From technical knowledge to creating departments and setting goals, here are the skills you need to improve if you want to become a good CTO with a highly effective team.
Technology expertise is in greater demand than ever before – and this need is leading to an increase in the importance of CTOs.
Businesses were looking for technologists who could help them leverage their digital data and establish remote work strategies even before the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year the demand has really skyrocketed
So how can a CTO be more effective? Mark Holt, who has been CTO at Trainline for over six years, knows all too well what skills are required. Here are the traits he says define a great CTO.
1. Have the right knowledge
While some organizations have CIOs, there seems to be a growing trend for blue-chip companies to appoint CTOs. Holt acknowledges that the battle of CTOs against CIOs is familiar and entirely logical. For Holt, context is everything.
“I think you need people who know what it’s like to work fast and organized,” he says. “Some companies need a CIO. Some companies need a CTO. I think every company has unique needs and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.”
Holt says CTOs are definitely a good fit for organizations that are constantly innovating with technology. But that focus on technology means CTOs need to know all the technical details that go into the company.
“I think people appreciate that level of insight into technology. That’s why I think you need a CTO who really understands technology.
2. Promoting a culture of iterative innovation
While CTOs should be interested in creative uses of technology, Holt says they are unlikely to be the people who develop the smart ideas. The CTO's primary job is to ensure that people on their team have the confidence and desire to try new things.
“I’m not the guy who’s innovative,” he says. “My job is to create a culture of people who are innovative and a culture where people can innovate. That’s literally the most important thing to me. I have to create an environment where people can come to work and leave feeling proud of what they did that day.”
3. Create a different segment of different experiences
Holt says he's a big fan of the idea that industry diversity is the one characteristic most closely related to creativity: "More diverse teams are more innovative," he says. He's also a fan of learning from staff who have experience in different industries.
4. Guide self-governing groups to the right goals
Holt says that a CTO's success is also about placing the right people in the right roles and then ensuring those individuals receive clear guidance.
Trainline goes through a quarterly review process. For the last quarter, the framework focused on priorities related to COVID-19. More generally, Holt says it’s important to tweak the parameters of the business every quarter and make sure people are focused where they need to be.
Once this coaching is complete, it's important as a leader to take a step back. Holt advises other CTOs to try to manage change in a smooth manner.
