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CTO Summit Panel • Sarah Taraporewalla, Dave Coombes, Jenny Johnson & Josh Graham • YOW! 2019
CTO Summit Panel, featuring Sarah Taraporewalla, Dave Coombes, Jenny Johnson, and Josh Graham, discussing the essential role of CTOs in fostering a values-driven culture, measuring productivity, and weighing technical and business priorities.
- As a CTO, focus on people and values, not just financial metrics.
- CTOs should represent technology to their boss and exec team, and balance technical and business priorities.
- Technology leaders need to have a broader understanding of the company’s goals and values.
- Measuring productivity is hard in software engineering, but it’s important to measure progress and outcomes.
- Productivity improvements can come from better processes, tools, and employee engagement, not just technology.
- A company’s technology stack is a key indicator of its values and priorities.
- A CTO should be able to explain the ethical implications of their decisions.
- Emphasize continuous improvement, learning, and experimentation over getting everything right the first time.
- A CTO should prioritize empathy and communication with employees, customers, and stakeholders.
- Companies should prioritize transparency, collaboration, and open communication to build trust and improve productivity.
- Agility, flexibility, and adaptability are key to success in technology-driven organizations.
- CTOs should focus on building a high-performing team and culture, rather than just individual technical skills.
- Values and culture are critical to a company’s long-term success, and CTOs play a key role in setting these.
- Engagement and happiness are important metrics, alongside financial performance.
- CTOs should prioritize solutions over technology for technology’s sake.
- Collaboration between teams is essential for success, and technology leaders should facilitate this.
- A CTO should be willing to take unpopular decisions when necessary, and be able to explain why they made those decisions.