Newsletter #96 : Tribes, Masterclass and Hello Bianca

CTO Academy deliver tailored leadership skills training and career development services for global tech leaders.

CTO ACADEMY  

It’s all change …

Welcome to Bianca who joined the marketing team and immediately felt it was time to give the newsletter a fresh angle – hope you enjoy her introductory video and look forward to some great content further down the line.

We’re up and running with CTO Academy Tribes our group coaching and Peer 2 Peer support programme with cohorts starting to form around the world so please get in touch if interested in finding your tribe.

And launching on Monday will be our new masterclass series of deep dive workshops of topics specifically chosen by the CTO Academy community.

April: How to scale a team from 2 to 200 in three key steps with Dharmesh Mistry

May: How to create a tech strategy aligned to business goals with Sanjay Mistry

June: Negotiation Skills and How to achieve a Win:Win each time with Zoe Fragou

Watch this space.

Until next time, have a great and relaxing weekend.

PSYCHOLOGY FOCUS 

Creativity : It’s What Makes Us Shine

Creativity has helped many people through the pandemic but what’s the science behind when that creative moment arrives?

Zoe shines a spotlight on the creative process and how creativity itself can manifest in different people at different times.

Read more here.

NEWS & VIEWS  

Other Articles Catching Our Eye This WeekEquity for Software Engineers at Big Tech and Startups …“Why should I care about equity?” For almost all total compensation packages over $250K in the US and €150K in Europe, an increasing chunk of it is equity. Both publicly traded companies in Big Tech and startups frequently issue meaningful stock to software engineers. The ex-Uber, Gergely Orosz, educates us on how big of a deal a good equity package is.

A Guide to Better Meetings …Meetings are a tool, and they are indispensable for effective, transparent communication. Transparency is critical if you want to build trust in an organization. Dick Brouwer shares his past experience of having to deal with information asymmetry, meaning information was delivered to each individual separately and thereofore, slightly differently. Information asymmetry generates distrust in the organization and its leadership, and as the saying goes “Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair”.

Surviving Zombie Scrum …Too many teams around the world work in dreary, demotivating environments. Without control over how to do their work, no contact with the people they’re ultimately working for, and no autonomy to change anything, it is not hard to understand why they disengage or burn out. Christiaan Verwijs, Johannes Schartau, and Barry Overeem have very kindly answered our questions about Zombie Srum and have given us a taste of what the future might look like for tech teams.

How Leaders Can Reduce Stress and Boost Productivity …Companies need to continue developing a positive culture that embodies both individual and organizational wellbeing. However, how businesses do this will define their reputation for years to come. Angela Kambouris firmly believes that brands need to re-imagine their strategies on employee wellness as the centerpiece of their decision-making. Offices need to reset strategies, modify policies and reinvigorate return-to-the workplace plans.

BOOK OF THE WEEK  

Choose Better: The Optimal Decision-Making Framework Making choices is difficult and at times moves must be made without adequate information.

Choose Better provides a systematic approach to solving any problem, no matter how difficult. Designed by Dr. Timothy Yen, this series of questions will lead you step-by-step out of that state of indecision and into vibrant, confident action.

Identify your deepest motivations, clarify your values, understand the needs of others, and work through any resistance to make transformational, life-affirming decisions-even under the greatest adversity.

“Dr. Tim Yen blends the wisdom of great thinkers, theory, and practical insight with a useful Framework for making optimal decisions. When was the last time you actually considered your emotions, your values, others’ values, and reality in a decision you’re working through? The Framework will challenge you to be mindful and much more aware of how to process each of these important elements. Yen brings it together like a handbook for making the seemingly small, and obviously large, decisions.” 

– Mindy Wegner, TEDx speaker, Founder of Mindy Meets

VIDEO OF THE WEEK 

We like a good motivational speech … here’s one from Admiral McRaven

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