2) Organise an employee gathering
We understand that this may be difficult during the current circumstances but there is no better time to appreciate them than during the festive period. Having some at home team bonding cooking kits to have Christmas dinner over may be a great call.3) Give out awards
It’s safe to say that it’s been one heck of a year and so recognising your team for the things that they’ve done to make it better goes a long way. Whether that was being the most positive during team calls or having the best email sign-offs. It’s the little things that count. The CIO shares some more tips to help you navigate through this.
  EVENTS  The Future of Work For Technology Leaders #2
After a successful first edition of our live webinar Next Generation Enterprise, we are happy to announce that it will be back again on December 9th 2020 with our host Rameshwar Balanagu and new guests Deepak Upandhyaya and Lasse RindomLasse Rindom is the Chief Digital Officer at Baker Tilly Denmark. Whose internal and external responsibilities include optimising and enlightening the business processes with modern digital tools and approaches. Until recently, he was Technology Manager with cross-country responsibility for automation for the Europe region in ISS and global responsibility for RPA platform and RPA framework.Deepak Upadhyaya is a Partner at Baker Tilly Canada and leads the Digital Technology and Risk practice. He has extensive experience working with clients on their technology initiatives, whether the focus is risk mitigation or value realization. Wondering what the future of work will be for the tech world? Register below. 
Register Here
Fast Forward: How the Pandemic is Shifting Digital Transformation into High Gear
The COVID-19 pandemic has radically reshaped the global economy, forcing companies in virtually every sector to embrace technology and abandon traditional operating methods. Join FORTUNE for a conversation with leading industry experts who will be sharing their insight on how the world’s best businesses from sectors including healthcare, transportation, and education are implementing digital transformation strategies to assure their success in the post-pandemic era.Speakers will include
François Candelon | Senior Partner and Managing Director, BCG; Global Director, BCG Henderson Institute
Paul Scanlan | CTO, Carrier Business Group, Huawei Technologies
Peter Weckesser | Chief Digital Officer, Schneider Electric
Michael Frank | Manager, Public Policy, The Economist Intelligence UnitModerated by
Clay Chandler | Executive Editor, Asia, FORTUNETo sign up, you can register HERE
  BOOK OF THE WEEK  The Happiness TrackStill on the topic of Movember, workplace wellness and mental health, as part of EW Group’s “Best books on workplace wellbeing and mental health“, this book written by Emma Seppala draws upon various research to reveal the connection between happiness and success, and how to achieve both.Reviewed by Mitch Price from EW Group, “This book explores why it is important to live and work in the moment and to focus your energy on what matters to you. Reading this outlines why setting aside downtime boosts your creativity. Seppala explores why we should turn self-deprecation into self-kindness and shows why we should do the same to those around us at work and in our lives. The book focuses on key components that help us to build a happy and constructive work life – finding happiness and fulfilment may be the most productive thing we can do to thrive professionally.”

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