“The 5 Minute Tech Break” Newsletter

Friday, March 22

Solutions for Remote CTO Position, Risks of Influence, New Case Study...

Hey everyone…

Where did Q1 go?

This will be our final newsletter before Easter and it’s packed with a range of leadership insight, updates and news from around the world.

And as the financial year comes to a close, it’s a perfect time for your company to invest in your professional growth so…

You need to talk to them about getting you signed up to join our next Digital MBA for Technology Leaders cohort which launches on 8th of April, 2024.

Stay informed, stay inspired and keep leading with heart.




From CTO Academy...

Practical Solutions to Common Challenges of a Remote CTO Position

Since the Remote CTO works from a different location than the company’s headquarters, a set of challenges arises for the Chief Technology Officer and the employer. In this article, we are: a) examining the most critical challenges and, more importantly, b) providing practical solutions.

Case Study: The Metric Mirage at AgileX Solutions

This week's example explores the potential pitfalls of relying on vanity metrics and the importance of balancing quantitative data with qualitative insights and learning how to communicate these tradeoffs with non-technical stakeholders.


Tech Leadership In So Many Words…#23: Influence

More in our series of articles that unpacks individual words and their relevance to the technology leader. This week, on nuances of having Influence in our leadership roles and the significant responsibilities that come with it.




CTO Academy Membership

A key element of our Membership Package is the live weekly sessions we host with tech leaders joining from around the world.

Last week, we had some fantastic peer-to-peer sessions where 100+ members joined to debate and discuss various leadership topics and burning issues.

This week, we hosted a 60-minute leadership workshop which looked at Deep Listening. Joseph Trodden looked at Bad Listeners, Reflective Listening and The Role of Power. Key learning points were captured brilliantly by our member, Engineering Director Corey Latislaw, who shared a sketch capturing some of the workshop's main message.


Corey Latislaw - Deep Listening live session notes

Download this really cool graphic with key points.


We have some amazing guests lined up for future sessions:

Mar 27 - CTO Shadowing #1 (The Scaleup CTO Returns) David Kavanagh returns to CTO Academy for his latest update on life as a Scale-up CTO - and he has some interesting news to reveal. These CTO Shadowing sessions provide a real-time behind-the-scene insight for CTOs of different sizes of organisation.

Apr 16 - Expert Q&A with Team Topologies author Matthew Skelton. Matthew will be giving us an update on his thinking around modern organisational dynamics for fast flow and taking questions from the assembled tech leaders.

Just confirmed…on July 2, we will welcome Bryan Seely, a world-famous cyber security expert, ethical hacker, author and former U.S. Marine. We’ll discuss all things cybersecurity and help our members to understand where they are most vulnerable today, and from where the future threats will come.

These are just a taste of our CTO Academy Membership package. You can find out more and sign up here.




From The World Around Us...

Human Error is Biggest Cybersecurity Threat, CTOs Say

CTOs consider human error to be their biggest cybersecurity threat, says STX Next research, with ransomware and phishing also serious concerns

CTOs at the Forefront of Healthcare Trends: Strategies for Staying Ahead in a Rapidly Changing Industry

Deloitte’s 2023 Global Technology Leadership Study, looks at how technology leadership roles have evolved, and the competencies tech executives can build to thrive in today’s environment

Inclusivity is the Future of Work. Here Are 6 Ways to Support Neurodiverse Team Members.

In the quest for an inclusive and dynamic work environment, acknowledging neurodiversity is crucial. It’s not just about ticking boxes. It’s about recognising and leveraging the unique strengths that each individual brings to the table, through awareness and support.




CTO Community Pulse: This Week's Highlights

  • #Ask-The-Community: Exploring how Cyber Security Essentials works and what steps are involved, as well as digging into how we can document our microservices with different diagrams and documentation.
  • #General: Discussions around Microsoft’s AI Skills challenge and how Gen AI may be helping organisations with improving their security posture.
  • ##Book-Club: A lively peek into whether or not office culture is “dead”.




The Digital MBA for Technology Leaders

Our next cohort launches on Monday, 8th of April 2024.

If interested in joining, then you can review The Digital MBA for Technology Leaders here.

Enrollment includes 12 months of free CTO Academy Membership. Since the UK financial year draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to remind your company that now is the time to invest in this fantastic course and join this incredible community.

If not sure... take a dive into the 60 5-star reviews on Trustpilot and discover why tech leaders from around the world view CTO Academy and this course as “game” and “career” changers.

Interested but want more information?

Book a Discovery Call with our CEO and explore whether it’s a good fit for you at this stage of your career.



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90 Things You Need To Know To Become an Effective CTO

CTO Academy Ebook - CTO Academy

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